Creating a social awareness poster gave me the opportunity to learn about the devastating effects of discarded plastic bags in the ocean. Plastic bags not only pollute the environment but also kill sea animals. To spread the message of this atrocity I needed a strong visual message that would drive home the point of: plastic bags kill.

 

After establishing a message it was time to create the layouts. For the first design I chose to use a visual image of a sea turtle choking on a plastic bag. According to the Greenpeace website, many times a sea turtle will mistake a floating bag for a jellyfish. The use of skull and cross-bones furthered the concept of the danger inherently posed by plastic bags.

 

For the second layout I chose a minimalist design that incorporated the plastic bag as the centerpiece for the poster. The “Thank You” bag can be found in most stores and restaurant take-outs. What few people know is the danger these bags pose to wildlife. To illustrate this point I recreated the bag in Photoshop and added text to the bottom of the poster that spells out the danger.

 

Overall I feel as though both posters portray the topic of social awareness by using graphics and text to drive home the point. Both posters include visual cues that evoke emotions due to the fact that so many sea animals/wildlife die from plastic bags. Art is a very powerful tool to help spread the message of social awareness.