217.1b Introduction to the Graphic Arts

Design Strategy:
The purpose of this poster was to encourage people to participate in the Syracuse Partners Against Hunger’s Spring 2010 food drive. I thought that the most important thing, aside from getting people to actually look at the poster, was to convey that the need is really big.
For My dominant image I chose a giant bowl, which is presumably empty, because bowls are indexical to food and eating. I chose to convey the size of the bowl by making it sit on top of the city of Syracuse. I showed that it was Syracuse by drawing the Carrier Dome and having I-81 go through with a sign that also said syracuse. The buildings are interspersed with a few food items that are typically needed in food drives, of various colors.
I created natural eye flow with the design by placing the most important word Hunger just below center in a warm color. The road leads up to it from the bottom left, where the orange ribbon (hunger awareness) is, creating a repetition gestalt that strengthens the dominant image. The headline is centered to align with the bowl.
Choice of Typefaces:
Headline and Info: Trade Gothic LT Std bold condensed No. 20
I chose this for the headline because I wanted a bold condensed typeface to match with the tall letters in “HUNGER” and because it is a very serious looking typeface, and this is a serious issue. I also wanted a letter g that had two counters and a tail, because I think it gives something extra to the word big.
Sign, Cans: Futura Std. bold condensed
I originally used this typeface on the word hunger for the bowl, and so matched it. But then I warped it on the bowl using mesh, and traced it with a paintbrush so it didn’t match completely anymore.
Color:
I used a lot of different colors, but the most important one was the orange because it had several purposes. First, it is a warm color and attracts you to the word “Hunger.” Second, it is the color of hunger awareness. Third, it is indexical to Syracuse.