Cool Earth. I would have not come across this charity if it was not for its illustration competition ad on Instagram. I immediately 'swiped up' and searched for the word 'brief'. I felt excited for two reasons. One, the charity focuses on climate change. Two, it was a competition.
'A drawing, doodle, sketch or slogan, … [that] would look great on a T-shirt or tote bag,'. This sounded relatively simple. I continued reading, hoping there would be more specific details. 'Take inspiration from rainforest wildlife and trees, climate change and saving our planet,'. I soon realised how broad this brief was - it could be pretty much anything!
As always, I started to produce a mind map. However, this time, my first mind map surrounding climate change lead to a whole new topic - plastic!
As I put a ring around the word 'plastic', I started thinking about single-use plastics and their disadvantages: chokes animals and highly durable. At this point, it seemed as though I had reached a dead end - but I realised that it was my lack of knowledge that was preventing me from noting down more. I knew my paucity of knowledge on plastics will impact my design, so I was determined to research.
The Plastic Ocean. This is a Netflix film and it was a tremendously useful source in building my understanding around how waste, namely single-use plastics, flowing from rivers and coastlines are moved within our oceans by 5 major currents - also known as 'gyres'. This movement of plastics and its ability to break up into microplastics mean that multiple animals will suffer due to our quick decisions to use single-use plastics.
Six square metres of plastic sheeting was found inside a Bryde's whale. Meaning, its digestive system was blocked and unfortunately, it died from malnourishment. Whales feed themselves by taking in gallons of water and feeding off krill and small fish. The resemblance between krill and plastic mean that whales are vulnerable to consuming plastic as opposed to krill. Whilst this information is not new, hearing it be reiterated throughout the film lead me to feel penitent for my quick decisions to take a plastic straw, bottle and bag. It is the usage of these products that create demand for the production of plastic. Consequently, growing the problem of plastic pollution.
I now had a better image in my mind of my design: a whale surrounded by a short but clear message.
When it came to deciding the lettering for the surrounding text, I had to be careful - since I was going for something that was simple, unconventional and, importantly, readable.
Through sketching different lettering onto one page, I was able to easily identify which one I was drawn to the most and surround it with colours - to ,then, decide the colour palette of my design. As you can see, from my sketchbook pages, I decided to go for combination of colours - marine blue, aqua blue and orange! The use of complementary colours (blue and orange) creates a strong contrast - this is required for the text to appear brighter.
Within my design, I have incorporated a technique called negative space to illustrate single-use plastics, such as plastic containers, bottles, cutlery. This technique relies on 'space around and between a subject' and in this design, it is used to draw immediate attention to the objects and to allow easy identification of them.
I've included items such as a fishing net to signify the concept of abandoned fishing equipment being one of the main threats to marine animals. Over 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear is thrown out in the sea each year - this significant contribution to plastic pollution can not be ignored.
Today, the guidance on the use of face coverings in communal spaces and rule to wear them on public transports and inside shops, mean that the chance of disposable face masks being disposed incorrectly is increasing. For example, many face masks are discarded in areas including beaches, with the strings attached. This then creates a possibility for animals ,such as birds, to become entangled within the strings and the movement of face masks into the sea.
With the severity of the COVID-19, I see why people feel more concerned about their health as opposed to the way their face mask is disposed. I too have returned from the shops and immediately thrown out the face mask - without cutting the strings. However, I am now making an effort to be better - wherever possible I use cotton face masks.
Approximately, '130 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves' are used each month around the world. These numbers itself demonstrate the urgency of the disposing face masks correctly and using sustainable alternatives. This notion of face masks becoming a new type of waste motivated me to incorporate it within my design.
The design contains fragments moving away from whale's fluke and flipper. Having completed the design, I am not sure about the clarity of this - but it aims to arise the theme of deterioration. Together, the disruption to the food chain and break down of plastics into microplastics formed this theme.
Throughout this design process, I have realised a shift in my focus. I began this illustration with the hope to win and now, I hope that the message within this blog post is shared. I do realise this blog post focuses more on ocean plastic than the illustration stages, but I hope it has allowed you to see how designs have the ability to share knowledge and raise awareness.
Hopefully, you can implement small tasks such as using reusable shopping bags and water bottles into your lifestyle. You could also take some time to make your own face masks - perhaps using fabrics you have at home.
Be thrifty to eliminate waste!
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