WWF - Pitch & Feedback

        Having decided that it would be more achievable to create the presentation slides rather than a 2 minute animation, Rebecca and I needed to put our developmental work and ideas together in the form of pitch boards, to present to the group in order that we could receive feedback. These pitch boards were not as developed as those for our individual practice brief, mainly due to the fact that we hadn't spent as much time on this brief before pitching.

        Consequently, our concepts for the layout and content of the slides do not demonstrate the final visual style, as we haven't yet finalised the narrative/order of information, and what assets will need need constructing for each slide. For the purposes of the pitch, Rebecca and I each selected a number of pieces of information from the Living Planet Report, and drew up some rough sketches of how we would visualise this information. To provide a more rounded picture of how our own presentation slides will look, we included reference to illustrations and animations which have inspired us (a variety of stop motion, paper cut outs and textured surfaces).

My initial sketches, visualising information from the Living Planet Report

      

        Judging from the feedback we received, Rebecca and I should have included our brief analysis in the pitch boards, as many of the comments assumed that we were aiming to produce an animation, rather than the presentation slides. Yet other people's opinions are invaluable to this brief as we are aiming to evoke an emotional response, and our peers all fall within our target demographic. To guide the feedback, we posed a number of questions we wished to be answered:

1. How can we imbue the presentation slides with the appropriate impact needed to inspire action in the audience?

• Inspire action by using cute animals being affected by the issues - might be more emotive.
• The visual concepts shown will create impact, as they are emotionally evocative.
• Show how the issues affect the audience specifically - how their lifestyles impact the planet.

2. As we are producing slides, rather than an animation, how can we communicate all of the facts and information from the report, without the assistance of moving image?

• Storyboard with specific information on it.
• The idea of the CO2 hands holding the Earth effectively shows how pollution is engulfing the world.
• Will need text to help communicate the message, without the assistance of animation.
• Consider using a voiceover to communicate information, or perhaps incorporate minimal animation in some areas (using After Effects animation).

3. Are our design concepts too cliched?

• The responses to this question unanimously agree that our concepts are not too cliched.
• However, is cliche always a bad thing?
• The more cliche the better, cheesy will attract more people.
• One piece of feedback states that they prefer the sketch concepts...
• ...while another prefers the stop motion, tactile material approach.
• The design concepts work, communicating the point effectively.
• The infographic style is entertaining and factual, not cliched.

4. How can we make presentation slides exciting enough to engage the target audience of 16-24 year olds?

• Explain what is going on in the slides more.
• Really like the visual concept, which would work for the target audience, and possibly appeal to younger audiences too. The cut out style is 'awesome'.
• However, one piece of feedback raises the question of whether the visual style may be a little 'young'...
• ...while another questions whether our concept will appeal to the 'always on generation'.
• Making the topics relate to the audience is the key to engaging them. Comedy is also a good tactic, but this may not be appropriate given the serious nature of the report. However, we could consider a comedic approach.
• Relate to young adults' lifestyles - how they specifically are affecting animals/the planet. Make them sympathise.

        Reassuringly, the majority of the feedback is positive and encouraging. What is tricky is when we have two opinions which are in direct opposition to one another: in this case whether the sketch or stop motion style is more appropriate, and whether the the concept is too 'young' for our demographic. With the former, Rebecca and I had never considered using the sketchy style for the finished slides, it was just a means of depicting our intentions. Besides, the rest of the feedback regarding the stop motion style is favorable. 

        In terms of the target audience, Rebecca and I have discussed the suitability of our concept for the 'always on' generation. While there is certainly a propensity for digital animation at the moment, we believe that this climate will help our hand crafted aesthetic stand out, and prevent it becoming too similar to other infogaphic animations (such as Ending Overfishing, which shares certain similarities with our proposed compositions). Our animation being handmade, rather than slick and digital, will also support the theme of a delicate and fragile Earth in need of protection. Besides, a stop motion animation has equal potential to be seen across social media and other platforms accessed by the 'always on' generation. With regards to the visual style being too young, I believe that once we have incorporated text, facts and figures into the slides, it will become more apparent who the target audience is, as the key concepts of biodiversity and ecological footprints are hardly suitable for children. However, a simple visual style may make these wordy and complex ideas more accessible, if we can create strong visual depictions.