I thought I would take a chance with how design choices can change a message. Even if I use the same words, how will varying the typeface, type placement, and background change the message? I found a short poem by Roger McGough titled “Survivor.” I don’t believe it’s a particularly popular poem, but as a veteran, it resonates with me on some level.
My First Design
I choose the background because it’s the current U.S. Army uniform pattern. This makes it relatable to younger veterans. I don’t recall the name of the typeface, but I chose to go with the red background to symbolize the blood we were supposed to leave behind. I wanted the letters to be transparent to symbolize how many veterans and our lasting problems go unseen.
I tried to find some of my old photos from Afghanistan to use for this assignment, and this one was easily accessible. This was taken in 2010 after we had checked out a cave we had found while driving around. I think the use of typeface and placement still pull the attention to the words of the poem while also giving it the human element.
While cruising through the interwebs, I came across an Al-Jazeera article. I thought the piece was really inspiring, and I knew I wanted to incorporate it into my work. To summarize the article, artists in Kabul are painting murals on blast walls in the city. It’s a perfect tribute to how design can change the narrative. On this design, I didn’t want the words to draw attention away from the image, but to compliment the work that they are doing, and I think I achieved it.
I also created this album on Flickr so you can view larger images.
To create these designs, I followed the instructions in the video below. This video was way more detailed than what I did, but the basic concepts are the same. I’ll also do a step by step on mine.
Step 1
Go to Pixlr and sign up for a free account. Once you’re there, click on the Pixlr X button on the left.
Step 2
From here, click on Create new.
Step 3
Now choose the format size, and click Create. I choose the 8 mpx 4:3.
Step 4
Now you have a new project. Add your first image at the tab on the left side. I chose an art deco border for the tutorial.
Step 5
Click on the next layer on the right side of the window, then add your text. You do this by going to the text box on the left side of the window. Once that’s open, you will have a variety of options. I suggest going in and messing around with them to figure it out.
Step 6
From here, I choose a few different horrible fonts as examples of what not to use.
Step 7
When you’re finished editing, click Save in the lower right corner. Then you will have several options to Save As. Once you do that, you’re done.
Very thorough post with a good choice of poem. I like the chosen typeface for the subject matter, but the dark brown parts of the camo background make it a little bit hard to read some bits.
You’re right, and thank you. I probably should have messed around with the placement of the background so the dark pieces of camo didn’t fill in the text.