Concert Poster

For this assignment, I chose a music band from a particular time period and designed a poster to reflect the art of that time. I started by creating a moodboard to collect images of related posters and images for inspiration, and then designed the poster itself.

The 80s was a decade of high population growth and increased technology in homes. This allowed pop culture to become bigger and bolder than ever before. The B-52s became popular during this time.

Within the genre of rock music, the B-52s were part of the new wave of classic rock, which came out of punk rock but was heavily influenced by the 60’s classical rock and psychedelic style.

Using Illustrator, I incorporated the psychedelic elements of new wave I observed into my poster through the bold colors, groovy font, and retro texture I chose. I learned through experimentation how some of Illustrator’s effects work, and I made purposeful design choices like adding a black bar to the top of the poster to balance out the composition and giving the silhouettes of the musicians in the back darker colors to communicate depth. Next time I might like to change which part of the B-52s era I consider and see how that would impact the resulting style.

Aboriginal Art

I began this project by researching Aboriginal symbols, my astrological sign, and potential spirit animals. Then, I incorporated these elements into a piece of art made almost entirely of layering dots to represent me.

In this piece, the zodiac sign Libra and its constellation are intertwined with traditional Aboriginal symbols and my chosen spirit animal, the meerkat. Libra, aside from being associated with when I was born, represents balance and harmony, especially between different people. Its element is air, which I incorporated into the background, and it symbolizes intellect and communication, which is essential to social connection. The main Aboriginal symbol I chose to emphasize is the meeting place. This symbolizes community, a core part of Libra, which is why I chose to place the symbol of Libra inside its center. The coolamon is an Aboriginal symbol associated with the family, which is a strong source of community for me. The boomerang represents cycles, which I connect with the balance of Libra and the mutual investment of relationships. I chose the meerkat as my spirit animal because it symbolizes a lot of the same values that drew me to the Aboriginal symbols. Meerkats represent mindfulness, community, and curiosity. They also symbolize an elevated perspective, as they are often on their hind legs as they look out for others and are perceptive of danger. To me, my piece captures my values of community, balance, and thoughtfulness.

Using Illustrator, I sketched out my composition, drew blocks of color to be my base, and then added the dots by hand. This was how I was able to capture the fluid style of Aboriginal art while still taking advantage of Illustrator’s tools. Early on, I was challenged on how to make the meerkat recognizable while maintaining an Aboriginal look. The solution I found was to change the shades of the limbs to communicate depth and differentiate the arms from the body more clearly. If I had the chance, I would like to experiment with different kinds of borders with varying levels of detail.

Watercolor Cursive Name

This project might not look like a name at first glance, but I started by drawing my name in cursive with the reflection property of Photoshop. From there, I added additional details, had my black-and-white design printed out on watercolor paper, and proceeded to paint it with rich watercolors and small details of Chinese white.

Additional Thoughts

In this unit, my Design class gave me opportunities to express myself through different media and different styles of art. I learned a lot about the creative process, from gathering inspiration to recognizing when the project is done. I appreciate what I was able to learn about design, both from other people and through experience.