I developed a poster to be screen-printed to advertise a speech put on by my university's Visiting Artist and Scholar Program. Helen Armstrong's talk discussed the ethical and moral obligations of designers to use AI moving forward. To visually represent the theme of balance between human and AI capabilities, I used simple geometric shapes to depict a teetering see-saw. This minimalistic approach effectively conveys the delicate and dynamic relationship Helen Armstrong explores in her speech. The final design uses clean visuals to communicate the concept of balance while maintaining a modern and impactful aesthetic suitable for screen-printing.
The Process
Initial Concepts
For my first concept, I leaned into the discussion of the freedoms and legality of AI usage in our field. My second concept focused on the theme of balance, and my last concept used and AI generated image of Helen Armstrong as an astronaut (to horrifying effect.) Because it was my first screen-printed poster, I decided to move forward with concept number two because I knew I could easily make stencils for my screen.
Iteration
After I selected concept 2, I experimented with different typefaces for the title on the talk. I also thought titling the title might help counteract the un-balance in the imagery. Because this poster was so minimal, I needed by balance to on-point, so I also experimented to see the difference between mathematical and optical alignment.
Hand-Process
The poster ended up being close to 2' x 3', so screen-printing it turned into quite the process. Lot's of mixing red and orange together to get the right color, and you wouldn't believe how difficult it is to see a bright orange mess you've made in the red-light washout room.... sorry Kelsey. The screen-printers were very generous to give me a second a chance to properly use the cleanout room and all bridges have been mended.