After some heavy thumb-nailing and conceptualizing on paper, I took my ideas to some fairly detailed digital concepts, which I brought to the first interim.
My initial idea was very strongly influenced by communist propaganda posters. The colours and imagery are very reminiscent of the style. I wanted to incorporate John Key in some way, give the viewers of the poster a visible villain. I later discovered that this would be too literal for what I needed.
The next idea was an issue that made me choose the anti flag side in the first place. The amount of money spent on the flag change could do so much good in New Zealand, and my initial focus in my physical thumbnails was on kids starving (though that too was too literal). I wanted to symbolize childhood, and the money that could be going to it taken away, and so I used the alphabet as a recognizable symbol, and a suited hand about to pick one up.
Perhaps my strongest example form my initial digital explorations, as a an illustrator this idea immediately connected with me because of how I could use me skills to further develop it. I also really enjoyed the idea of John desecrating this sacred thing, I thought that was something that invoked a lot of Wehi. The Flag we have is the same that our ANZAC troops fought for, the idea of changing it and disrespecting that history that we should be holding dearly was an idea that actually sickened me. I found myself more invested in this idea emotionally than the others, which is why I think I am going to pursue it.
The last idea which I was also invested in because of my illustrative background, was the idea of John pulling off his face (the current flag) to reveal a face beneath, tearing and wrecking his initial identity as he pulled. The face beneath has a blank eye to further enforce the idea of a lack of identity. Overall however I feel this idea gets slightly confused in itself.
