The course took a trip to the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham - where an exhibition was on, celebrating the work of Tony Arefin (who sometimes worked under the pseudonym Arefin & Arefin). There were multiple pieces he had created for corporations and branding, but one set of pieces that struck a chord with me - and I felt could relate to the Design Culture 'RSVP' module - was his work for 'Sex Has Consequences' campaign. It featured beautifully lit photographs of people, with a bold, red negative word printed across them. This word makes the viewer involved in the image, obviously associating it with the person in the image - but when it is read with the statement to the side, it is seen to be a deeper message about consequences of having sex.
(Photo : Amy Denton)
As I was looking into this campaign, I stumbled upon this run down of '18 Provocative Pregnancy Campaigns and Posters' - which includes Arefin's work - and it made me think about the important issues design can take into it's hands, to educate and inform. See the list here.
"This doesn't really stink, but the outcomes of your choices can."
