Overview

The Poster Project is in two parts: a quick research project, then the full design of a printed poster.

Part 1, the Oral Presentation

Design Heros Project

Part I, Oral Report  

a) From the list of designers whose names you chose, collect 20 images of their work and RESEARCH their careers. You can use the Internet, but NOT Wikipedia. Remember to note all sources of both images and text. You can add videos.

b) DESIGN YOUR PRESENTATION, using the ONLY the GRID and FONTS I provide. You can use Google Slides, Powerpoint, Keynote, ISSUU or a PDF booklet or presentation. Make a contact sheet of the images you find.

c) Write notes about the CAREER of your chosen designer–where they worked, their most important pieces, their contribution to the design field overall.

d) From this information, prepare a FIVE-MINUTE Oral Presentation with the images you made on the PDF.

Part II, The Poster

Here are the specs for the poster

I suggest you start right away designing your poster to the specifications.

The Design Heroes Poster project will be a tribute poster to the designer whom you researched for your presentation. NO OTHER DESIGNER.

Here are the specifications:

a) 11 x 17 inches, vertical or horizontal; for print.

b) Two colors with black as one of them. The paper is white. Keep this in mind as you design with tints–tints of the same color can give awesome effects. We’ll go over this at length.

c) .25 inch border all around

d) Text: Required:

 1) the name of the designer, spelled properly.

 2) ONE image of the designer’s work as a signature.

Your poster could take a few forms: 

For example:

Design Hero: Design a poster advertising an exhibition or retrospective of their work in a gallery or museum. If that’s the case, you must include the venue and its address, the dates and other pertinent information.

For example: The Design Sketches and Development of the NYC Subway Poster by Massimo Vignelli is on view at The Municipal Art Society of New York   457 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 from May 24 – June 30 (Date can be fake or copied from another event in the past)

If you choose to design a tribute poster:

Include an applicable “sponsor” of your project

For example: Published by the Transit Museum Boehrum Place, Brooklyn New York © 2019.

YOU’VE ALREADY DONE THE RESEARCH ON YOUR DESIGN HERO, SO YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE A SIGNATURE WORK TO INCLUDE; YOU’RE ALSO AWARE OF THEIR TREATMENT OF FONTS, LAYOUT OR DESIGN. Use this to your advantage.

If your poster is linked to an event, include the date and place of the even must be included

Follow these steps:

Do them in this order and you’ll be fine.

1) Draw a grid

2) YOU’VE ALREADY researched content—organize the text of what you want to say and the image you intend to use.

3) Decide on the fonts, and download them. Get the bold and italics; print the full alphabet in a few sizes: 16, 24, 36 60 point.

4) Only one color and black. Choose a color you “like” with the understanding that it will change as you create tints of it with tints of black. This will be a quick scaffolding project.

Over the next sessions we will work on each of these components.

Learning Outcomes

  • Targeted research about a graphic designer’s life, work and times
  • Informative screen presentation with well-organized visual elements
  • Clear, concise and effective oral presentations
  • Use of color, tints and effective typography
  • Organizational layout skills, working with the grid.

Instructions

  1. Make a grid, regardless of which presentation application you intend to use. Import it to the application and line up your images and caption text.
  2. Keep the text to a minimum, since, in presenting it, you will be delivering the information verbally.

Due Date(s) FRIDAY, MAY 9TH, 2025

  • PRINT DELIVERABLE:
    • Print 11″ X 17″ (CMYK COLOR)
    • If you have elements that bleed off the edges then notify the printer.
    • Glue the poster to all black mounting board – TAKE PICTURE OF MOUNTED POSTER AND UPLOAD TO OPENLAB
  • DIGITAL DELIVERABLE:
    • Upload Mockup of Poster (export as PNG or JPG) – DON’T NOT PRINT THE MOCKUP OF POSTER – JUST UPLOAD TO OPENLAB

Resources