Abstract
HIV/AIDS advocacy advertisements often use constructions of specific cultural groups to communicate the need for immediate action to prevent the spread of the virus. This study examines how graphic design strategies such as the use and juxtaposition of colour, photography, typography and vectors create representations of cultural identities. A selection of documents collected from The AIDS Committee of Toronto, International AIDS Day 2009 and The Stephen Lewis Foundation were the sites of the analysis. Drawing from theories of cultural studies and philosophy, this research project examined the semiotic strategies of the documents to develop a set of ethical best practices for visual design. Issues including the representation of cultural groups through victimage, as well as the pace at which an audience is presented information, were key in understanding ethical challenges the visual design of these documents present. The following set of best practices were developed to account for the emerging conventions and moral dilemmas identified in the study: i) Recognizing the harm of victimizing groups, ii) Developing visual representations that avoid negatively stereotyping groups, and iii) Accurately explaining HIV/AIDS issues and its prevention rather than relying on narratives.
Highlights
This Major Research Project (MRP) will explore, in a broad sense, the relationship between the practice of ethical communication, and the role of graphic design as a rhetorical mechanism. The purpose of this project is to attempt to develop an understanding of how graphic elements such as photography, typography, colour and vector are used to design advertisements for Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) awareness campaigns
A focus on the specific role of visual design in advocacy communication will contribute a new set of best practices to a body of established ethical guidelines
What can be extracted from the influence of pace are the types of rhetorical functions the design methods of the collected documents produce. These rhetorical functions essentially polarize the moral paradigm of the documents by appropriating representation into already established cultural values and assumptions, or by re-appropriating imagery into values not already associated with the topic of HIV/AIDS.The narrative representations which the designers create can be categorized as either: I) Fast paced, with specific cultural assumptions used to produce an advocacy message
Summary
I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this Major Research Paper. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this MRP to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. Signature I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this MRP by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research.
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