This PSA depicts a skeleton sitting in front of a concrete wall, with a spray paint artwork of an unknown subject, that appears to be a large blob of human body parts like eyes, faces and other unknown pieces. There is text above this all, stating “PROMOTE EXPRESSION,” with a variety of accentuating doodles scattered on the photo. The purpose of this PSA is to remind people that artistic freedom and self-expression are possibly one of the most important parts of the human experience, and the artwork behind the skeleton is to make it a more accessible message, with a few different deeper meanings that can be drawn from the photo. The intent is to make it accessible, yet have a deeper interpretation and personal connection to the viewer. The colors I chose were deliberate, being that they all are very comfortable to look at together, along with the emotional and psychological meanings as well. The red in the skeleton’s eyes is to signify passion, which while located inside them, also demonstrates the way it radiates and flows into the world.
This PSA was created by taking two photos, one of a piece of artwork that I have come across multiple times in an underground tunnel, and always felt intrigued and moved by. The second photo was a photo of a Halloween skeleton prop that I dressed in a hoodie, jeans and chain (along with shoes that aren’t seen) and set up in a sitting position. I took the photo of the skeleton, removed the background, and stitched the two together in Photoshop. I changed the hue of the artwork to match my desired colors, as it was yellow and blue before, and took that photo to Illustrator. I live traced the images, added the doodles and text, and that brings us to the final product. I did run into a major challenge, on the final day of designing, I was informed that I was doing the assignment completely wrong. My artwork was in Photoshop, and it was oriented horizontally, rather than vertically. I made my best rendition of the PSA in Illustrator, and I am thankful that 1. it came out the way I had intended and 2. I finished in time.
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