ISTD Student submission 2020
Brief: Significance of numbers
Numbers are used in a myriad of ways to record and measure. They are used as control measures such as speed limits and express achievements in sporting excellence and world records – the first man to reach the moon. Numbers are flexible: we can, say, divide a number in half, then in half again and again, continuing ad infinitum. Use this brief to change the way we think about numbers and fire your audience’s imagination to see the world with fresh eyes. Research and investigate the philosophical and factual elements of numbers and create an engaging experience for your target audience – make them fall in love with mathematics. Work to develop ideas that are not obvious and shine a new light on how numbers intertwine with our lives and give narratives to our experiences, both culturally and theoretically.
Entry: 95%
Strategy
In response to the “Significance of numbers” brief, this typographic publication, “95%”, focuses around the theme of infectious diseases and peoples' blasé attitude to protecting against them. Vaccines are one of the great successes of the 20th century’s public health system. After potable water, they are the interventions that have most reduced mortality, even more than antibiotics. Vaccines have eradicated terrible diseases, such as smallpox, from the planet and succeeded in significantly reducing mortality due to other diseases. This would become the solution to fighting the war of this disease. Although vaccines could be the solution to ending the world’s suffering from infectious diseases, many still are not getting vaccinated. With recent events showcasing the true effect a virus can have on the life we live, this is now more important than ever.
Through the use of the case study of one of the biggest child killer diseases, which is vaccine preventable, this publication will shine a light on the importance of vaccinations. Using the significance of numbers to show the power of vaccination and the positive effect this has on the world, the aim of this project is to encourage change in attitude and understanding of infectious diseases and how vaccines are vital to human existence as we know it. The intended audience is members of the general public who are against vaccinations or are undecided on their relevance in the modern world.
With the idea of producing a virus black book - using dark pages with white text to bring the positive out of the negative - which would contain the events and people that are linked to the downfall of the immunisation of this disease, this publication is compiled of three sections: infection, vaccine and outbreak. This is intended to help the viewer navigate the importance of each phase of preventing a pandemic. This will be further aided by file dividers of each phase to give medical input to the design. The images in this piece are duo toned to give them an infected cover look and brings out the definition in the image. This allows the portraits to be censored with colour and allows the imagery to not be as graphic but the orange allows it to be hard hitting.
The initial concept for this publication began as an interest in the spread and migration of infectious diseases. This led to me changing my chosen brief and developing a project focused on one of the most infectious diseases, with overwhelming statistics. Through research I discovered the importance of vaccinations and how, as a collective, we are greatly under prepared for a pandemic. This publication will help tackle this issue by highlighting the positives of vaccination while showing the real effects it can bring. Using the significance of numbers it will help provide a visual exploration and explanation of the importance of immunisation and reaching the 95% goal. This is a continuous back bone of the publication and aims to be one of the biggest takeaways from the reader.
This submission was awarded a Pass and membership into the ISTD.
