Campaign for Change

‘A Lucky Charm for Both You and Earth’ is a zine that brings to light the numerous benefits of white clover, placing emphasis on its ability to reduce greenhouse gases. This zine speaks to the 18-30-year-old demographic who may not use their backyards often, suggesting they could instead use the area to better the environment like passive income for the planet! It educates people on white clovers as a much more sustainable alternative to traditional grass with the aim to disassociate clovers from being considered weeds and provides simple steps for planting a clover lawn. The zine is brought together through a unique mark-making style using real clovers to inspire change in a warm-hearted and friendly approach.

keywords: clover lawn, greenhouse gases, eco-friendly

gif of clover zine


Material Research

Through studio sessions and independent research, I explored the use of white clover in photography and developed mark making techniques across multiple mediums, creating patterns, stamps, and textures by applying ink directly to the plants, using the clover as a printmaking element and capturing its silhouette transferred onto paper.

mark making with ink

My initial mark making experimentation focused on expressive outcomes.


collage of clover pictures

Photographs of white clovers in my backyard which were useful as a drawing reference.


ink and clover stamps

Experimentation with clovers and black ink on paper. The scratchy texture was later used as an overlay for my entire design which made my digital art look more organic and natural.


clover texture on paper

Organic textures made on paper by rubbing dry cloth slightly dampened with paint over clovers. I applied this technique to all of my clover scans as the fuzzy edges and darkened stems piqued my interest.


illustrations with b4 pencil

Handwritten typography and hand drawn illustrations using a 4B pencil in the first few drafts of my poster design. I wanted to replicate the flow of the clover's stem, which later inspired my typographic choice.




Concept Research

My work was inspired by multiple mediums including the in-person zine fair, online examples, brainstorming and researching based off the white clover and its relation to being environmentally friendly.

brainstorm for concept

A brainstorm of mark making materials and a mindmap of useful qualities in design. It helped me consider what contents to include in my design and overlook various methods I could apply to keep a consistent visual theme.


collage of zine inspiration

Photographs of my favourite works from the zine fair involved a lot of hand drawn illustrations as well as warm tone, textured, paper stocks. To add, I was interested in monochromatic colour schemes and creative compositions, such as negative space or filling an entire page with an artwork.


collage of poster inspiration

These posters include the works of Dominic Hofstede, Aaron Mckirdy, Caitlin Rassie and Andy Webb. What they have in common is simple call to actions, as well as a minimal layout. I found the overall imagery easier to read and understand and liked the creativity of wordplay. In addition, the experimental typography of 'ACT NOW' piqued my interest in utilising elements relating to my topic within the text. I also liked the mixed media of the poster with the black scribble, as it had more character to it and felt more personal. The three images on the right hand side are images which inspired me on compositioning the clover imagery creatively without cluttering the page.




Iterative Process

My zine underwent multiple iterations based off a similar layout throughout most of the course and was significantly enhanced when I experimented with mark making, diverse compositions and suitable typography that would make sense to the reader.

zine iteration 1

This is my initial draft where I made a rough overview of what content would fit in which page.


zine iteration 2

In my first iteration I made a better template by converting the draft to digital. Compared to the draft I organised the layout accordingly with focus to the flow and better composition of elements.


zine iteration 3

I introduced colour to my second iteration and applied my scans of the clover as part of the imagery however I did not like the difference in textures such as the photograph of the clover and the digitally drawn illustrations and scan of my mark making.


zine iteration 4

During feedback I was recommended to move away from just using illustrations and instead replace it with more mark making so I did. It made a big difference in the quality of my work. I also began to experiment with typographic layout by arranging the text boxes playfully.


final zine iteration

Unfortunately the previous layout made the text less legible so I rearranged the typography and changed it so that it better suited the topic of the zine. I chose a swirly type which closely resembled the stem and roots of the clover and created a green accent colour with consideration to typographic heirarchy. I also reduced the clutter in the second spread to be more visually appealing.


poster iterations

In the poster iterations I mostly experimented with typography and used the scanned clover imagery as the focal point. As the zine progressed, so did my font choices. I mainly focused on legibility and an arrangement which did not stress the eye.




Poster Design

This street poster is designed to capture passerbys attention by utilising negative space, typographic heirarchy and a monochromatic scheme with the call of action in planting 'hope' by planting clover.

final poster

in-situ mockup of poster

This is a mockup of my poster contrasting with the dull walls of a city building inciting passerbys to stop, take a look and almost breathe with the green of the visuals.




Zine Design

'A Lucky Charm for both you and Earth' is a zine which speaks on the white clovers' role as a beneficial plant to the environment through visual motifs and informative points.

final zine

zine layout

zine spread layout

Reflection

I enjoyed the experimentational aspect of this assignment, and fell in love with it when I realised new techniques through mark making or typographical experimentation enhanced my outcomes. It was also quite satisfying that the techniques I learnt throughout the semester could be applied to the visuals of both the zine and poster. I would say that my main issue was time management as well as having trouble moving past certain ideas, especially after feedback sessions with the tutor. However, it was all worth it in the end as I noted them down and formed new iterations which led to brighter solutions. Overall, I am very pleased with my final designs and believe that the ribbed paper stock was very effective in completing its hand-made and natural look and feel.




References