GDES-270 spring 2023 / David Ramos, American University Design
Issue poster
In this project, we look to the New Deal era FSA posters as a model of how design can present a vision for a better future. Design a poster that addresses a social, political, or environmental issue, arguing for a particular position or set of responses. Consider choosing an issue that has a relationship to a particular place that you know; also, perhaps find an issue should lend itself to solutions that involve design, the built environment, infrastructure, or landscape.
Works Progress Administration, Federal Art Project, between 1936 and 1940 (LOC).
Adbusters, Occupy Wall Street, 2011 (more at Design Observer).
Tomasz Sarnecki, Solidarność (Solidarity), 1989.
Martin Venezky, Tulane.
Process and requirements
Start with research so that you gain a strong understanding of the issue. By the middle of the project, write an 650-word paper that describes your issue, lays out the major positions, and presents the argument you’re making, with citations.
Move from there to exploring ideas through sketching, photography, and collecting materials—you should examine three or more concepts in rough form. Post these sketches on Miro for critique.
Create one final poster. The poster should contain a headline that speaks about your topic; it should likely include additional text as subheads and, perhaps, a short paragraph. Provide imagery to accompany the text.
I’ll compile your posters into a PDF book and share them with the whole class.
Citations
Ask the instructor about whether you can use any images that you did not create. At the end of the paper, provide additional citations for all images that are not your own.
Deliverables
At the end of the project, turn on on Canvas:
- A PDF with your paper
- At the end of the paper, a separate list of citations for any images you borrowed
- A PDF with your three early versions
- A PDF with your final version
Specifications
- Full color or black and white
- Size: 13×19 in. (or larger)
- Create images using any method you like. You’re welcome to do your own photography.
For fonts, consider Myriad, DIN, Adobe Garamond Pro, Helvetica, Helvetica Neue, Jenson, Source Sans Pro, Source Code Pro, Bodoni, Caslon, IBM Plex (sans, serif, or mono), or Franklin Gothic. It would be prudent to choose one font, or a serif and a sans serif.
Resources
- WPA Posters at Library of Congress
- Saved search for graphic design materials at MoMA
- See Signs of Resistance excerpts in your reading material, on Blackboard