Project 2 Proposal

Homelessness is a prominent issue in the United States that many people know and hear about. However, many people do not know what a large percent of children in the United States make up the homeless population. Homeless youth is a rising problem that many either do not know about or do not want to acknowledge. 

Organizations like Covenant House and Raise the Roof try to take on the task of spreading awareness about this issue. These organizations take on many similar themes in their advertisements but use different strategies. 

 The first advertisement is a simple billboard featuring childhood building blocks that many are familiar with. The contrast between the simple, childhood toy and the heaviness of the word "homelessness" really gets the point across that there are children in the country that suffer from this issue at such a young age.

 The second advertisement, one of many placed on stoops and sidewalks around cities, is a stark white poster with bold black letters. This simple format makes the message even more powerful; that youth should not be out on the streets. The use of location and placement of the poster also is a creative way to get the message across.

The third advertisement, by Covenant House, used a floor plan to frame the picture of a homeless youth sleeping on what looks like a dirty mattress frame. Using the floor plan to frame the picture of the girl really emphasizes how the streets are bedrooms for many homeless youth, and this shocking picture emphasizes the urgency of the issue. 

This advertisement by Raise the Roof has it's emphasis on the message in the white text. The picture of the lone red chair really stands out against the environment, which helps the comparison between the homeless youth and the chair, and how people view each.

This last advertisement plays up the connection between the youth and technology, saying "Do Not Ignore iHobo" featuring a young man on the screen of an iPhone. This poster also uses graffiti like text and elements to emphasize the  theme of living on the streets. There is also a lot of information regarding the issue of homeless youth and how you can help.

Visualizing Composition

Emphasis
     The emphasis in this text seems to be on the pad of paper. The pad is put in the center of the frame, and is the only object that moves on the table. There is also emphasis on the woman's hand and her writing, also due to her movement. This use of movement is effective as you pay attention to it while everything else stays still.

     The moment of stillness is putting emphasis on the writing because the choppy movement that had been consistently happening all of the sudden stops, catching your eye, making you focus on the words. This disruptive technique does seem to be effective. Anything that breaks a pattern or a anticipated movement would catch your eye.

     The soundtrack goes along with the choppy movement of the video, emphasizing this movement. The soundtrack also has a kind of industrial or technological sound to it, which connects to the "digital" theme of the text.

Contrast
     The cartoon animation in the background contrasts with the gray text and gray box, as well as the robotic woman's voice. The gloomy soundtrack in the background also contrasts with the cartoon animation. The contrast of the items in this text makes the message of the video stand out, which is presented in the gray text and what the woman's voice tells us. This might not stand out as much if there was no contrast.
 
   Once the contrast of the cartoon background is gone, the contrast of the video is mainly the music in the background and the gray text which the robotic woman's voice reads. The black background, as opposed to the cartoon one, puts emphasis on the gray text. This helps the viewer focus on the technicalities of applying for the JUMP, which contains important information that you would want to focus on.

     If I had to make a flyer for the JUMP I would try to coordinate it to go with the video. The flyer would have the cartoon background with the little cartoon man on the side. The center of the poster would have a contrasting gray box with black font describing the details of applying and what you would be doing.

Proximity
     I put the title of the book along with the subtitle together at the top of the cover because this information goes together. Underneath I put the image of the seagull, and under that the author's name.

     The most important piece of information, I believe, is the title of the book. Therefore, I put the title at the top of the cover. I also put the title in the biggest font. I separated the author's name from the title by putting the picture between them, because the author's name is also important and I did not want it to get lost in all the text.

     Some limitations with the traditional format is that there is not a lot of room for variety or creativity in formatting. If I was to format it in a non traditional way, there could be more visual aspects such as pictures or color. The title could be in different fonts or at an angle. There could be different ways to emphasize important information.

Alignment
     Right as the word "murmuring" falls into place, the word "insect" is formed from the "in" in murmuring. This leads me to believe that the two words are connected in this text.

   The letters all align as the fall down the page. They align right under the upside down crescent of the moon. This gives off the image of murmuring insects in the woods, under the moon at night. The alignment adds to the context of the words.

     The alignment of the "air" scene is different than the "earth" scene in order to set those lines of poetry apart. The lines align in a different spot almost in a way to change the scene from the "earth" the "air."

     The words (which refer to tears) actually curve to form a tear in the eye in the background, going along with the somber words the man speaks of. The words eventually turn into a sort of tear, falling down and becoming a part of the crescent moon.

     The alignment of the menu separates the different sections of the poem, and allows for you to differentiate between the three parts of the poem. The alignment also suggest that you start at the top and work your way to the bottom.

Organization
     The way in which I organized my five photos is done in a way so that it tells a story. Each picture leads into another concept that relates to the events of a certain story. The "story" give a certain meaning, how war disrupts lives, and this meaning is reliant on the order of the photos.

     There are different arguments that could be made by rearranging my photos. For example, if I put the fist in front of the American flag last, the message would have had a more patriotic feel to it.

    Making a slideshow of the pictures fading into one another would give it a more cohesive feel. Also, adding a somber or sad soundtrack would add to the somber message the photos have organized in this specific order.