illustration: March 2009

Monday, March 30, 2009

Thoughts on 10-second IJM ad

For my 10-second banner ad, I am thinking that I will advertise on a website like biblegateway.com. The audience would mostly be people who are of the Christian faith and are concerned with the message of the Bible (this is a website where you can find specific verses through keyword searches or look verses up by name).

I would probably begin the ad with Isaiah 1:17, which says "Seek justice, protect the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow." This is IJM's personal call to action.

I want avoid the cliché look of all the ads that show black-and-white photos of scrawny children with no shoes, basically slide shows of sad pictures. I think society has largely been desensitized by the bombardment of these images. I would instead opt for illustration, which gives me the option of stylizing and adding more expression to the images I'll be using. I might also hand write the verse at the beginning of the video to visually fit with the illustrations.

With the illustrations, I would want to keep with my trend of moving from sad and shocking to hopeful and encouraging. I want to move from the command of the verse to the action of the organization, along with an invitation to be a part of the movement.

Monday, March 23, 2009

30 second flash story board

These are the story boards for the IJM, sorry they are a bit cut off on the right side. This is basically a way of making people aware of modern-day slavery, and also attempting to make a stronger connection between the viewer and the victims of slavery--"It could be you, your daughter, your father, etc." Then there is a transition from harsh reality to hope with International Justice Mission. There will be a succinct description of the steps IJM takes in fighting for justice and then a list of recent successes, so as to show the viewer that IJM is effective. At the end is an invitation to be involved as "a modern-day abolitionist" and a link to the website.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Flash intro proposals

1) The introduction will only be reaching an audience of those who choose a banner link on another site. Therefore, the target audience will most likely be people who are interested in the general cause of IJM and would like to know more. The intro would be an educational tool and would prep the viewer for the rest of the website. The intro will be text based, and I would like to include some photos of people whose lives have been touched by IJM. It will emphasize the injustice going on in the world today, keeping the viewer’s attention and empathy with surprising statistics and photos of the victims of injustice. Altogether, the mood of the clip will move from a sad reality check to hope for a promising future. Around the end of the intro there will be a quick, loose run-through of what the sight will have to offer, including news updates, special events, and career opportunities.

2) The introduction will be the first page of the IJM website. It will be reaching the general audience of IJM, which consists of a wide range of those interested in victims of injustice and action taken to protect them and punish those responsible. This includes people looking for answers or news updates, people interested in helping, and people searching for careers with IJM. Many of those searching for careers will be educated in law and law enforcement. Assuming that most people who visit the site already know the basic premise of the organization, the intro will be more of an update and a call to action than an educational tool. I would like to make the faces of people IJM has helped to be a big part of the intro, and a summarized walk through a recent success story would also be a way of drawing empathy and updating viewers. The last part of the clip will be a call to be involved with practical suggestions for what different individuals and groups might be able to offer.

3) The introduction will be seen on a promotional DVD that will direct the audience to the IJM site after playing. Assuming that the viewer obtained the DVD from either an information table or as a handout at a conference, they will already know the basic premise of IJM. The introduction will prep the viewer to gain a deeper knowledge of what the organization is about and how they can get involved. I would like to include a summary of a success story to encourage the viewer to consider getting involved and helping an effective organization. It might also include examples of what individuals and groups are doing to help.