2024 S2 Reading Effectively and Creatively

ARTS1000 Skills Portfolio 3 Sample Communication Brief Note: The artefact connected to this brief is not about the set topic for Skills Portfolio 3. This example is to illustrate the structure of the brief only. Synopsis: This poster, which was created with Adobe Spark, highlights the urgency of the climate crisis and encourages people to act against climate change. The main visual element is an illustration representing the bottom part of a feminine profile blowing on a flaming match held by two fingers. Instead of a match head, a planet Earth is burning. The illustration is at the centre of the poster, with lines of text above and below. The poster also encourages the audience to attend a climate protest. Although the protest is not mentioned, its date appears in the bottom right corner. (98 words) Target audience: This poster targets people who are environmentally minded and worried about the impact of climate change on the planet, as well as people who are less informed about the climate crisis. (1 sentence) Purpose: This poster has three intended outcomes. First, it aims to raise awareness about the urgency of the climate crisis. Second, it aims to encourage people to act against climate change. Its third intended outcome is to convince people to join the climate protest that took place on 2nd May 2020. (50 words) Dissemination: I will primarily use social media to disseminate my poster because these platforms have a very large number of users, and because social media features (“like” buttons, sharing options, etc.) can eSectively amplify and spread my message. Displaying the poster on billboards in public transport (at train stations, in buses) will also catch the attention of a broad segment of the public. (2 sentences) Strategy: The text encourages environmentally minded people to act against climate change while trying to persuade those who are less interested in this topic. The text lines below the illustration attempt to convince people who are less environmentally minded by stating that the climate crisis is urgent and by emphasizing consequences. The text lines above the illustration - which are more eye-catching due to their position (at the top), font size, and capitalization - act as an empowering call to action. The warm tones and “loud” colours (red, orange and yellow) are attention-grabbing and connote the warming of the planet while conveying urgency. This poster aims to be inclusive and to reach a diverse audience by using gendered imagery that challenges conventional notions of power. Indeed, the human characteristics in the illustration connote femininity through facial features and makeup (lipstick and nail polish). Thus, the poster codes strength and action as feminine and subverts the patriarchal notion of power as masculine. By keeping written words to a minimum and putting more emphasis on the central illustration, this poster aims to grab social media and transport users’ attention. Social media “amplifying” features (such as “likes” and sharing) can spread the message further. (200 words) Media Sources Poster created using Adobe Spark. Source for all images used: Adobe Spark.