Project 5 – Poster
This assignment will be focusing on advertisement design.
What is an advertisement design?
It is an area of graphic designs that includes illustration, photography, web design, print design and video design. For this assignment you will be keeping in mind illustration and print design. Illustration focuses on storytelling, while graphic design aims to get an idea across, or sell a product. In general, advertisements are used to sell, enlighten or persuade people on a product or an idea.
What are travel posters?
Historically, travel posters were used not only to sell a destination, but were also used by hotels, airlines, railroads and tourism companies to visually represent those companies, or locations. The styles that were incorporated in the design ranged from art nouveau, art deco and to mid-century modern design.
The boom of technological marvels of the 20th century such as railroads, airplanes and ocean liners, served as inspiration for many of the images created for travel posters. They also provided people the freedom and accessibility to travel and explore the world like never before. This boom in technology and travel sparked the “Golden Age of Travel” that was interrupted and changed by events of World War II.
After WWII, when travel picked up again, it were the skies that captivated imagination and the “romance” of travel. This new era of intercontinental air travel allowed people to travel more and arrive faster to their destinations. This period truly became the boom for travel posters. They were found everywhere. Over the decades the designs have gone many transformations. First designs were crowded with text and images that conveyed information.
Designers who are credited with transforming and simplifying the travel posters in the early 1900s were: Hugo d’Alesi (France), Emile Cardinaux (Switzerland) and Adolfo Hohenstein (Italy). The early 20th century saw a huge boom in diversity in art movements and this helped direct the shift in design by the 1920s. The individuals where pioneered and changed the designs were: A. M. Cassandre, his pupil Fix-Masseau, Tom Purvis, Frank Newbould and other artists. They altered the travel poster from illustration to symbol. In contemporary context, travel posters continue to evolve and change, using preceding styles while combining them with new ideas.
What are the characteristics good advertisement art?
“Posters reflect our culture and are like visual graphic icons of the times in which they were created.” ~ Robin Shepherd, travel poster collector.
Characteristics of Good Advertisement Art
“Posters reflect our culture and are like visual graphic icons of the times in which they were created.” ~ Robin Shepherd, travel poster collector.
The most essential characteristic of advertisements is simplicity, but not to the sacrifice of good design. The artwork must easily and accurately communicate the destination. This can be done by incorporating a recognizable landmark, cultural elements or landscape.
Second most important elements of design is the focal point. Where does the artist want the viewer to look?
- Decide on the location you would like to advertise.
- Research the location and recognizable landmarks.
- Do some brainstorming – 5 thumbnails of your ideas.
- You an also collage together photos to create a composition.
- Consider POV (point of view) where is the horizion placed, how does it effect the viewer’s mood, feel, attitude?
- e. do you want the viewer to feel small in comparison the awe of the landscape? Consider a low horizon line that will place the viewer at the bottom.
- Consider POV (point of view) where is the horizion placed, how does it effect the viewer’s mood, feel, attitude?
- Color and value. You are now familiar with value, shape and color. This project will incorporate the previous ones in terms of those things.
- Chose 2 colors to begin with. You can chose a dominant color and then “accent” your landmark by using an analogous color.
- Typography: incoroporate the location in your image with typography. You can incorporate it withing your image (more challenging), or include it as a separate box at the bottom of your design (see samples below).
- When chosing a font for your image, consider how it speaks of the location itself. In the example below “Los Angeles” has an Art Deco feel to it. This hints at the old Hollywood era of film as well as the city’s earlier architecture and designs.
- You can visit this site: dafont.com and do some research, or chose from fonts on your computer. You don’t have to stick to the font exactly, you can use your reference as a starting point and modify it, or design your own.
- If you feel that your design needs more colors, try to limit them and use value to shift foreground and background elements.Dimensions of the project: no smaller than 6×10. You can go larger if you like, but keep in mind the aspect ratio of 8.5×11 inches. This way, if you chose to scan your work and print it, you will be able to print it on a standard 8.5×11 poster size.
