Class Concept Critique

Few things from today's class:
My idea of illustrating the human ear to use as imagery for EARWAX was a little off target, but nevertheless, I think a step in the right direction. The reason for the image being wrong as I was picturing it is because it would seem like an awareness for some sort of audiological concern, or auditory problems... which isn't exactly what I'm going for. I need the message to be direct, and I can't approach it in the same way as a band poster because though there may be layers of meaning in my message, I need the initial reaction to be immediate and only after this initial reaction do I want for the viewer to question and contemplate what it is that I am trying to say. So...I was asked to rediscover what it is that earwax causes, and eventually determine the message that I am attempting to push to the public. Here are the notes I have down in my book:

Earwax causes the clogging of the brain, diminishment of intelligence. Fuels ignorance. Spreads ignorance.
Things that aren't helpful are earwax. Earwax comes from people, media, etc.

New sentences:
---------I want people to know that it's important to filter the information that we receive- we need to know what's good and what's bad in the influx of info sent in our direction.
---------Wax can protect your ears- Like people who say ignorance is bliss. But an excess can make you unable to hear, you become clogged/naive. And the spread of this information is unconscious.
---------Eventually if we don't filter information, we are no longer active participants in society or life.
---------We need to criticize constantly to live actively. Constantly question, constantly be curious so that we can avoid certain pollutions that do more harm that good.


Messages:
####### Your ears need to have filters. Filtered ears build stronger societies and better overall communications among a society's members. This way we can avoid manipulation.

####### Our growths are stunted by earwax.

####### More metaphorically, we need to be able to pick out this earwax. Q-tips for everyone!

####### Earwax has to exist because we're not perfect. Earwax is a necessary evil.

Input from Alan:
1. Need to make this iconographic. Need a symbol like Andre the Giant. Needs to be linked to reality like Andre is a pop culture reference, very appropriate for Fairey's design imagery.
2. Important words are: Hearing, Knowing, and Questioning. Find and take note of symbolic representations or icons that represent these three words.
3. Co-opt: Take, Reuse.
4. Program like an architect, then take an icon and make it happen.
5. Approach doesn't need to end with a poster, could even involve stickers/buttons or something else.
6. Chose anything as the name/image for this concept because it doesn't need to make sense right away: Using bananas to advertise for Mustangs.

Because my poster is manifesting change, or bringing some kind of awareness to a concern, my poster is classified as the First Option poster. So I need to really focus on deconstructing Shepard Fairey. How did he do what he did, and to not forget how essential the design of his campaign is in the end result.

What's next...... Go back to Jenny Holzer's Truisms. Why are they so effective? Holzer at first placed these truisms everywhere, and people started wondering about them. Their interest was sparked. You need to get it just right.