Poster Project

Design Strategy:
I designed my poster for the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout. My event was being held at Augustana College in Illinois so I assumed that it would target college students. I wanted a close up picture of a cigarette burning in an ashtray and the smoke to form the words “NO ifs, ands or butts”. The letters are meant to look smoky and I dragged the smoke using the smudge tool and the Gaussian blur to create that effect. The event information is not meant to overwhelm the viewer, but since it is obviously important, I lined it up with the right margin and lined the American Cancer Society’s logo up with the left margin. I used the smudge tool again to get rid of the Marlboro on the cigarette, because I did not want the label to distract from the poster’s message. I wanted the ashtray to pop, creating depth and making the poster more appealing to the eye. Originally, I wanted my poster to bleed, but in the end decided not to cut off the edge because the white border makes my white text stand out.

Choice of Typefaces:
I chose to use two different typefaces for my poster. I wanted my slogan font to look smoky, so I pictured cursive and I wanted it to flow, which is why I chose Bickham Script Pro. I made it size 76, but stretched it with a scale. I blurred the text with Gaussian blur. For my informational text, I wanted a typeface that was really easy to read and very simple, which is why I chose Calisto MT. I tried a variety of different simple fonts, but Calisto was the perfect blend of simplicity and slight boldness.

Color:
I wanted my slogan to look somewhat blurry and like smoke, which is why I chose a color that matched the actual smoke coming from the cigarette. The CYMK percentages are: C-38%, M-0%, Y-13%, 0%-K. I used pure white for my informational text so that it would stand out and be easy to read, contrasting the fuzzy look of the slogan. For the overall look of the poster, I wanted a natural glow, which is why I took the photo outside and did not change the colors.