“Eye Me” Poster & Ticket
Typographic Promotional Materials
ACADEMIC PROJECT
Printed poster and ticket
Duration
3 weeks
Feb 2024
SOFTWARE
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe InDesign
IDEATION
For this project, I was tasked with designing a promotional poster and matching admission ticket for a show at the SF MOMA. I pulled inspiration from San Francisco street art and graffiti, which use high-contrast colors and large decorative text. I wanted my poster to match the vibes of the area it would be in, while giving it a fighting chance at standing out in an already colorful environment.
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
Titled “Eye Me,” the exhibition featured the work of artist Zanele Muholi, who aims to use her platform to increase the visibility of queer people, specifically in South Africa. She works in a variety of mediums including photography, sculpture, and painting. You can fiew more information about the exhibit and Muholi’s other work at these links: Zanele Muholi Eye Me - SFMOMA, Zanele Muholi Instagram
TARGET AUDIENCE
Museum-goers who are interested in seeing new exhibits, mostly residents of the San Francisco area who would have regular access to the museum
Image Selection
Searching through images of Zanele Muholi’s artwork and narrowing down options for which ones I want to explore further
Color & Type Studies
Creating color and type systems for each of the three images, still focusing on saturation, high contrast, and visual drama
Sketches
Playing off the exhibition title by using eyes and lines of sight, as well as thinking of how to activate and engage negative space
Final Solutions
POSTER
My ultimate goal was to create a poster that was both eye-catching and memorable. After expanding the background using Photoshop generative fill, I played with the negative space by rotating the painting onto its side. This gave me lots of vertical space to add text and other elements. I opted for neon text to create the contrast I was looking for, and playing off the exhibition name, I put the main title “Eye Me” in the same line as the eyes of the figures.
Ticket
The final ticket was a general admission ticket for SF MOMA, matching the visual quality of the poster. Exploring negative space on this canvas was simpler but different, since the final ticket measured only 7 inches wide by 2.25 inches tall
Reflection
CHALLENGES
Because the painting I chose was square, I struggled with how to fill the background of both the poster and the ticket. When reaching for generative fill, I was careful to do my best to preserve the quality of the painting while still giving myself what I knew I needed for the sizes I was working with.
CONCLUSION
This project was such a fun exploration of how text and image can interact in exciting ways. Zanele Muholi was not only an inspiring artist to learn about, but had so much artwork that made designing a compelling poster so easy.
POST-SUBMISSION
After the submission for this assignment, my poster was selected for a juried student exhibition in my university’s art gallery.
PAINTING CREDIT
Zibuyile, Zanele Muholi, Acrylic on Canvas, 2021, 71x71"