Declaration of Human Rights
Printed Publication
1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
The theme within this project is based around childhood poverty within Australia. Article 25 was selected as the article states that everyone is entitled to a standard of living that is adequate for health and wellbeing. Article 25 informs the project as the message of “Lack of needs being met = Less opportunity” and “it’s hard to dream big when you’re in survival mode from the beginning” are overarching themes within the booklet.
The project explores what growing up in poverty in Australia can look like and how poverty impacts one’s everyday life and future by using a “A Day in the Life” form of storytelling, personal statements and factual information. The information within the booklet was supported by research from the organisation “The Smith Family” and the Australian Government-published report “The Human Impact of Poverty”.
Thought Process
The statements and storytelling elements were informed by my own personal experience from previously working in Primary and secondary schools, where poverty is common within the cohort of students within the school community. The storytelling elements within this project are based on common real-life experiences of the students I supported while I was working at these schools. It was important to me to highlight real experiences of children and young people within this project to highlight the reality of childhood poverty that is currently within our community.
The design decisions were based around wanting to showcase the complexities and reality of childhood poverty. The folds and layout of the booklet is designed to have a user experience that requires the user to open and unfold the layers of the booklet to “unpack” the complexities of childhood poverty.
The decisions regarding type, illustration and the colour palette were to communicate a sense of childlike wonder and have an education classroom feel to the booklet through the colours and type selected. These design choices were important for the design as this contrast between bright and happy design versus the serious content of the booklet was important to communicate my message. This choice was to play with the idea of ‘what childhood should be like versus what it is for a child/young person growing up within poverty.
