None of these posters started life as a sketch. They all began as a question: “I wonder what would happen if ...” These two creative strategies are very different. In the first case, the designer keeps a vision of the final poster in mind, with the goal being to realize it as faithfully as possible. But in the second, it is the process that is adhered to, and the poster emerges as that process continues.

Although both can produce stunning results, it is the second method that I prefer. For me, it is the most exhilarating, since it is more likely to lead to a wonderfully unexpected result. Of course, there is also the anxiety that the unexpected is an unexpected disaster. So one develops a strong critical eye and a flexible schedule when working this way since the visual product (as well as its meaning) keeps shifting.

All of these posters have been crafted with a combination of hand and digital skills. I might begin in front of the screen, the cut apart the printout, rearrange, build, photograph, draw, and then return to the digital. Fluidly moving in and out of a multitude of media is a valuable process. It removes some of the control and many of the assumptions that solitary media imply.

Although these posters have information to impart to their audience, their first priority is to stop distracted viewers in their tracks and entice them to look, then to read, then to act. Once all that is accomplished, my hope is that these posters are returned to for the pleasures they hold — the curious constructions, the visual antics, and the optical entertainment. Read Less