The core of this project was to conceptualize and design a poster for a fictional film festival based on a chosen cinematic movement. The poster should be visually appealing and versatile enough to be resized and trimmed seamlessly into a 12-page program.
The project had three main components:
This project combined a love for cinema, design sensibility, and adaptive creativity, challenging me to design with both aesthetic appeal and functional versatility in mind.
For this project, I immersed myself in the world of “Poetic Realism” – a film movement distinguished by its intricate portrayal of despair, societal struggles, and emotional turmoil. These films often conclude on a sad note, capturing the heartbreak and desolation of their protagonists.
My deep-dive research into the movement illuminated two key cinematic characteristics. One of these was the profound use of lighting. Whether it be side-lighting casting poignant nuances on a character’s face, strategic illumination highlighting key aspects of a scene, or the metamorphosis of mundane objects into symbolic entities through the magic of lighting - it became clear that lighting wasn’t just a technical tool; it was a narrative force.
Drawing inspiration, I designed my poster’s typography using minimalistic light sources. But the journey didn’t stop there. Upon my professor’s insight, I embraced the dance between light and shadow. The result was a striking poster where the movement’s name emerged, not just through beams of light but also through the compelling contrast of shadows, encapsulating the essence of Poetic Realism in every stroke and shade.
︎︎︎ 2022
︎︎︎ Recognition: Art Directors Club of Tulsa Graphex54 “honorable mention”,
Student Design Competition AIGA Baltimore “Certificate of Merit”
The second aspect of poetic realism that found intriguing was how it blended genres such as comedy and drama. Combining those films’ feelings inspired to use the collage technique. Used hand-made collage technique to cut some letters for the poster’s main typography and two silhouette figures to put on the top left and the bottom right of the poster. Those figures were placed on that spot because the poster would also serve as a program when folded. So one figure would be on the front cover and the other on the back cover. Typically, in poetic realism films, lovers are separated. Last but not least, to convey the school’s Frenchness, used blue and red colors.
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The project had three main components:
- Film Movement Selection / Explore the diverse history of cinema and choose a unique film movement.
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Film Curation / Select ten representative films that showcase the chosen movement, creating a diverse yet cohesive lineup for the festival.
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Design Duality / Create a poster that embodies the essence of the chosen movement and seamlessly adapts into a 12-page program.
This project combined a love for cinema, design sensibility, and adaptive creativity, challenging me to design with both aesthetic appeal and functional versatility in mind.
For this project, I immersed myself in the world of “Poetic Realism” – a film movement distinguished by its intricate portrayal of despair, societal struggles, and emotional turmoil. These films often conclude on a sad note, capturing the heartbreak and desolation of their protagonists.
My deep-dive research into the movement illuminated two key cinematic characteristics. One of these was the profound use of lighting. Whether it be side-lighting casting poignant nuances on a character’s face, strategic illumination highlighting key aspects of a scene, or the metamorphosis of mundane objects into symbolic entities through the magic of lighting - it became clear that lighting wasn’t just a technical tool; it was a narrative force.
Drawing inspiration, I designed my poster’s typography using minimalistic light sources. But the journey didn’t stop there. Upon my professor’s insight, I embraced the dance between light and shadow. The result was a striking poster where the movement’s name emerged, not just through beams of light but also through the compelling contrast of shadows, encapsulating the essence of Poetic Realism in every stroke and shade.
︎︎︎ 2022
︎︎︎ Recognition: Art Directors Club of Tulsa Graphex54 “honorable mention”,
Student Design Competition AIGA Baltimore “Certificate of Merit”
The second aspect of poetic realism that found intriguing was how it blended genres such as comedy and drama. Combining those films’ feelings inspired to use the collage technique. Used hand-made collage technique to cut some letters for the poster’s main typography and two silhouette figures to put on the top left and the bottom right of the poster. Those figures were placed on that spot because the poster would also serve as a program when folded. So one figure would be on the front cover and the other on the back cover. Typically, in poetic realism films, lovers are separated. Last but not least, to convey the school’s Frenchness, used blue and red colors.
