Mouse Pads for MDGs
or
How to reach Young Modern Performers at work
Cake base
1st step - Choosing the topic
This educational action will allow us reach to our target group YMPs directly. The type of gadget determines a lot what we can, and what we want to, put on mouse pads. We wanted to find an idea which would be very closely related with computer use. We decided that MDG 7 - 'Environmental sustainability' - in combination with use of IT would be the best topic in this case. Environmental protection is a very popular topic and even something like a 'trend' in the everyday life of YMPs. There are a lot of eco-initiatives implemented by large companies and corporations. It was great opportunity to combine this environmental protection topic with promotion of MDGs and the idea of changing personal lifestyles. So we decided to promote MDG 7 and awareness of the problem of illegal dumping of computer and electrical waste in developing countries.
2nd step - Creating mouse pads
We conducted research on the internet in order to find a good, and cheap, producer of mouse pads. We asked three companies for their offers, and we chose the one that gave the best offer. We agreed on the price and due date and they gave us the guidelines for the graphic.
We also conducted research on the internet to find interesting information about the chosen topic, in order to help us find the slogan and create a graphic design for the mouse pad, and also which we could put up on our Facebook site. Here are some of the internet sources we used for inspiration:
3rd step - Designing mouse pads
Design is a crucial point for addressing a target group like YMPs. When deciding on a design for the mouse pads, we also brainstormed ideas with volunteers of our organization and asked the graphic designer for advice. Our aim was to interest YMPs in the topic and encourage them to reduce e-waste in their everyday life. It was not easy to find a suggestive, economical picture, saying a lot about so complicated a problem and yet modern and interesting for YMPs. Therefore we presented the topic and our idea in great detail to the graphic designer. In the end we managed to come up with a slogan, and our graphic designer developed the graphic design.
Developing graphic design of mouse pads included:
- specified dimensions
- the topic – general idea
It was very important that the graphic design should be very modern and interesting because of the specific target group, and also it should interact with the work office equipment. We decided to put a slogan in English for several reasons:
- the economy of words
- most computer gadgets have English contents
- YMPs speak English very well
- such large companies usually have foreign partners or clients who visit their offices
Slogan:don’t make them live with your broken computer
REDUCE YOUR COMPUTER WASTE
Facebook site link
Visibility: EU logo and EU statement
Our organization logo
4rd step - Production of mouse pads
When the graphic design was ready we sent it to the producer of mouse pads. The production of 500 mouse pads took one week.