Human Rights Article # 26

Human Rights Article .26:

Article .26 of This Universal Declaration of Human Rights

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml

There are times when you get a project that you’re just not that into. You know, one of those it’s-just-a-project project, later to be know as an it-pays-the-bills project. It’s not like you don’t like it, but you’re just not seeing how this is going to become something you’re proud of. But as you start working on it, you begin to see all this potential.

This piece started as a class project to use Photoshop and InDesign to create a large poster that would emphasize one of the 30 United Nations Human Rights. But really, it was more like as a hodgepodge of elements handed to me: “Here is the text, here are some photos and you can find the logos somewhere on the net, go make it work… Oh, and did I mention you only have a week, bye…”

I must say, that out of all the things I learned in school this would always stay with me. It’s that moment when you look down at the mismatch of pieces in front of you and somehow start to remove the fog. You pick a photo, you set you type and then you set it again and again. You change colors, you remove colors, you find you point of focus.

Recently I found that lesson useful. I was working on a postcard invitation and the idea was to give people an insight into an educational program and details about a upcoming event. But along the way the idea became too complicated and we needed to find the focus, remove the fog and simplify.

Background Information

A Little History:

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, was the result of the experience of the Second World War. With the end of that war, and the creation of the United Nations, the international community vowed never again to allow atrocities like those of that conflict happen again. World leaders decided to complement the UN Charter with a road map to guarantee the rights of every individual everywhere. The document they considered, and which would later become the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was taken up at the first session of the General Assembly in 1946.


The Drafting Committee For the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

  

Top row, from left:

Dr. Charles Malik (Lebanon)
Alexandre Bogomolov (USSR)
Dr. Peng-chun Chang (China)

Middle row, from left:
René Cassin (France)
Eleanor Roosevelt (US)
Charles Dukes (United Kingdom)


Bottom row, from left:

William Hodgson (Australia)
Hernan Santa Cruz (Chile)
John P. Humphrey (Canada)

Postcard Comp

 Red Cross. The gift that keeps giving:

This was one of those just playing around things that turned into a good idea. I started with a classic white Christmas background, but it's just not Christmas without a snowman or two. After working out the layout and orientation with thumbnails, I began to illustrate my snowmen interacting with each other. Showing the older snowmen passing on this gift of life (a shiny new top hat), an idea which tugs at the heartstrings of us all. Now if I just wanted a really nice Christmas card I could have stop there.
 

I wanted to see if I could push this forward into a useable advertising piece. This is the moment where you as the artist have to use your sight beyond sight to find the best fit. So I ask myself, “How will this piece be used?” (“OK, maybe as a postcard.”) I ask myself, ” What it going to say?” (“Hi we like Christmas, how about you? No, maybe they’re asking for something. It has got to be money.”) Final I ask myself,” Who’s using it? Who’s ask’s for money around Christmas time?” (“March of Dimes, Salvation Army and Red Cross.”) Well bingo Red Cross fits and it would be a great way to give back. As someone who’s been helped by their blood drives, I felt a need to support this mission.
 

To top it all off I used the idea of placing a variety of children’s images and stories on the back of the cards to show how the Red Cross has helped them. This would give the viewer a reason to keep and/or pass on these treasures.
  The challenge was to keep both sides of the postcard dominant, so that one side does not overpower the other.
  Now we all know the best snowman of all is Frosty The Snowman. I mean he’s got snowman in his name-- need I say anything more?