We had a lot of freedom with our final project. I tend not to like too much freedom in projects, and my sister jokes that I like to be micromanaged (not true >:/) but I just believe that creative constraints get better results.
We were encouraged to do a social campaign, and do something that can result in a lot of collaterals. I had a lot of trouble thinking of a problem to solve in Singapore. I changed my campaign idea multiple times, but I eventually settled on this one.
I've seen a lot of pigeons in Singapore, and I think they're super goofy. They're kind of a pest, though, and apparently they cause a lot of problems, especially in residential areas.
Pigeons as we see them in cities are descended from rock doves. We humans domesticated them centuries ago, and this is part of why they are not afraid to live near us. In almost every part of the world, people have been breeding pigeons. The reasons vary, from food, to entertainment and sport. The hobby of keeping pigeons has resulted in many ‘fancy’ breeds. The most famous use of pigeons may be as messengers. In WW1, homing pigeons were used extensively for military communications.
In the wild, pigeons live on cliffs and rock ledges (hence the name). Due to their natural biology, they are particularly suited to living in urban areas. In our concrete jungle, AC units, balconies, windowsills, and rafters are all common places that pigeons tend to roost.
Pigeons leave a mess everywhere. Clothes, vehicles, railings, statues, and even humans can be soiled by their droppings. Not only is it visually unpleasant, the smell is a problem too. No one wants to wear clothes that have droppings on them.
Pigeons may carry diseases, which could be spread by their droppings and by coming into close contact with them. These include fungal diseases like histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis, and bacterial diseases like psittacosis and salmonellosis.
They live in flocks of up to 20 or more, and these large groups will only become more of a nuisance as they grow.
They make noise, create droppings, and shed feathers everywhere. Along with their high reproduction rate (up to12 new pigeons a year per mating pair), this quickly adds up to a big problem for not only humans, but also the other animals that live in the city.
I came up with a booklet and some merchandise ideas for this campaign. With every merchandise design, I never want to just slap the logo onto the object. I like to come up with something with a sense of humour whenever I can.
I had fun with this project. Even though it got off to a rocky (heh) start, I think I designed something that's unique and eye-catching. If you'd like to see the final booklet, I've included the file below. You can download it and have fun learning more about how to drop the pop!
Comments