OUGD603 - Brief 07 - Loneliness - Production: Send-out

The physical send-out is the most important element of this project as it is the outcome that will be directly sent to people. For this I need to focus on accessibility and audience.

For the send-out I have made two different outcomes - a letter essentially introducing the scheme and what is on offer, alongside an accompanied sheet of questions that would be used by Age UK to match groups of people and organise personally suited events.

The letter is written in a formal but approachable tone of voice. I have been careful to not mention loneliness or anything regarding people's health as this could be intimidating and too personal. Instead, the message focuses on what could positively come form participating in the scheme, such as meeting new people in the community of all ages. Three versions of the letter have been made; the first two use the typeface guidelines created - 14pt for ordinary / partially sighted people and 18pt for those that are visually impaired - whilst the last is completely in braille for people who are blind. As braille is fairly complex, a mockup of how it would look has been made. This would need to be checked by a braille specialist before production. As it is much harder for blind people to write, the send-out letter would not be accompanied by a fill-out sheet - instead, the letter message gives a phone number that blind people would be able to call to discuss getting involved.

The sheet of questions for the other two audiences has also been kept formal but friendly. It asks for people's preferred name, how their week has been, whether they have read or seen anything interesting recently, what they would like an event to focus around and how to contact them. This information would provide a starting point for arranging local events and getting in touch with people that are interested. An optional crossword has also been included to make the sheet slightly less serious. One idea that would be pitched is that people who complete it would be in with a chance to win a prize from Age UK. Crosswords are great for mental health; therefore, it seems appropriate.

In terms of production affordable A4 stock has been used to ensure that more send-outs can be produced. In terms of distribution the most suitable option would be via freepost. This would allow people to return their filled in sheets for free and Age UK would only have to pay for the replies they receive. Small local communities would be the starting point for distribution; however, the aim would be to branch out across the entire UK depending on the amount of funding available.