Birds Aren't Real
a poster campaign to increase awareness to the public that Birds Aren't Real based on the constructivism movement
project type
campaign
Based on the conspiracy theory Birds Aren't Real that the United States government replaced all birds on USA soil in the 1950s with drones to spy on American citizens. I created a series of three campaign posters to raise awareness and pay homage to the constructivism movement and Cold War propaganda posters.
goals
Hook
Inform
grab viewers attention at first glance using words, color, and imagery to persuade them to spend time investigating
use limited and easy to understand words and imagery to quickly inform viewers without having to search for the purpose
Echo
Action
create a designs that reflects the elements of both the constructivism movement and cold war propaganda poster
include an action call that will lead the viewer to want to discover more on the movements website
It's Not Real
Birds Aren't Real is not an actual conspiracy. The founder, Peter McIndoe, started it as a joke and spread it with many others through social media. As the movement built, McIndoe learned how easy it is to spread misinformation, especially with the internet today. I was inspired to create a design that reflected the more serious outcome instead of adding to designs that use the humorous side.
Flip the Script
The quick spread of information reminded me of propaganda and constructivism posters that promoted government and conformity. Using the blocky and limited words, limited color pallete, and photo collage imagery as my foundation, I created designs that echo the past while flipping the purpose to increase awareness against the government's fictional actions.
Uncover the Truth
Interactivity is something I try to include in my projects to have the viewer become a part of the design. Because the purpose of the campaign is to reveal the truth, I used that as inspiration to create a design that would hide the true nature of the birds until the viewer uncovers it themselves.
Prototype and Improve
Other iterations of the design included different shapes and lines to contain the words. The iteration using lines created difficulties with word placement and concealing the middle when folded, and the version with the rounded rectangle did not reflect the circles used in the inspiration enough. Ultimately, I chose to use an oval that create cohesion across the posters and, when folded, echos the circles used in constructivism designs.
Birds Aren't Real is a joke that many people enjoy but has serious lessons when you look deeper. These campaign posters reflect the thought that not everything is as it first appears and encourages people to take a second and investigate themselves.