Poster

Rebecca Strum

Poster

February 23, 2009

I chose to make a poster for a Catherine Russell concert held by WAER. The concert is at the Palace Theatre on April 18, 2009 at 7pm. WAER is a non-profit radio station that focuses on Jazz music. WAER is also the NPR station of Central, New York. WAER is also closely affiliated with Syracuse University, and many communications students begin their professional experience working there.  The station is hosting Catherine Russell in honor of Jazz Appreciation Month. I chose this event because I’m an employee in the Marketing and Public Relations department, and the station manager has given me a large role in promoting the event. Therefore, I thought it would be good to do an event I had thorough knowledge of, and possibly have the poster used by the station.

I intend to provoke a soulful jazz and Blues tone through the design, and tie the poster back in to Syracuse University. I want to convey who, what, when, and how clearly and creatively.

The audience has two main groups, the first are regular NPR listeners—professionals, jazz enthusiasts, retired professionals, etc.—the other is the student body. The poster would be placed around SU and the greater Syracuse area.

My design utilizes color and image to create a mood, and explicitly show what the poster is for. The muted blue and the black convey a sentimental and heavy tone. The silhouette of Catherine Russell, explicitly says who it is, but what is more recognizable are the dreadlocks and strained expression that convey a soulful and emotional message. Her image is also rotated down to make her appear weighed down on. This is appropriate considering the album she’ll be singing from is entitled “Sentimental Streak.” The dark black lines that create her silhouette are unevenly placed to make the tone of the poster a little more chaotic and human, and not rigid. The use of the orange against the blue is supposed to be reminiscent of Syracuse University, which WAER FM is associated with, and will be recognizable for the audience. Finally, the quote in the corner provides further information about Catherine Russell, and is set back chaotically to add to the overall introspective tone without being distracting. I used American Typewriter in everything, but WAER, because it’s a quirky organic looking font that compliments the image.