imaginary invalid poster

[TheWalt]

hey there,

at school we're asked to do a poster or bill (or what's the correct term for that?) for a classical theatres performance and this is my take on it. i'm going for a very minimalist style and i am quite insecure about the compisiton now, not sure it "flows" the way it should. any comments?

edit: btw the play deals with a hypochondriac that submits himself to his doctors. these keep exploiting their devoted patient, while he himself becomes a scourge for his whole family. His wife however keeps approving him in his imaginary disease as she hopes to inherit his fortune asap

and i should add that the logo down there is just a placeholder. we ought to design that too, i just didn't do that yet.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f248/WalterDruck/Graphik/Affiche-2.jpg

[mar1300]

hey walt.....for me personally....i find that the text is all over the place my eyes seem to be jumping all around rather than flowing from one area to the next. I don't really feel any type of balance. try fooling around with the text sizes and placement and the graphic size and placement.

good luck

[Navian]

First, please work on your graphic, it is wierd and distracting it draws my eyes away from the text. Then have the text flow with it. Just remember on a poster you should follow the 30/30/30 rule. 30 feet away, 30 inches away, and 30 cm away. The 30/30/30 attracts the viewer to see it from far away, then semi close, then really close.

I have to agree with mar1300, the text jumps around, and there is no flow.

[Zenobian Grey]

I've done several split second glances at the piece and my eye goes straight to the bolded script M in "Malade"

Compositionally, I don't see any issues. Text placement is subjective to the designer, so I'm not really going to critique that. (you're not breaking fundenmentals) Although, I would play with point sizes, obviously not smaller.

In context to the play, I like the cleverness of placing the wig on the health/medical symbol. I like the fact that you angled it towards the text rather than the opposite direction, which helps line.

Red is a powerful, multidimensional color (or colour). Be choosy when using this tone, especially the pure red tones. Was there any particular reason you chose red? Is this color say something about the play, or the actor's character? My first impression and association of a sickly person would not be red. I would see this character as passionate or hot tempered, instead of bed stricken and next to death. (even if it's just in ones head)

The slight drop shadow around the wig is not consistent with the flatness (2D) of the rest of the elements. I would take it off. Besides, the grey tones in the wig should give enough separation from the paper on its own. You just have to give the vague impression that there's a separation, not a definite line. The human eye is plenty intelligent enough to make the distinction on it's own.

Overall, I think the design is simple yet direct. The negative white space gives it a feeling of anticipation, which is a good thing in getting people to fill the seats. The wig on the health symbol has a strong enough message for the viewer to get a "gist" of what's going on, further building some mystic and anticipation. Try playing with difference tones and remove the drop shadow around the wig. (besides drop shadows are becoming Photoshop Cliche, they are way overused outside of context)

Hope that helps you a bit.

[TheWalt]

ok, thx dudes, your input is much appreciated!

the 30/30-thing is sorta new to me (shame), at least in a formula like that, but i'll take that into consideration, thanks!

of course you're right, the snake is overpowering the text and the text itself is quite torn apart. i'll give it another go, but i must admit i'm not sure i can think of a way to get that graphic less "wierd", as the symbol i'm referring to is quite a complicated shape. you'll see me trying though!

[TheWalt]

hey Zenobian Grey, thx for the elaborate reply

as far as guiding towards the M goes, thats what i wanted.

red should refer to the danger the patient is in, as well as attracting atention. though given the contrast to the white background, i guess any color would have that effect. will be thinking that over as well.

agreed on the dropshadow, might really be redundant

thx, helped me alot

[Zenobian Grey]

You're certainly welcome.

Be sure to post your revisions back to the topic. It's interesting to see the progression of other designers.