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Beck Garrigan

BA [Hons] Visual Communication Design

Hey! My names Beck and I’m an aspiring graphic designer with a passion for purpose. I want to work and design in a way that can bring change. I have particular interest in branding, copywriting, illustrating as well as image making. I love using humour in my designs, particularly when using it to make harder topics more accessible. But really any creative medium or design type that helps provoke cultural change is something I will want to get involved with. I’m too queasy to be a doctor but there’s more than one way to help people.

BUZZKILL is a harm reduction and drug RE-education campaign. Unlike other similar campaigns, BUZZKILL doesn't preach abstinence or encourage engagement. Its goal is to educate and let young people make their own INFORMED decisions.

We take a similar strategy to gorilla advertising but instead its gorilla education. Our posters will use short facts about how to generally be safer if you do decide to take drugs. Offering quick advice at a glance that could very well save a life.

BUZZKILL posters will be seen on buses, night links, Luas, clubs, colleges and bus shelters.

The more openly drugs are spoken about the safer they will become.

BUZZKILL will also have a wide range of branded items, all of which chosen for their prevalence in areas drugs are usually taken. ie, bars, smoking areas, parties, etc.

BUZZKILL uses fortune tellers instead of flyers. Playing into novelty and familiarity, the fortune teller game-ifies some educational information and encourages people to go to the BUZZKILL site.

The site is designed mainly for phone use and all the information is kept to bullet points to help hold attention for longer.

The site will offer drug safety tips, information on the laws around drugs, what to do if you've taken something and aren't having a good time, overdose responses and is also a place to get new branded merchandise.

The tone of voice stays casual, non authoritative and non judging. But also uses humour to make the topic more approachable.

BUZZKILL

BUZZKILL is in short, a new way of drug education. Using the grounds of harm reduction to help young adults make the best choice they can in that moment, whatever that choice may be.

Drugs exist, people will take them, saying "just say no" doesn't work. So BUZZKILL is here to be an accessible, blunt, easy and fun way to learn the little things that could very well save your live.

Sensationalism and Propaganda; An analysis of anti-drug and harm reduction campaign materials.

My thesis sets out to examine both the complex relationship between the public and the perception of an addict, with a specific focus on the United States; as well as analyse the effects from different drug use prevention and harm reduction materials as well as their presentation on an addict. I will take a specific look at the 2005 Montana Meth Project, the 2021 END OVERDOSE non-profit organisation and will also take a quick look at an Irish example, UISCE’s biannual magazine, Brass Munckie.
In doing this I hope to give a fair and fleshed out analysis on the different types of addiction prevention materials available to date, and also do an analysis on how addicts are depicted in anti-drug campaigns. As well as hopefully shine a light on what the most effective and conscious design strategy would be in this area of human issue.

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