Poster

Event & Issue

My poster is for the second annual Grin Gala, an event established by Operation Smile to raise money to provide surgeries for children around the world with cleft lips, cleft palates, and other facial deformities. The event is black tie optional, and tickets cost $100. It will be held from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on May 9, 2009 in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. There will be cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, live music, and dancing.

I chose this event because I care about children, and I believe that everyone should be able to smile and share happiness. Children with facial deformities often have difficulty eating, suffer from ear disease and dental problems, as well as problems with proper speech development Operation Smile has treated more than 120,000 children in Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Asia, but there are so many more that need surgery and can’t afford it alone. Promoting this event will help to raise funds and awareness.

Visual Message

I want to convey a festive tone and formal invitation to the Grin Gala event. I also want to communicate Operation Smile’s mission by incorporating a smile to the message.

Audience

My poster is targeted at upper middle class professionals who have the extra income to spend $100 on a ticket and are educated enough to care about this charity. You would find my poster hanging in their workplace, storefronts, and community center or country club bulletin boards.

Design Strategy

The design of the bow tie communicates a dual message. The tie itself depicts the event as a formal affair, suggesting the kind of attire to be worn. The position of the tie in an upward curve signifies a smile, which shows the benefit of attending the gala. The position of the display type mimics that of the bow tie and reinforces the message of bringing smiles to children through the proceeds of the event. The curve brings the eye down to the event title and date, which is followed by a call to action. I chose Trajan Pro Bold because its serif and capital letters portray a formal tone. I used Edwardian Script ITC for the event title to serve as a contrast to the squareness of Trajan Pro Bold and to add a fancy sense of occasion. I centered the body copy to make the poster look like an invitation and separated the organization’s logo at the bottom to make it stand out. I also ran a set of three thin lines at the top and left margins to frame the image with the text and give dimension to the otherwise flat background.

Extras

Since the Grin Gala is black tie optional, I chose a black background to portray the formality of the event. I used white text to stand out against the black and to create a tuxedo feel to the poster. The bow tie was made red to get the audience’s attention and to correspond to the color of lips as well as the red of the Operation Smile logo. White detail was added to the tie to make it more interesting and to represent the teeth in a smile.