Case study

There's no plan B

Case

About the project

From digital to print

In a digital age, real world consequences can often feel far away or not as impactful as they would have been if you were to see them with your own eyes. So I set out to make the consequences of (plastic) pollution feel more ‘real’.

Services

Visual Design
Copywriting
Crafts

Client

Date

2019
March

The Challenges

Making it personal

The main goal of this project was to show readers the effects of plastic pollution through a series of pictures. I wanted to make the beautiful photos feel tangible so I decided to make a physical booklet made out of recycled materials.

One of the hardest thing about this project was thinking of a way to make the reader really think about the effects of plastic pollution. I wanted to almost force the reader to stop and realize that what they are seeing is not normal.

The process

Upcycling plastic

After choosing out the photos and deciding on the narrative I wanted to tell, I started to plan out how I would actually made the booklet. I wanted to print on recycled paper and make the cover myself, fully out of recycled plastic.

By covering the polluted or effected areas of a photo before the reader would see them fully, I specifically made them stop and realise how wrong the photo is. This way I could really push my narrative and message.

After making a physical booklet I also wanted to create a website to explain and promote the booklet. The purpose of this website would therefore not be to sell the booklet, but to explain more why it was made and to donate to charities that wanted to tackle plastic pollution. Since of the nature of the book, it would make sense that it would be associated with a good cause.

I wanted to highlight the strong points of the booklet in the design. Namely the photography and the materials. An important task was to ensure the design fits in well with the physical booklet, while still keeping it suitable for screens. For example, I have adapted the font used for a font that is more suitable for screens.

The results

The effects of plastic pollution

In the end I created a beautiful booklet showing the real consequences of plastic pollution, both to humans, animals and nature. By applying the principle of Pathos I tried to connect with the readers through emotions and feelings.

Because of the natural and recycled materials I used, the message got even stronger and tied the whole concept together. This is one of the few times I made something physical instead of digital, making this a very special project to me.