Animal Testing - Lab Rats

I realised for my sketchbook work to help with the development of my project as a whole I need to decide on some social issues to use as subject matter so I can explore the conceptual side visually. 

Making the subject character based, it de-sensitises the issues although this could be argued the opposite way depending on the approach. A simplified mouse figure makes it feel less real. It shifts the theme of the issue from cruelty to cuteness. 

Use of narrative and also use of children to show innocence. The parent's response seems shocking in response to this innocent request and makes this character sound kind of heartless and unfair. Then the reader realises that this is the attitude society has towards animal testing - most of us prioritise our own health and wellbeing and our need for products above the lives of living creatures. 

Straight to the point, shock tactics. Showing the reality. Would anyone want this image in their home? probably not. The more subtle approaches are more appropriate for my rationale. 

Narrative, again using shock tactics showing the reality of treatment of an innocent animal. It shows fear and portrays the human as the villain. 

I feel like this work is demonstrating the techniques I am seeing in adverts but i'm not hitting the nail on the head. Its not getting to the point of what I want to say. 

This sounds a bit irrelevant but I saw my dog's toy on the floor and had a bit of a brainwave. Poor Minnie had been ripped apart and looked very sorry for herself indeed. Brands have this connection with us that make things seem familiar and therefore when issues are related to this familiarity, the emotional effect on us is stronger. 

Mickey doesn't like being a lab rat and it seems that we feel more sorry for this fictional character because we feel like we know him personally.

This exercise has been really useful to me. I have been trying to use different methods to figure to what has the most impact and what is the most appropriate for the brief I am working to. I am starting to find the connection between the issue and the character/brand as shown by these drawings that followed, but I still don't think I'm getting directly to the point I want to make. I also think I'm still quite far away from my proposed outcomes of a range of homewares so the development of this needs a lot more work.