Design decisions was a Design Council project that was aimed at schools.
Our brief was to develop a teachers' pack that would help them to engage schoolchildren in 'everyday' design, and the thinking that surrounds simple decision making in lighting, storage, signage and safety.
Whilst on paper, this seemed liked a slightly dull and uninspiring brief, both we and our client saw an opportunity to take potentially unexciting subject matter and create something startling. We started to develop a series of beautifully 'wrong' images that teachers could use to prompt questions and debate, and these became the backbone of the pack and the key posters featured here.
One of the first - and most difficult to shoot - images was this goldfish that appeared to be falling out of a net bag. This was the product of three separate images painstakingly retouched into one.
We then moved onto some suitably confusing signage, an impossibly stable three-legged chair and a black lightbulb, emitting black light.
The pack was very well received and was the beginning of a decade of work that we carried out for the council.
Awards
- 1998 D&AD | Graphic Design / Poster Campaigns | Wood Pencil
- 1998 Design Week Awards
Credits
- Photography: David Stewart
- Modelmaking: Wesley West