POSTER DESIGN

​

 

Background

​

UOL Gymnastics is a University of London society that runs a 2-hour training session every week. Most recruitment is done during freshers fairs every September. The volume of students at these fairs is huge, but UOL Gymnastics can struggle to match the interest that other societies receive.

 

One contribution to this is students’ perception of gymnastics. Watching Olympic athletes at the highest level has created a flashy and daring image of the sport. People perceive gymnastics as something only for elite athletes. Many students don’t want to attend the trial session for fear of being out of their depth and embarrassed.

 

The main issue, however, is price. 1 session at UOL gymnastics costs £9 if membership has been paid. Non-members fees are even higher. These prices are essential to cover the high costs of hiring a professional training hall. Other societies, e.g. Break Dancing, can offer training sessions for as low as £2 by using public parks.

 

Unable to lower their costs, UOL Gymnastics is hoping to use advertising to create a message that will improve the interest in the society and bring in much needed funds.

​

​

Approach

​

Price acts as a deterrent only because of the comparison with other societies. We aim to overcome this by comparing the cost of 1 session to the other cost faced by freshers: clubbing. Students are hesitant to spend £9 on a gymnastics session, would they be equally as hesitant to spend the same money on 1 drink in a nightclub?

 

By highlighting the positives of a gymnastics session (meeting people, having fun, exercising) with the negatives of mindless purchases on a night out (entry to nightclubs, drinks, taxis) we hope to get students to question how they use their money.

 

The other issue to overcome is the intimidating image of the sport. The sport is typically marketed as challenging, fast-paced and gruelling. We are taking the opposite approach. These posters highlight the more light-hearted aspects of a group training sessions: making friends, getting fit and having a laugh.

​