After creating my leaflet I begun my Billboard design with researching into billboard hoarding sizes, a lot of these are very large, making this billboard of high expense. Sheet sizes include; 4, 6, 12, 16, 32, 48, 64 and 96. I decided to pick a 12 sheet billboard as it is a good size and would be reasonably priced to create.

I then drew a variety of design ideas, developing them into interactive design - drawing the public in with something innovative and eco friendly. Below is my sources of inspiration, please refer to layout pages for experimentation.

Living/growing Billboards

I found this piece incredibly inspiring by a really large company, showing their commitment to helping the planet by being resourceful and eco-friendly. This is a living billboard that is made up or tea plants, growing inside recycled coke bottles. A great way to include the corporate identity with the famous original Coca-Cola bottle and keeping to Eco-friendly guidelines. I really like the thought of something growing from the board, making it a very unique piece of design using nature, making it not only attractive - but also interesting to the public.


I also found that McDonald's also created a similar piece to promote their four premium salads, by planting 1 1/2 inch spouts of green lettuce and letting them flourish into lush leaves. I think this is a very intelligent way of advertising and find it very inspiring.

Decoupage

I lastly came across Decoupage, which is the craft of applying decorative paper cut-outs to a surface and varnishing them with multiple coats, this process originates from when Nomadic tribes would cut out felts to decorate the tombs of their deceased. I find this process can be as modern or classic as desired, recycled images could be reused into this piece and then sealed using Spray acrylic or other lacquers.

Final Billboard creation

I started with a blank document and sized it accordingly, I then used the grass brush tool I had used for the leaflet. I also downloaded a free vector image of a sunflower head, which plans to be my interactive area where seeds will be placed to create texture, seeds will also be planted towards the bottom of the billboard in small pots and grow up the billboard with the designed sunflowers. I left space for my type.

I then created a gradient background from a light blue to an even lighter, sky shade blue to create a sunny days sky, instantly making the audience feel uplifted.

I then drew two swallows holding a banner in their beaks, this will be my welcome sign. Nature is welcoming the audience to Green Dragon eco farm.

I also created clouds using a white brush tool and then applying a drop shadow effect, to make the cloud look 3D and textured.

I then downloaded and used a wooden plank-like font, to link closely with the wooden planking within my Conservation leaflet. I also placed the Green Dragon farm logo on top of the type as though it was sat there.

I coloured my type using a gradient of wooden oak and pine colourings, creating a strong eco theme of natural influences and substances present within the billboard design.

Final Billboard Design
I created a billboard based on Eco themes and welcoming the audience to Green Dragon Rare breeds and Eco Farm. Overall I am happy with how my billboard turned out and feel that I research a couple of ideas that could make my billboard more interesting and interactive to/with the public, making it more appealing. I decided that a living/growing billboard would be innovative and would integrate nicely into my design. I used a variety of free vector images, free brush sets and copyright free clipart. I believe that the Green Dragon Rare Breeds and Eco Farm type doesn't stand out as much as I had desired, this could however be due to the smaller sizing, forgetting that this sign is very large and will be very clear. I feel that the colours, effect and style suit the Eco theme well, keeping it organic, natural and eco-friendly.









Front of leaflet
Firstly I created a 20x40cm document, and placed rules each 10cm to create my Accordion fold. I then added the picture that I took of tree bark close-up to create a front cover inspired by the Butterfly World leaflet.

I then had a look at various fonts that could aid the base of an engraved effect, to make it look like it had been carved into the tree. I firstly tried the Viner Hand ITC, then the Lithos Pro type but these weren't quite what I had in mind to achieve my desired engraved effect. So I decided to check for a copyright free font online, I came across Gelio Faso and Pasteli and decided that this would be the perfect font as it's very angular as if it has been carved by a knife.
I then applied a variety of effects to make this type look even more 3d and realistic, embedding it into the tree using a bevel & emboss effect and shadows. I also applied a slight colour overlay to the tree bark to make the colour even.
This is how it looked after applying the effects and type, I am happy with how this looks and think that it's looking realistic.
I then looked at copyright free vector images, hoping to find a wooden plank style sign. I came across this plank design and decided to try this out, ready for my "Endangered Species" type.
I created borders using a free vine and grass brush tool that I found at brusheezy.com, I allowed space for my titles and bodycopy.

I found the location of the Rare Breeds and Eco Farm and decided to create a map on my leaflet to show the audience where it is, if they require more information or wish to visit. I chose to shape this map into an acorn to keep to the eco/conservation guidelines.

I then added this to the "front" side of my leaflet, as well as a small hedgehog silhouette, that I later plan to cut out revealing an image of a hedgehog on the located fold. This is to make my leaflet a bit more interesting.
I looked at a variety of fonts for my endangered species type, I wanted quite a hard hitting font that expresses how endangered the animals are. Below is the effect that I had in mind:
 I decided that the previous wooden plank sign wasn't quite what I wanted, therefore I decided to look into various vector image sites to find wooden signage. I looked at:
www.all-free-download.com
www.vecteezy.com
I decided that I really liked this wooden sign, and the      type, however I feel that black may not be the right colour as it doesn't really link to the Eco feel, but it does represent the importance of Endangered Species.
I decided that I wanted to try animal print within the type, to show one of the reasons that make animals endangered - skinning animals for their beautiful furs. The above animal print is zebra, however the colour and pattern didn't work within the type, and lost the wording.
I then tried leopard print as well as using a border to highlight and define the type. However, it still lost the type and didn't stand out, the colours of the print are also very camouflage to the other colours present. Therefore, I don't think that this animal print idea will be successful as it's too fussy for small type.
I then decided to try a dark green, this produced an effect that fits both to the Eco scheme as well as fitting with Endangered Species. I also applied an inner shadow to the type, giving it more depth as though it had been stamped to the wooden signage. Overall I'm happy with the outcome of this finished type, though disappointed my animal print type didn't work out, but realistically I don't believe it would've worked unless it was of a large size.

I found the majority of my images on Google, using the search tools options, specifically images that are labelled for reuse. I also found images at:
www.morguefile.com
www.freedigitalphotos.net
After collecting my photos this way, I then added them to my leaflet, including a Facebook logo, Twitter logo and the Green Dragon logo. I also added my body copy and the map I created of the location of Green Dragon Eco farm.

Back of leaflet

I begun this side of the leaflet by placing the thick green border and grass paintbrush allowing reasonable spacing for my images and bodycopy.
I then added an image that was photographer by a family member, who allowed me permission to reuse his image. This image illustrates the Tree Conservation section on the inner page. I also added the hedgehog silhouette to show where to cutout, the lighter hedgehog symbolises what will be seen through the cutout, which I plan to be an image of a hedgehog within the 10 Endangered Species.

I added the images of the Endangered Species and vine borders to the centre pages of my leaflet, I created many rulers so that my measurements were exact and the white space was symmetrical.
After adding the 10 Endangered Species and vine borders I then added the images to the Help page. (Second inner page)
I then added the bodycopy to all pages, aligning it where appropriate. I also added a small caption to where the cut out hedgehog would be, making it part of the page design and completing my design.


Final Designs:

Final Evaluation
The aim of this brief was to create a leaflet on an Eco subject, I chose Conservation and Wild life. I researched my subject thoroughly with a variety of both primary and secondary research. I then experimented with natural substance to add unique ideas within my leaflet whilst keeping with the eco theme. I used a variety of self taken photos, manipulated photos, vector free images and copyright free images within my chosen accordion fold leaflet. I then created my leaflet using Adobe software, including my own researched information and various images. I am happy with my leaflet and feel that it conveys Conservation well, whilst having an innovative and interesting design making it appealing to the audience and advertising the Eco Farm in Bicester. 




My experimentation links to my research of existing leaflets, in particular the Butterfly World leaflet. This design caught my attention due to the textured background that it featured, perhaps a close up examination or what looks like a butterfly or a moth, that the strong texture and bold colour brought the imagination to life, wondering what that texture could be. I decided to look online to see what textured techniques I could create myself relating more to the general subject: Conservation of wildlife.

I came across a very interesting piece that immediately caught my attention, a unique style that I haven't seen used so intelligently whilst creating a minimalist, decorative piece. Even in black and white, I find this style greatly effective.

This piece was created by an artist called Susan Lorraine Weselnick, she describes that her piece begun with a series of graphite texture rubbings, Weselnick then chose a self taken photograph of her cat simply sitting on a post in the garden. Susan Weselnick then put this piece together by scanning her textures into Photoshop and assembling them to the silhouettes within her image. I find this technique very imaginative, and even in black and white the pattern seems to come to life.

I think that this theme and style could work really nicely within my leaflet and have decided to find some natural substances that I can take various chalk/paint rubbings from to fit with my Eco-friendly brief, reusing materials for another/multiple purpose(s).

I decided to use a brown piece of chalk and a small bunch of twigs I had found from a trimmed hedge, I like the effect it created and you can tell what the subject is. However, I found the twigs difficult to take rubbings of as it was hard to keep them flat and still. In hindsight I could've glued a few twigs together, although this would have looked more uniformed and not so natural like what I was trying to achieve.

I then decided to take a print from a piece of tree bark, this time using poster paint thinly spread over the bark. (This would then be composted after use and biodegrade as normal) I then placed a thin piece of paper on top of the bark, I decided this way was best so I could lightly press the paper into the deeper parts of texture. However, I did not like the use of paint and preferred to use chalk. I feel that the subject is hard to recgonise or not as recognisable as I would've liked, I still followed this experimentation forward more.

Using the same piece of bark and painting it up several times I created a wall of the textured print. I believe the subject is slightly more recognisable here and glad that I chose brown to help aid recognition of the tree bark.

I found these experiments relatively insightful, yet I feel that this technique doesn't quite pull off the effect that I had hoped, I shall therefore arrange a day to take high standard photography to see whether I can capture the texture better through image.


After looking at my research I feel that I have covered most, if not all general aspects of Conservation for wildlife and endangered species. Below is a summary of this information that will be included in my leaflet.

Front Page:
Conservation and Endangered Species

 Centre Pages:
Conservation

 What?
Conservation is the scientific study of nature and the status of
the earths Biodiversity, with the aim of protecting endangered
plant and animal species, and their habitat from excessive
rates of extinction.
Wildlife conservation has become an increasingly important
issue due to the negative effects of human activity on wildlife,
this includes; Destruction of habitat; Fragmentation of habitats
due to road and building developments; Climate change due
to global warming and pollution; lastly unregulated hunting
and poaching of species.
Why?
The United Kingdom’s environment matters to all of us, the
beauty of the landscape and the wildlife inspire and enrich
our lives and are an important part of our national identity.
Protecting our species and their habitats improves our quality
and standard of living and is therefore important. Biodiversity
provides us with many ecosystem goods such as; timber and
fuel; diverse food products; textiles; medicinal products and
fresh water.
Non-material benefits obtained would include the beautiful
landscapes, cultural heritage, a healthy environment and

recreation and tourism.

When?
Conservation is no 20th century movement, it can in fact be
traced back to 1662. A man by the name of John Evelyn
presented a paper to the Royal Society named Sylva. It
became one of the most influential texts on forestry ever
published, and was produced at a time when England’s
timber resources were becoming dangerously depleted.
Conservation was then revived in the mid-19th century with
the first practical application of onservation principles to
forests in india, since then it has become a global movement
to protect our planet from depletion.

 Back Page:
For more information, please visit Green

Dragon Rare Breeds Farm and Eco Center:
Claydon Road, Hogshaw, MK18 3LA
01296 670609
or visit the website at:
http://www.greendragonecofarm.co.uk
Twitter: @greendragoneco
Facebook: /greendragonecofarm

Inner Page:
Tree Conservation
Tree’s provide so much for the population; paper, fruit,
oxygen, shade, nuts and ever the medicine L-Dopa for
treating Parkinson’s disease.
The consumption of the earth’s tree’s has depleted in
recent years, and if not managed through conservation
there may be wood shortages.
Without trees we would be without the various byproducts,
not only this but the air we breathe would be even
more polluted, causing health risks to both humans and
animals. Tree conservation is about replacing the tree’s
that are used for byproducts, replenshing existing trees

and planting new ones.

Centre Pages:
Britains 10 Most Endangered Species
1. Red Phalarope 
2. Black Tailed Godwit 
3. Scottish Wildcat
4. Capercaillie
5. Cuckoo
6. Red Squirrel
7. Turtle Dove
8. Natterjack Toad
9. Brown Hare
10. Hedgehog

 Endangered Species are a group of wild
animals and/or plants that are in danger of
becoming extinct, decreasing in numbers due
to several factors, usually stemming from
human intervention. These factors that can
cause animals to become endangered include;
climate change, which has noticably decreased
the numbers of Capercallie(#4) and the
Natterjack Toad(#8); the Scottish Wildcat(#3)
and the Red Squirrel(6) have encountered
displacement from an invasive species, for
instance the Scottish Wildcat is threatened
after inter breeding with domestic cats.
Shockingly the Hedgehog places at #10 on the
endangered list due to numerous incidents
whilst mowing and strimming, fragmentation

of habitat and dangerous roads.

Inner Page:
How YOU can help
Three simple ways that you can help wildlife:
Creating a pond in is one of the
most effective ways to bring
wildlife into your garden.
Providing a home for small
water creatures and a fresh
water supply. Visit the website
for more tips to create a pond.

Making a dead wood pile can
attract various bugs and
insects. Fungi and moss will
cover the dead and rotted
wood over time and even
hedgehogs may seek safety
and food within the pile.

Lastly, bird feeders are a great
way to encourage birds into
your garden, and if the top two
tips can’t provide them with a
diet during hard times, then
sunflower hearts and mixed
seed are a great addition to the

bird feeder.

 For more advice and tips on helping local wildlife, please

visit the website: www.greendragonecofarm.co.uk

I looked at various leaflet folds and tested them out, whilst doing so I thought of how the leaflet layout would effect how my information would be displayed. Taking note of what folds would improve the layout of my text and images. Below are some folds that I looked at:

I quite liked the roll fold, the traditional tri-fold and I particularly liked the accordion fold.

After mocking up a variety of the leaflets I had found, I decided that I still liked the Accordion fold and wanted to design my leaflet using this style. It has 2 sets of center pages, leaving a generous space for information, facts and images. I liked the sectioning of this layout, the folds section off singular panels, great for uniformed type and great for minimalist front/back pages.

I decided to look at various conservation organisations in order to collect more primary research from them directly, ensuring correct details. I had a reply from each of the companies that I emailed and was very pleased that it took them all no longer than 5 days to reply, proving it a simple task to collect primary research via email.
Plantlife:
http://www.plantlife.org.uk/publications
http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/celebrating_our_woodlands/the_10_most_threatened_woodland_plants-1/
 http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/plant_species/?cat=24&let=A

 Natural England:
http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/category/10005#content

 Peoples Trust for Endangered Species:

http://www.ptes.org/files/1310_dormouse_work_leaflet_final.pdf
http://ptes.org/files/1937_guide_to_wildlife_and_management_england.pdf
http://ptes.org/files/1595_annual_review_2010jn.pdf
Below is a factual piece from an attached document on the Noble Chafer, a beetle found inside trees that is currently endangered, this is due to the demolition of their habitat. This would flow nicely with my tree conservation research to protect their habitat and promote the creation of a dead log pile.

Butterfly Conservation:
4 informational attachments, most useful piece being a guide how to make your garden butterfly friendly. Other articles steered slightly away from my subject but I have saved all the Emails for future reference.

I found these extra pieces of information incredibly useful and informative and it links well with my current research into conservation. Other organisations replied yet asked for a postal address, I did not want to sign up to a mailing list.





RSPB: Give nature a home
Before researching for this assignment I had seen the RSPB advert on tv, it's quite a hard-hitting advert showing the bad affects humans have made on wildlife with pollution and developments of bigger roads, but it then shows little things that we can do to help the wildlife that are in decline. The campaign raises awareness of garden wildlife that are struggling to find somewhere to hibernate in the winter. RSPB says "Homes are where we eat, where we sleep and where we bring up our families. It's just the same for birds and other wildlife." With this in mind they produced a very clever advert that makes people think, this then refers the viewers to the website where you can find a leaflet either download/posted. This leaflet contains some simple tips to build homes for wildlife in your garden, dramatically increasing the local wildlife and improving their standards of living through winter. I think this is a very simple yet effective way to get involved in conserving the UK's wildlife, without any ties or much expense.

WWF: Help protect the future of endangered species
I found these posters quite shocking yet captivating, no advanced technology of today can help bring back species once they have become extinct, therefore it is so crucially important that we help protect them whilst they are still here on our planet. WWF are a very big organisation and this is one of their many successful campaigns. This images contrasts the harsh reality of species decline and the fact that these species might not last in the future to come.

WWF: Their extinction is ours as well
This is another campaign by WWF, proving that without many species - we could in fact become extinct too. After looking through my research, it is evident that we need wildlife and biodiversity for our well being and standard of living, the clothes we wear, the food we eat and the medicines to cure illnesses, we need the wildlife and the species that live within. The way that this has been advertised by WWF is with humans, bare in the wild and in animal stances. I think this is very clever, bringing together human and animals as one, after all we share this world with many species and need to appreciate that their existence helps us.

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