Lecture

The Poster Project

Specifically: The poster or placard to relay information; how it has been used to convey information actively and passively to large groups of people. Below are political poster collections.

Political posters(1)Download

Type and image posters(1)Download

Technical

  • Review the various techniques for opacity, text outline, layout. Also familiarize with a slide presentation platform like Google slides, Powerpoint online, Keynote.

Preparation 

  • Photograph different types of posters: Digital ones, paper ones, billboards. 

Session 1

  • The Design Heroes Project is assigned. The list of designers is reviewed briefly and the project expectations are reviewed. 
  • Other types of posters throughout recent history
1960’s RocknRoll posters inspired by the Beaux Arts movement of the early 1900’s

Posters printed with artists’ graphics and then letterpress information about the venue added later. Emory Douglas worked in this vein to produce the Black Panther posters in San Francisco.
Most posters were one or two colors. The Jimi Hendrix rainbow poster was printed with performance specifics in black; the rainbow had been printed previously and shipped to the venue.
Posters from the punk rock era in Britain were collages, an early Deconstructivist style that would later be embraced by Neville Brody and David Carson.
Work of Jason Munn. Note each poster uses only two colors.

Homework

  • From a list of designers, choose one. Research their life and their work and collect enough images to make a 20-page presentation of their work and the impact it had on their times. Remember to cite all your images. Presentation to the class is due in one week.

Session 2

  • The Color Guide: Instructions to create a color guide by analyzing how two colors interact with varying opacities. 

Homework

  • Finish the color guide and print it. Study the differences between the transparency of the color online and on paper.
    As posters were being printed digitally, the attention to color shifted to the process colors to better express ideas. transparency was also embraced with digital design.
    Swissted is a gallery of posters designed by Mike Joyce in the Swiss Design inspiration, using only Helvetica typeface, bold shapes and often, only two colors–Black and a tint. https://www.swissted.com
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