Of a Feather: Rationale and Posters

“Of A Feather” is an art show focusing upon birds. Over one hundred species of corvidae, members of the crow family, are extant worldwide. Common in both urban and rural settings, corvids are culturally significant to many people. They populate mythology, folklore, religion, and pop culture. Because they are so readily recognizable, both in movement and in stillness, they are a fitting match for an art exhibition about birds.

These posters are designed for use in libraries, art galleries, restaurants, social media, and the like. One poster features a static design, and the other a dynamic design. They use the same black and white palette, and complement one another thematically.

In the first poster design, three rows of raven silhouettes face one another in symmetrical, static columns. They stand squared off, watching one another in regimented formation. The white space at the bottom of the poster is slightly wider than at the top, leaving room for textual details to be added. In addition, the repeated design is suitable for cropping, and can be used to make banners or tiled borders for online representation. The birds are rendered in ink for opacity, making the silhouettes pop out in stark contrast from the white background.

In the second poster, a single raven erupts into flight from out of view into the left side of the frame. Black wax pastel is used to give varying values from grey to black. Brushing the pastels with water gives an additional sense of dynamism. The transitions from grey to black add more movement to the image, as does the asymmetry. The negative space surrounding the image leaves plenty of room for accompanying text. In addition, the design doubles as the front cover of the exhibition booklet.

I Got Rhythm: A Study of L

What happens when the upper-case letter L is investigated as an abstract design element? “A Study of L” investigates this idea in a minimalistic fashion. A grotesque sans serif L, with stem equal in length to the arm, is depicted in each rendering.

Every L is rendered in black ink on white paper. A grey line intersects the arm and stem on all but one L, with a single dot punctuating each. The result of these combinations is both geometric and evocative of petroglyphs and Inuit typefaces, with their angles and curves.

The top leftmost rendering sets the stage for the study. This L is tilted so that it resembles a bow, with the dot representing a projectile. This motif ties in with the petroglyph/Inuit typeface concept and traditional hunter/gatherer iconography while simultaneously incorporating simplified geometric elements of trajectory.

From there onward, each rendering demonstrates inclination angles, slant ranges, and horizontal distances from a variety of positions. The final L in the series creates an emphatic finale. Like the first rendering, the arm and stem are at forty-five degrees to the frame. The grey line no longer touches the L. Three grey lines show movement away from the dot. They do not touch the L, as there no longer is a trajectory: the red dot is a bullseye, and the bow’s projectile has met its target.