Postcard 1 Sketches

Posters Revised

Based on the final critique here are changes made to my posters



March To The Booth





Dying To Booth

Final Deliverables

Dying To Vote (Allegory)

Dying To Vote


March To the Booth(Synecdoche)

March To The Booth

Process Manual
Process Book

Process Apparent

Prepared statement for Rhetorical Critique

My goal throughout this project was to draw upon the rich historical context of Black Americans as a reminder of the sacrifice made for the right to vote and the detriment of not voting on the demographic. I felt this was the most appropriate approach contextually and deliberately avoided obvious motifs such as hip-hop. In doing so, both of my posters draw upon two historical events that represent the two particular points in Black American suffrage movement.

Firstly, the "noose" poster employs the rhetorical trope of allegory by using the noose as a symbol for the larger principle death to those who attempted to vote prior to 1965. The 15th amendment passed in 1870 gave Black American males the right to vote. However from 1870-1965 these rights were denied at the state level via poll taxes, literacy tests, physical harm, and death including many lynches. I wanted to use the noose to evoke a visceral emotional response from the viewer, isolated on a solemn background to harness the power of the image and focus on the message. The image/photo was crafted in a style that was found during my visual audit that seem to recur as a method of expressing serious topics for example the Obama cover of Vibe magazine.

The march poster solicits the power of the civil rights march in Selma Alabama, that lead to the eventual passing of the Voters Right Act of 1965 that finally solidified the right for all Black Americans to vote without obstacles to the booth. The poster uses the trope of synecdoche, using the marching feet as a call to action by marching to the booth, the feet (a part) representative of the whole. This poster was visually inspired by the Black Panther Party's newspaper covers. I wanted to harness the grittiness and spirit of the apparent process "no frills" approach that employs very graphic and iconic imagery to signify the importance of the message over the means/technique and employ that historical aesthetic to add extra meaning.

Junior Crit

I met with Ramzy Marsi and Nick Karn, Tuesday October 12th. The feedback from the critique was taken into consideration in the final process round.

Major points from that critique:

Placement of the type works better at the bottom rather than the middle. (march)

Suggestions for further exploration of copy.(noose)

Arrangement of objects on the page and their visual clarity(technical craft).(noose)

4 Directions

A. reference to civil rights resistance and hosing
improvement: use the hose as a metaphor, use a contemporary symbol to allude to the actual hosing but show contemporary resistance

B. stepping back in time by not voting
improvement: more iconic imagery to show the reversion of progress

C. multitude, multiples to show the amount of people that died for the right to vote
improvement: contemporary thing to the buildup, not hatchmarks

D. marching to vote, civil rights marchers and now new marchers alluding to the contemporary ppl voting in droves

Matrix Documentation

Documentation of the ideation process via Matrix.

Voting Mind Map

Mind map created for ideation of poster concepts categorized using the rhetoric tropes.

Get Out To Vote: Visual Inspiration Historical Posters

Demographic Research

My target demographic are African American males who do not go to college.

To start off with a quote that frames the issue:

The question of how to get more working-class black men involved in the political process remains important. For Shakir, voting is a necessary component of justice.

"We, as a people, want power," he says. "The way the system is set up, the power is in the political process."

Yet that path toward justice is neither direct nor easy. More than a century after the Reconstruction Amendments were passed, granting them the right to vote, many black men are still focused on basic living.


"Voting is something you do when you're beyond survival mode," says Shakir. "You don't vote when you're in survival mode. And we have been conditioned in this country to stay in survival mode."

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=0573d343d7fac959271adc4d2ad85112

Including the AIGA document and other sources, what are the issues cited for this group not voting?

Feelings of disenfranchisement and not feeling a part of the system.

Davies notes that a lack of time and a surplus of apathy don't explain his friends voting behavior.

"A lot of people feel disenfranchised," he said. "If you don't feel connected to the society, why vote?"

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=0573d343d7fac959271adc4d2ad85112

Not believing their vote makes a difference.

Interviews with over a dozen young black men in Los Angeles' inner city neighborhoods suggest that many simply don't believe their votes will make a difference. Their attitudes may help explain a continued drop in black voter participation nationwide over the last decade.

The common theme that emerges from these and other interviews is this: a generation of black Americans is coming of age convinced that they have no role to play in the system that governs them.

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/271.html


Felony convictions prevent many from voting, but many do not realize their is a process to have the right to vote reinstated. One in nine African American men cannot vote due to felony convictions.

Until yesterday, I always believed that most people that have a felony conviction are banned from voting unless they petitioned courts for reinstated. As a person that has recently become interested in getting people to register to vote, I wanted to look into how someone with a felon conviction vote and have their vote counted. As I did some researched today, I was surprised at the information that I came across. I wish that I had started looking into legislation on felony conviction. I am hoping that you can forward this email to others so that we can ensure that all persons with a felony conviction that are able to vote are registered and will vote. The deadline to register is approaching quickly. One vote can make a difference. This may be long, but worthwhile.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/mariandreid/gG53yG

Phillips is one of many black men who couldn't vote even if they wanted to. More than 60 percent of prisoners in the US are ethnic minorities. For black males in their twenties, statistics show that roughly one in nine is incarcerated. (newsmedia)


The Florida Legislature's black caucus announced Thursday that one of its priorities in the current 60-day legislative session is to make it easier for convicted felons to re-establish their voting rights.

The lawmakers cited statistics showing one in three black men can't vote in their state because they have been convicted of crimes. Florida is one of 14 states that makes it difficult for felons to vote.

In a number of states around the country, legislators and civil rights groups are trying to change the rules that make it difficult for felons to restore their voting rights.

A Florida legislative committee has been hearing arguments that most felons who have served their time should have their voting rights restored automatically one year after they have completed their sentence.

http://www.cnn.com/US/9903/04/felons.voting/index.html

College educated African Americans vote more than working class non educated AAs.

Davies' observation is consistent with national data that suggests a huge class divide within black civic engagement.
http://www.wiretapmag.org/elections2008/43728/

Feeling as if issues relative to the AA community continually go unaddressed.

When asked if politicians address the issues he and his community face every day, Davies says that most of their challenges are under-represented.
http://www.wiretapmag.org/elections2008/43728/


Since 1972, young black women (18-24) consistently voted at higher numbers than young black men.

What does their graphic landscape look like? (This is sometimes called a "visual audit")




















Are there any cultural references your demographic identifies with? what?
Some strong cultural references:

hip hop music

gospel music

Christianity, and secondly Islam

Civil Rights Movement

Emancipation

Juneteenth

Kwanazaa

Slavery

What political policies/issues are particularly important to this demographic in this election? why?

When asked if politicians address the issues he and his community face every day, Davies says that most of their challenges are under-represented. For instance, employment, while talked about on a grand scale, isn't often discussed in the more concrete context of who gets jobs and who is left out.

"There definitely aren't enough jobs, and when they do exist, they don't go to the people in the neighborhood I live in."

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=0573d343d7fac959271adc4d2ad85112


Unemployment

Poverty/Economic opportunity

Housing

Unfair judicial treatment

Affirmative Action

the first black president

Education

Healthcare

What are some predominately shared values? (broadly in life, not politics)

community gathering
family
upliftment/social mobility
internal power structures

8 sketches

Semiotic Matrix

Icon, Index, Symbol