‘Service on Wheels’ - a mobile van exhibition to motivate rural Gujarat to take control of their villages and make them models of cleanliness and environmental sanitation, was an Environmental Sanitation Institute initiative. In order to create a felt need, a strong outreach effort, coupled with effective information, education, and communication material were required.
Animation is a highly effective communication tool if used in an appropriate manner. My diploma project was about making an effective and motivating animation film for the rural audience of Gujarat, imploring them to choose a better quality of life. The anticipated outcome of the animation project was the development of an animation film addressing the issues of water and sanitation, health and personal hygiene, and education and female empowerment.
Interest and high recall value being the key factors, the film had to be about a family, which could be any family in the village, identifiable with the target audience. The initial development of the concepts and characters required an intense study of the already existing information, education, and communication material.
The further development of the film was defined by various existing studies and surveys conducted in defining the visual languages of the rural cultures, along with an understanding of their visual literacy. This asked for numerous visits to the villages, interacting, learning, and field-testing the various materials created. I combined traditional animation along with stop motion, imposed onto photographed backgrounds, creating an interesting collage of the way of life in villages.
My diploma project opened up for me, new vocabularies, many new languages, and new ways of seeing, in particular. Design is only the reason, and nothing makes sense without reason.
