In-Class Poster Assignment - 3/17/14

Investigate poster design - how are designs held together without filling all white space? How does the grid help? What alignment techniques seem to help? Choose at least 5 poster designs that you think are EXCEPTIONAL and disect them. Draw their grid, speak about their alignment, use of white space, how they handle heirarchy etc. 

Poster #1)
"De Dood Is Blind"

This first poster holds the design together by the use of the same two colors throughout the design. While black is the main color, red is used as an accent color to highlight the important pieces of information. The grid that is used is 4 columns by 5 rows, and the white space is very prominent with no pictures being used at all, but the text itself creates a lot of contrast that allows for a strong hierarchy and leads the viewer to look at the title first, followed by a subtitle that includes the accent color red, which then helps lead the viewer to the text at the bottom that also consists of text written in red. Because the text is so large, it works very well with the white space and makes the design seem like there isn't anything missing. All of the text is also held together by the right alignment; the headline is right aligned, as well as the subtitle, and the information at the bottom of the poster. 


Poster #2)
"Kings of Leon"

The second poster is much more colorful than the first poster, but there is still white, or negative, space that is seen within the design, and there is a grid that is followed of 4 columns by 8 rows. The text is working around the picture of the man playing the guitar, but is all aligned within their own small boxes of the grid either being right aligned or center aligned. The poster is held together really well by having all of the text in the same color, which is white in this case, even though all of the boxes are different colors. The most important information is bolded or italicized within the poster, followed by text in much small sizes that include other information that isn't as important. The poster itself is very interesting and keeps the viewer interested while still getting the message across. 


Poster #3)
"The Elephant in the Room"

The third poster is almost all white space, but it works well because the image is incorporated within the headline. Hierarchy within this design is really strong and the white space aids in leading the viewer of what to see first, second, and third. The headline is seen first given the size, but the white space surrounding it helps lead to the text within the bottom of the poster followed by the small logo that is also being used. The headline, logo, and body text follow a grid of 4 columns by 7 rows. The poster is also held together by the color of the body text that is incorporated from colors within the image of the headline. The text also works well together because it is all right aligned and keeps the page neat, which works hand-in-hand with the white space.