This proposal is for a series of print and digital advertisements for an upcoming horror-mystery-action video game called "Tainted Blood". The game's plot involves a small town where mysterious and supernatural events begin occurring, including unsolved murders, that trace back to a larger conspiracy. The ads will feature ominous imagery conveying a sense of isolation, being observed, and unnatural colors to suggest something is "off". Common horror and mystery tropes will be referenced, like vampires, ghosts, murders, and conspiracies. The target audience is teens to 30s interested in puzzles and personal horror. Legal considerations require an age restriction due to graphic content and avoiding offense through ambiguity.

1. Proposal
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Working Title: Tainted Blood
What is it called? This can change if you think of something better later
Product’s Purpose: To advertise an upcoming game through the use of image and wording.
What is the product’s purpose (entertain/educate etc.) and how will you achieve this?
Genre: Four posters and a magazine spread for a game of the horror-mystery-action genre,
focusing on supernatural and psychology horror subcategories. These would be displayed
through the use of print media, such as magazine advertisements, as well asin a digital
format, such as promotional videos or advertisements on social media platforms.
What sort of product is it
Content: The game’s main plotline is about a seemingly ordinary town that changes when a
series of mysterious events, such as unsolvable murders and supernatural phenomena
begin to occur, leading back to a larger conspiracy. In terms of poster imagery, a sense of
isolation and being observed by an unknown power should be made apparent, either
through perspective or by context. Bold colours, but portrayed in a somewhat negative
sense, being too bright or too dark for them to be natural. This works to convey that there
is something ‘off’ or ‘wrong’ about the aesthetics of the product, fitting with the theme of
being ‘tainted’. The distinctive style is created to specifically make an impression on the
audience, and to distinguish it from other similar products, lending itself towards the world
that the project is working towards building.
What is your product about? Discuss what you would put in it (be specific). Does it have a story? If
so, discuss it here
Research & Planning: Common supernatural horror tropes, such as vampires, ghosts and
eldritch abominations, due to being universally recognised as horror-genre staples.
Similarly classic mystery themes, such as locked room murders and clandestine
conspiracies are also beloved aspects of mystery. Many of these horror elements are
prevalent in previously researched products, such as ‘Resident Evil’ and ‘Call of Cthulhu’,
which both focus on combating supernatural terrors. The mystery elementsare more in
focus in ‘A Night in the Woods’ and ‘Oxenfree’, which both centre on an overarching
confusion in relation to how the plot develops.
Where will you use elements of your research and planning to influence and inform your final idea
(be specific to certain parts)
Audience: The individual gender and social status of the audience is universal, due to the
product being available to all gendersand social classes. This is due to the limited
restrictions on the dispersal of the products, being advertised physically through the use of
posters, and digitally via promotional videos and social media. Age comes down to late
teens to general thirties, largely because of the focus on horror and murder as plot
material. In terms of psychographics, those interested in puzzling out mysteries and fans of
personal horror are the main target audience, mainly because of the game’s emphasis on
psychological and emotional trauma and the greater conspiracy element.
Who is your audience? Be very detailed; age, gender, social status, psychographic etc
Why would your project appeal to this person?

2. Proposal
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Legal & Ethical Considerations: The obvious problems arising from such a heavy focus on
violence and crime immediately warrant an age restriction, to prevent those too young from
witnessing scenes that they’re not ready for. The similar focus on the supernatural and
what could be seen as heresy or blasphemy might offend some people, so avoiding making
things too explicit and more ambiguous is definitely a must. The appropriate ASA codes
that would apply to the project would be 4 and 5, regarding offensive content and the
protection of children respectively.
Think about any offensive material you will include?
Will you restrict younger people using/accessing it?
Will it offend any social groups/religions/ethnicities?
How will you ensure you do not offend anyone?
Are you using characters/names/logos of existing products/IPs?
Will you product be sufficiently different from existing products to not get sued for copyright
infringement?