Abstract

The Delayed Sexual Debut Campaign on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria was a rare success. A key variable to the success was the production and utilization of effective graphic media. This paper examines the campaign in order to resolve the crucial problem of designing an effective graphic communication system for a non-literate target audience. It employs a qualitative approach that uses triangulation of in-depth interviews and content analysis. It introduces the reader to the background of the campaign and the use of graphic messages to support development programmes. The paper examines the roles/activities of the media team during the media production process, the creative brief and the graphic materials produced/utilized. It also discusses the implications of the campaign for graphic communication in Nigeria. It concludes with emphasis on the need to adopt the participatory approach to communication practices and recommends that messages for development communication should be encoded by specialists in graphic design, hinged on target audience and the socio-cultural environment in order to achieve the desired overall communication goal.

Key Words: Graphic communication, Graphic messages, Communication campaign, Media production process, IEC materials

^JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 4, No. 2, October 2012, 145 - 157.

© Delmas Communications Ltd.

About the author

[1]Dr. Sylvester Zifegha Ebigbagha is a lecturer in the Department of Fine, Industrial and Theatre Arts, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

Full Article

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