Print is still a relevant medium -from business cards to menus- some things are just better in print. For a printed project to be successful a designer must understand both the limitations of the printing process and the possibilities. A skilled designer, first takes into consideration the medium and process, and then creates a design to meet their client’s needs.
In my poster for the annual Melodic Expressions concert series at Owens Community College, I choose a neutral textured background, with bold red text and an elegant wave to the keyboard and title letters. The wave gives the feel of music floating through the air.
The textured musical score and red accented keyboard allow the casual viewer to know without reading that the subject of the poster is musical, without overwhelming the text or clubbing the viewer over the head with the message.
The bold red text pops out with a fun and informal manner that draws the viewer in.
I keep a notebook of ideas, sketches, short thoughts and scribbles. Somewhere in there I had written “living on chocolate and coffee” so when asked to find an original photograph to re-create in a vector program I bought some chocolate and started snapping pictures.
For the second half of the assignment to create an event poster, I drew on the old fashioned nature of the coffee cup and imagined an old fashioned “who done it” mystery dinner. The green of the cup against dark background draws the eye to the cup, and the wavy lines of steam subtly pull your eye up to the title “Death by Chocolate.” For the title I choose a very clean straight font reminiscent of Art Deco and Hollywood glamor of a 1930′s black and white film.