The Future of News

CLASS
Images in Communication

PROFESSOR
Catalina Alzate Mora

PROJECT DURATION
4 Weeks

PROJECT MEMBERS
Esther Ko, Grace Mensing

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Bail Inequality

In Images in Communication, we were tasked with a group project to find a new way to deliver news on a topic our group was passionate about. In doing so, we had to think about the target audience we wanted to reach as well as how that group(s) of people interacted with their surroundings. After a phase of initial research and ideation, our group settled on an ad campaign focusing on bail inequality. We aimed to parody a traditional credit card advertisement campaign to surprise richer populations when they look at seemingly harmless ad materials. The campaign was centered around a “Get Out of Jail Free Card” from Monopoly disguised as a black card (a card with no credit limit). The original idea and concept were of my creation, Grace beautified all of the end products, and Esther made supplemental elements like card Photoshop bashes and fake reviews. I made the website as well as wrote the copy for the campaign. All ideas after the initial sketches were a result of group collaboration.

THE MAIN ELEMENT

The Black Card, explained

We made two versions of the card, one for Lori Loughlin and the other for Bernie Madoff. Both cards carry the same elements and the same meaning, but in a breakdown of the card, each number and symbol on it ties back to bail inequality that celebrities and the famous create when they spend thousands if not millions to avoid proper bail and sentencing.

PROJECT DETAILS CONT.

The Website

The website for the Black Card from Chance Bank (a play on Chase Bank) is entirely satirical. The home page includes reviews from celebrities who have used their money to influence their time with the prison system. The About Us tab features a blurb about this fake company, mocking those who stick their noses up at people who are of lower economic status. The Black Card tab mirrors the Chase Bank card description web page, and the Apply Today tab is where the issue of bail inequality, along with research showing this inconsistency in the justice system. Every element of the website, even the footer, was created with intention.

PROJECT DETAILS CONT.

Ideation Sketches

FINAL REFLECTION

In Conclusion

I chose to showcase this project due to the psychological aspect of the thinking we had to put into our campaign. Our professor challenged us to think about how we could effectively communicate a prevalent issue to those who may not be educated on this problem of bail inequality. It was frustrating when considering all of the details that go into interaction, but with the time and resources we had available for this project, we were satisfied with the outcome.