I decided to remix my EAC, which discusses the susceptibility of the arts to budget cuts. The arts as an industry rely heavily on donations from patrons and other sources of contributed income from corporations, foundations, and federal grants. The main point of my EAC is to open a discussion about viewing public funding for the arts as a high-yield investment. While producing and performing arts exhibits and productions can be costly, “each $1 in federal arts funds leverages another $9 from other public and private sources, resulting in $500 million in matching support“. Not only do the arts have a fiscal, quantitative return on investment, but they also yield a high variety of societal benefits such as improved childhood development and healing from trauma.
The revised genre I have composed is a postcard for direct mail to inform potential donors about how they can support the arts in Charleston. The audience for my remediation is middle- to high-class residents ages 40-65+ in the Charleston area, including Downtown Charleston, North Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, Hanahan, James Island, Isle of Palms, and Mount Pleasant. The postcard includes an invitation to a special event for potential donors, as well as information about why to fund the arts. While the focus is to inform the reader that they are invited and to educate them on the ways Charleston benefits from support for the arts, the email address of the Executive Director of the South Carolina Arts Alliance is also provided in case the reader would like more information. Vaguely, the event is a gala and an art auction, where attendees can bid on art currently available in Charleston’s art galleries. The art on the postcard is an example of one of these pieces, a work by Olena Babak, which is available for purchase in the Reinert Fine Art Gallery located on King Street in Charleston.
This revised genre was specifically selected because it is the most appealing to the target audience. Because I am aiming to reach suburban, residential communities, mailing is a good option. This is also the most accessible option for the older generations I am aiming to reach, as it does not require the reader to be tech-savvy. If anything, it can be nostalgic to receive an invitation in the mail.
One constraint of my genre is the decline of physical communication methods now that most advertisements and communication are online. However, I feel that this method is most relevant and accessible to my target audience of retired, or at least “settled down”, people in Charleston. Another potential constraint is the current political climate, where issues are viewed as very bipartisan. Although funding the arts is both supported by and detested by both Democrats and Republicans, people may see pushing support of the arts as a push against Trump, who wishes to eradicate the NEA, which is important to note during this election year, where Trump is on the ballot. It is important to be focused on the specific issue at hand and to convey the message in an unbiased manner. Another constraint is that because my audience is older, I will need to be wary of design choices. For example, while I may frequently use QR codes in designs, I was hesitant about whether they would be appropriate for this audience, as difficulties accessing the linked materials may turn them away. However, there is a downside to avoiding usage of QR codes and similar elements, which is decrease in interactivity. That is why I finally decided to include a QR code. One other constraint is cost. Print advertising can be costly, while many online alternatives are less expensive. However, marketing is an investment, and the value of the art to be auctioned off is worth the costs of outreach to increase attendance, and therefore, profits.
My genre is a postcard, which allows for much creative freedom. This can be both freeing and daunting, as there isn’t much structure. However, generally, it is vital to design it in an eye-catching way, or else it may just get thrown away. The use of visual hierarchy is paramount, as the overall message and call-to-action need to be easier for the reader to pay attention to so that they look further into what I am communicating. I utilized hierarchy by drawing the most attention to the phrase “You’re Invited!” because while many people automatically throw away direct mail, the exception to this is letters such as wedding invites and “save-the-dates”, so when they see this sentence, they will be inclined to read more so they don’t miss out on an event. The call-to-action, “Scan for inquiries & RSVPs” is also the largest and boldest font choice in the design.
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