Poster Project

Event & Issue:
I chose to make a poster for the Race for the Cure event in Philadelphia. The Race for the Cure is a 5k walk or run through Philadelphia in order to raise awareness and money for breast cancer. The Susan G. Komen foundation organizes the event. I chose to make a poster for this event because it is one I have personally taken part in. I’ve seen previous posters for the event and they’re usually very generic with boring text covering a flyer, so I wanted to create a promotional poster that was more visual to attract people’s attention.
Visual Message:
My visual image was meant to pull in the idea of the pink ribbon, which is highly associated with breast cancer awareness, and the idea of a racetrack, to tie in the event. I wanted to convey a simple message that wouldn’t leave the viewer guessing what the event is about.
Audience:
The audience for the poster is meant to be people in the Philadelphia area who could become involved in the event, either by participating or by donating money. The poster could appear as an advertisement in magazines, or posted around the city to publicize the event.
Design Strategy:
My design initially grabs my audience’s attention because of the bright pink colors that are used on it. The pink color theme on the poster and the use of the ribbon connect the idea of breast cancer, since a pink ribbon is the universal breast cancer awareness symbol. The idea of the ribbon as a racetrack pulls in the concept of a race, which is the event being promoted, the Race for the Cure. The ribbon and the racetrack together visually convey to the audience what the event is about. The text visually stands out on the poster because it is white. The typeface also complements the theme of the poster because it is easy to read and is not an overtly bold or overpowering typeface. The type does not scream at the audience and is not larger or more powerful than the visual on the page, because the main image on the poster is the visual not the text.
Style Sheet:
“Fighting” text: Palatino bold, 36/43.2, metrics kerning, tracking 0
“Join” text: Palatino bold, 30/36, metrics kerning, tracking 0
Event info. text: Myriad Pro, 16/19.2, metrics kerning, tracking 15
Web address: Myriad Pro, 16/19.2, metrics kerning, tracking 25
Extras:
The use of color on the poster is mostly shades of pink, because they reflect the color pink that is so commonly associated with breast cancer. The bright background grabs the audience’s attention, and the lighter visual image (the ribbon) pops off it demonstrating the contrast. The white joggers and type also contrast the bright background, which causes it to stand out and be clearly read.