in My Work, Process, Research

Design Artefact 1 & 2 (Process)

Introduction

Through primary research, I discovered that Singaporeans are aware of the issue of hypermasculinity with 52.9% of respondents stating that it may be a problem. The aim of The Purple Cloud Project is to, therefore, educate and inform target audiences on the existence and impact of hypermasculinity and eradicate hypermasculine discrimination and behavior in today’s society. The secondary aim of this project is to redefine what it means to be masculine.

I hope to highlight hypermasculinity as a problem by engaging in open conversations with participants, allowing them to gain perspectives from each other and form a community of voices.

Design Artefact 1:

I started my thought process for my logo by doing some quick sketches. I wanted there to be an obvious cloud form but also integrate something personal like hands, a heart or even the male sex symbol.

Clouds are something that has been used in logo forms and corporate branding so there was a challenge in creating something fresh. I also decided to incorporate a speech bubble in my form because it suggested the idea of a conversation which was in line with the objectives of my campaign.

Visualising a muscular arm as a cloud but this seemed to perpetuate the existing stereotype of what masculinity is about. Also the use of arrows to suggest restarting or reviewing the concept of masculinity.

Hands forming a cloud. The cloud didn’t look like one so I scrapped this idea.

The final three iterations using the cloud to also form a heart which I felt perfectly tied into the reason for running this campaign – a matter of the heart. After multiple consultations, I finally simplified the logo’s form paying close attention to detail and how it looked when up or downscaled.

Moving on to the application of the logo. I wanted to place it on something that would be taken around and used in public so awareness would be raised. I went through options like mugs, tote bags, t-shirts, and pins but decided on creating a mobile phone case. Conversation nowadays is done a lot on the phone. Texting, calling and even social media and as such, I felt the phone would be a perfect form to place my logo on. It would incite solidarity and also be a visual reminder to be conscious of the hypermasculine things we may say.

CLICK HERE for the final outcome.

 


 

Design Artefact 2:

Moving forward, I wanted to think of a strategy to create awareness for the Purple Cloud Project. This would be the first step towards spreading the message and since it would be the campaign’s debut, it had to be impactful.

It all began with a sketch. I wanted to invite the idea of how one cannot understand masculinity nor define himself as a unique individual if we continue bombarding media and men all around us with stereotypes and ideal versions of masculinity.

A mirror is something that reflects our image and I wanted to disrupt it by filling it up with ideas of what masculinity is currently portrayed as. These definitions were as honest and raw as possible, as gathered from the survey I conducted. I also decided to fill one cubicle with hypermasculine slurs on stickers and also flood it with purple light to suggest that this personal space was now the ‘purple cloud’ inviting you to think about this matter and join the conversation.

Setting up the space was a challenging task as I wanted to transfer text on the mirror. This took a lot of time and patience. I also decided to create a mirror decal to tie in with the Purple Cloud’s branding.

CLICK HERE for the final outcome.

 


Reflections

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed VC2 and how the projects were a build-up relating to each other. I also felt it was a good idea that we were allowed to pick a cause we resonated with as this really made me push myself to think of the best solution the problem I highlighted. I am also glad Michael guided me in a good direction with regards to Artefact 2  and made me think of how I could approach it in a different method as opposed to something very corporate or over-done. I also appreciated the idea of how playing with scale could make a huge difference in how the message is perceived. In a nutshell, LESS IS MORE! Looking forward to see what the next VC mod has in store!