Introduction
The documentary unit is the final unit of the 2020-2021 school year and centers around the story of somebody. A friend, family member, or somebody who is inspiring, have a chance to tell their story from their perspective and show the world a different point of view based on past experiences, background, and upbringing. Aiden Casas, a close friend of mine, spoke out about his experiences with Covid-19 and the pandemic and how he endured the challenges and hardships that were thrown at him, just like billions of others throughout this world.
Design Documentary Production
For my elective production, I was challenged to create an advertisement based on the interviewee’s favorite activities, hobbies, and passions. Aiden Casas plays soccer for his school team and club and has a fond passion for the sport and has dedicated his time to become a pro in the European leagues. I chose to create an advertisement poster for a semi-pro soccer team in the United Kingdom. The club, High Rise F.C, is a soccer team based in Manchester, United
Kingdom, and has a semi-pro aspect, with salaries and travel games. The team is composed of
players aged 18-20-year-olds looking to play for fun, or use it as a pedestal to go to the big
European teams. I started the process of the advertisement with a mood board, brainstorming a colorway
for the team’s jersey, and a mascot. I chose a complementary colorway of light blue, along with
metal colors such as bronze and gold. I chose the mascot to be an eagle as it fits with the name
“High Rise”, only for it to be scrapped in the later stages. Using InDesign, I created a mood board
with the primary color being blue, and a headline text of “Athletic Supporter” to fit the athletic
aspect of the mood board. I originally used a font called “Prodelt Co”, but found it to not work.
Then, using Pexels.com, I collected soccer-themed photos, and after picking out a few, I used
Adobe Photoshop to clip the soccer players away from the background. After this process, I
began the process of the advertisement. A problem I encountered was that it didn’t seem to
represent soccer enough. I ended up removing the eagle mascot from the ad, and instead of adding
the traced outline of soccer players that I traced in Adobe Illustrator, and added them instead. I
like the end results as it is simple, but not too bland, and gives a pleasing, simple aspect to it.
Post-Production Reflection
Reflecting on post-production, I am pleased with the overall outcome of the project and what I have produced. My initial angle statement of mental health awareness during the pandemic, and how billions alike suffered from this pandemic. Focusing on how the pandemic has affected the mental health of specifically student-athletes, and how the restriction of their sports have taken a toll on them. I was effectively able to interview a friend of mine passionate about their sport and was able to look deeper into the lives of other student-athletes and how they have responded to the pandemic. I valued the process of trial and error that it took writing the research paper and creating an advertisement poster in Design, as I also learned useful skills in Adobe and in writing that I will be able to utilize senior year.
