Plant a Tree

For my poster, I drew the style 70s/Conceptualism and the subject of Politics from the jar. 70s and Conceptualism can be highlighted by the work of Milton Glaser, Seymor Chwast, and Wes Wilson. The style used elements from older styles such as Art Nouveau and mixed them with a strong color palette. Wes Wilson, for example, used some of the same guidelines and shapes from Art Nouveau in his work but added a distinct style of bubble type that filled space.

Most political issues I brainstormed seemed dry or cliche. Healthcare, one of the largest political issues right now, just seemed like something I did not want to wade into as there is so much being said about it at the moment. Instead, I went for something not cliche... or not. I chose the environment as a topic because it seemed to lend itself to the style. Many of my sketches dealt with pollution and featured imagery like smokestacks. The catchy slogan was what held back many of my sketches. While I had some that I liked, none of them were catchy enough. In the end I settled on this poster, with the phrase, "Plant a tree. Save the world one breath at a time." I wish that I would have developed one of my stronger visual ideas instead, but I committed to this.

I intended to structure the overall layout of the poster to resemble a tree, but to be true to the style, I incorporated some of the curves and shapes found in Art Nouveau. In a nod to Wes Wilson, I used a font that filled these shapes. The poster could have greatly benefited from a greater finesse with the text. Much of the text is far too loose and predictable. It is missing the dynamism of Wilson's text.

I also tried a variety of color schemes but many of them made the poster look too much like something produced in the 70s rather than a modern take on the style. For that reason, I decided to go with the wooden texture for a background to emphasize the treeness of the poster. I also put the graphic in a predictable green to blue-green gradient which came out much less powerful in the print. The poster needed more color, though, as it looks a little dull right now.

In terms of improving the poster, I would of course tighten up the text and expand the color palette. The actual method of production also contributed to the failure of the poster. While the method of making the poster in Photoshop may have worked for a mock-up, it created a very stale poster. A much more interesting poster could be made by actual making the print with ink onto wood.