Throw Safety in the Mix!

Design Strategy:

I chose a center composition with a grid to execute a strong illustration with good stopping power, placing the most important information at the top and bottom thirds of the vertical 11x17 poster. The information reads like a Z, starting at the top left with my headline, down though the middle to my illustration, and across the bottom right to the event specifications and non-profit organization logos.

My non-profit organization of choice is the American Red Cross, and the event is specifically for the Onondaga-Oswego chapter, for which I am the graphic design intern. This poster is advertising the S.A.F.E. (Safety Awareness for Everyone) Halloween event. It is an event for both kids and parents to attend to learn about Halloween safety while still having Halloween themed fun. This explains the juvenile drawings – done in Illustrator – of the candy, pumpkin and safety icons.

The child will be drawn to the candy and the bright, fun colors. Once the child makes their mom or dad stop and see the poster, the view can read the clever headline and the smaller, functional information on the bottom left corner. Then the parent’s eye will travel to the bottom right hand corner and see the very distinctive Red Cross logo and immediately know the integrity of the event.



Typeface:

I chose Penumbra Sans Light because I considered the space in which the poster will hang. It does not need to have a prominent distance display; it will be hung in close quarters. I chose the all caps sans serif font because it looked clean amongst the variety of colored candy. It’s simple enough for children to read and the round counters give it a juvenile effect.

For the actual acronym S.A.F.E. I chose Trajan pro because of its unique serifs. The prominent serifs extend out and down to sharp points, giving it a spooky feel without being novelty or cliché. It is a subtle association with the Halloween spirit.



Color:

I chose the traditional Halloween colors because it is a children’s event and it speaks to the audience, just as the bright candies and band aids do. The black background serves as a matte background for the one dimensional, child like drawings and really makes the colorful illustration pop out. I put the important information – the headline, acronym, and event info – in the same orange as the pumpkin to keep the eye in check and helping the information to stand out against the dark background.



Paper:

Because of printing restraints, I’m keeping the poster on plain, printing paper.