For this project I focused on using the style of graphic designer David Carson. More specifically, I used his style of chaos and grunge typography to create a series of posters that represent chaotic times in United States history. As a series of four I created posters about the United States presidents who have been assassinated while in office. I chose to focus on this topic not only because they are important pieces of history, but also because I was shocked to find that many of my own classmates could not name the four presidents to be assassinated. I chose David Carson's style of chaos and grunge typography because I felt that this style accurately depicts the emotions the occurred during these events.
To create the posters I started by using actual newspapers as my template. I found articles relating to the assassination of each president and layered them in with other pieces of important information such as dates, quotes, and even letters written by the assassins themselves. The layering of information as well as the overlapping of text adds to the chaos of the posters. I also chose to add in photographs of the assassins and the residents. I overlapped their photographs to show that they will always be remembered together, but not equally or in the same manner.
To highlight important pieces of information throughout the posters I enlarged some of the text and used red sharpie to circle and underline important names, dates, or other information. The posters were printed on newsprint to mimic the look, style, and feel of an authentic newspaper. The posters were created to show the chaos and importance of these events in history.
