4-3: Self-Critique: Thinking Hierarchy
For this assignment, we were tasked with creating two different posters for an upcoming event in New York City or locally. Each poster was supposed to utilize a different design style. I chose to create a poster for the 2016 Coney Island Mermaid Parade. The styles I selected for this project were Folk Art and Chinoiserie.
My first piece was inspired by the work of the folk art style of the Hatch Show Printing Company in Nashville, Tennessee. Hatch Show Prints are created on a letterpress with hand carved wood blocks. Because this style of design requires a separate run through the press for each color, the number of colors used are limited. The typefaces used within this style tend to be bold and large. Because the printing was done with physical objects, typefaces were often mixed when multiple instances of the same letter occurred. To incorporate this style in my design, I selected multiple typefaces for the Hamilton Wood Type foundry. These typefaces are based on historical faces carved by Hamilton around the turn of the twentieth century. In keeping with the style, I elected to use graphical catchwords for “and,” “at,” “on,” and “the.” I designed a background using a repeating scallop shape reminiscent of wood carving to create a wave pattern. I used a similar shape to create scales on the tail of the mermaid. The mermaid tail design was inspired by the wooden carved masthead of old boats. The carved wood aesthetic pairs well with the wood type style. One difference between my poster and the actual style is that the mermaid tail overlaps the type. This would have required that the type and tail be carved together if it were intended to be printed on a letterpress machine because the type is actually cut from blocks of wood. I think this style really fits Coney Island’s historical presence as a longstanding entertainment destination. To further emulate this style, I used Photoshop to add some distressing to the background and add a slight deboss to add the feeling of a true letterpress print.
For my second piece, I wanted to try something outside of my comfort zone so I chose Chinoserie. This style incorporates Asian inspired images into a turn of the century aesthetic. My primary references for the piece were the blue and white of Chinese porcelain along with the color of red lacquer and the brown of bamboo. To reference this style, I created a mermaid tail splashing into the water. I used patterns found in dragon scales on Ming vases for the tale and waves to emulate the Chinoserie style. To further reference this style, I used a brushstroke calligraphic face set in the color of red lacquer. Lastly, I used a floral design, created with strokes reminiscent of bamboo to represent the sun and Coney Island’s famed ferris wheel. I found it very challenging to create a piece that was balanced while staying within the Chinoserie style.
I feel that while both posters are successful, the folk art inspired piece better matches the aesthetic of the event and its location.
