Poster designed for Vicki Myhren Gallery at the University of Denver (DU).
“Portrayal: Figurative Art from the Madden and University Art Collections “ was an exhibition organized by DU students as part of coursework. A portrait of a Hmong woman wearing a fabulous fur hat by the Chinese artist Hung Liu was selected as the central marketing image and main press image.
Though the artwork was visually busy and presented a challenge, it was also utterly captivating, particularly when confronted by the steady, sure gaze of the portrait’s subject.
I chose to capitalize on the tangible pull this work had, wanting this powerful artwork to be the central focus of the finished poster. I started by cropping the artwork to create a full-bleed image that would cover the poster surface. By darkening the image and superimposing white text with shadow the text was still readable, but also not the first thing that one would notice when encountering this poster. I also left a “window” in the layout so the woman’s face was framed, gazing out at passers-by.
The end product was a polished, but maximalist marketing tool that allowed a powerful artwork to take center stage.