OUT OF ORDER ?

What is out of order you may ask… well to put is bluntly over 1 billion people around the globe to do not have access to running water[1].These people routinely drink unhealthy contaminated water which is the result of poor water management, insufficient sanitation or even apathy on the part of those you do have access to clean water because of their economic status.

Poor water quality and bad sanitation are responsible for over 5 million deaths annually as a result of water born disease and related issues[1]. Furthermore the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that there are 1.4 million child deaths annually from diarrhoea as a result of poor water sanitation and quality[1].

This is all avoidable if the appropriate funds, sustainability, management and effort from people like you, are put to use in all the right places. The point of this campaign is to make people aware of what it is like to live without the pleasurable convenience of running fresh water, that slight amount of inconvenience felt when seeing the out of order notice is something that over a billion people feel everyday of their lives, lives which are made much shorter as a result of this. So next time you flush or slide over to the basin, remember many people, people who live in this very town do not have the same privilege or human right…

[1] http://www.who.int/features/qa/70/en/

Our Design Vision

Our vision as designers is to create visually engaging and interesting print media that will make members of the Grahamstown community think about and critically explore possible solutions to the problem of water quality and shortage in a local, regional and national context.

The target audience of this information campaign will be all members of the Grahamstown community, from those that are directly affected by low quality water, to the middle class that perhaps has the power and means to affect change, and the Makana Municipality which can make policy changes regarding water quality.

The WED productions for this project will be comprised of two main elements. The first is an interactive wall poster which will be tiled over a fairly large area and which will showcase developments, issues and activities along the Kowie River. Our design vision is to use a large map as the backdrop for the poster, with points plotted along the map where photos and text will be placed concerning an activity or concern we came across at that point. This map will be interactive, allowing people to post their experiences and thoughts concerning water quality and access. The design of this poster should be eye-catching, but the focus of the poster will be the photographs and text, so the design elements will be of secondary weighting.

The second media product will be a flier which will take the form of a social marketing tool, aiming mainly to conscientise people and make them aware of environmental issues surrounding the Kowie River. Through the use of social marketing we aim to plan and implement a programme “designed to bring about social change using concepts from commercial marketing” (Social Marketing Institute). The flier will be a two sided flier. One side will have a statement and eye-catching picture while the other will be explanatory, detailing the focus of our campaign and project. This flier has greater potential for creativity as the front of the poster must be bold and eye-catching, with its design being just as important as its textual content, to visually draw the reader’s attention.