OUGD401 - Study Task 06 - Prototype Solutions

PROTOTYPE SOLUTIONS 01

This first proposed solution was taken from initial ideas generation in suggesting an advertising campaign which would consist of a poster/series of posters that give statistics on the negative impacts of gender stereotypes in children's toys and advertising on their development. This first proposed solution was taken from initial ideas generation in suggesting an advertising campaign which would consist of a poster or series of posters that give statistics on the negative impacts of gender stereotypes in children’s toys and advertising on their development.

The imagery shows two simple bar graphs made from illustrations of LEGO blocks. This idea was again based on the piece of research from Narahara (1998) which suggests that children are more likely to undervalue something if they cannot relate or identify with it. The aim in using a universally-known toy was so that children and their parents could relate with the toy and therefore engage more with the advertisement.

The colours used within this prototype solution also use the idea of gender-neutrality. Yellow and green are not typically associated with either boys or girls, but both genders, as well as being two of the common colours found within classic LEGO construction sets. As a result, this aims to show that you do not always need to use gender stereotypes within advertising in order to gain a reaction, as some research showed that people working in advertising sometimes use such stereotypes purposefully in order to gain profits. For instance, it is assumed that consumers would feel uncomfortable buying a toy labelled as “for girls” for a boy or vice versa. This means that consumers are forced to buy two sets for a boy and a girl, rather than handing toys down to another generation. Based on this research, the use of green and yellow colours would mean that the advertisements aim to target an audience consisting of both males and females, as gender stereotypes are increasingly affecting both, particularly in terms of children’s toys, their play, skills development, and essentially their future careers.

PROTOTYPE SOLUTION 02

The second prototype solution was taken from initial ideas generation in suggesting the combination of the classic LEGO construction set and the new LEGO Friends set, which was designed specifically for girls. LEGO originally branded itself as a universal construction toy, however the introduction of this set designed ‘for girls’ brings in a new body of stereotypes into children’s play. Through combining the two sets of LEGO, this prototype solution aims to communicate how such stereotypes in children’s play is limiting their future lives because they do not adequately develop skills, such as fine motor and perseverance, which they gain from a broad range of play and toys.

The materials used for this solution use secondary imagery of various LEGO sets from both ranges that have been collated into hand-cut collages. Images show rough sketches and simple collages on how these could potentially look. The use of collage has been used to relate subtly to child-like creative play and so promotes the development of this skill, whilst also potentially gaining a younger audience. This uses similar research to that of pototype solution one in using imagery that children could potentially identify with and therefore engage with the material more. In a similar sense, it would also attract the attention of parents who would relate the choice of materials and imagery to work of their children, therefore giving the advertisements a personal touch almost.


The imagery would be accompanied by a bold statement of text, such as ‘let toys be toys’ or ‘what it is is gender-neutral’ which takes inspiration from visual examples of exisiting LEGO advertisements. This text would use either Gill Sans or Pragmata Pro Italic, which both have apparent links to children’s books and toys. Gill Sans was used for elements of cover information on the 1935 Penguin books, whereas Pragmata Pro Italic has similar characteristics to that of the typeface used for LEGO’s logotype. Both of these would add subtly to the relatability of the advertisements because of their use within children’s play and learning.



PROTOTYPE SOLUTION 03

The aim of this final prototype solution was to create two advertisements: one which uses completely neutral colours and another which uses ‘gendered’ colours in order to explore whether or not it is possible to create an effective piece of work without the stereotypes typically portrayed in many exisiting advertisements.

Another variation of this idea could be to combine a stereotypical feminine toy with a stereotypically masculine colour, and vice versa. For instance, combining a Barbie doll with a blue background. This variation would aim to make the younger audience question what toys they consider for boys and for girls, in the hope that messages conveyed from this piece of work would later on influence how they play and what they play with. As a result, this would successfully link back to the initial research question and start to reduce the negative impacts on children’s development so that they are able to express themselves in more ways that may eventually lead into their future lives and careers.

For instance, the imagery used in these prototype mock-ups depict a toy train, which could stereotypically be seen as a boys toy. One variation pairs this image with a neutral green background, whilst the other pairs the image with a stereotypically ‘girly’ shade of pink.


The black lines depicted on the pink variation symbolises where a body of text would potentially sit within the design. The layout of this was influence by the ‘what it is is beautiful’ LEGO advertisements, which have a clear structure and hierarchy of information, with the image sitting in the middle and being the main focus of the advertisement.