For my poster critiques I chose the concert info posters for Dave Matthews Band. What draws me to these posters is that illustrations are changed to fit the concert venue. For example, the poster to the left has racehorses because the concert was to be held in Saratoga, which is known for its racetrack. The poster to the right has wave because it was to be held in Palm Beach. These posters do their jobs well. Immediately you’re attracted to the picture. Next, the giant Dave Matthews Band at the top. If you’re interested in the concert its very easy to look next to the date and venue written right next to the title. Both posters use a serif typeface that’s easy to read and draws the eye. They both have a very relaxed tone to them, which is consistent with the relaxed feel of the artist’s music.

{Save Water…Save Life}

In this poster, the eco-friendly message is conveyed through its simple and clear design. Combining the natural element of the growing life of the budding seedling coming out of the faucet represents the need for the seed’s need for water and our need to conserve Earth’s limited fresh water supply in order to create a more sustainable future. The chrome of the faucet against the blue and white background is shiny, clean and even reflective–possibly of a more sustainable future? Portraying the give and take relationship between nature and modern technology, the poster’s design effectively raises awareness to remain conscious of our water usage and cognizant of our environmental impact. I like the way that the reader’s eyes are drawn first to the vibrant green leaves growing from the faucet which is turned upside down so as to not let any water escape which continues the theme of the poster.

This poster struck me as standing out from all other posters I searched primarily due to its color and white space. The first image I saw was the bigger white hand which intrigued me because I was wondering what the hand represented. After I saw the smaller hands reaching up and the type below the message hit me. The message the this poster conveys for Amnesty International is simple, yet powerful. The color is enough to grab your attention, but not overwhelming. The white space is what makes the poster so powerful. I feel as if the poster did its job and the message of the organization is clear.

I’m a big fan of Word Wildlife Fund posters. You might need to enlarge it to see it, but all those tiny colorful dots represent “all the world’s tigers.” I thought this was especially effective to their message, because it shows the viewer visually that there aren’t too many tigers left and that we need to save them. I also think this poster works well as an infographic, because it splits up the amount of tigers by region funneling down to South China–where only 20 tigers inhabit. It is incredibly minimalist, which I think makes it also look more modern and striking. The black, bold capitalized “ALL THE WILD TIGERS OF THE WORLD FIT ON THIS POSTER” at the bottom of the page gives it a very ominous tone and leaves the viewer with an empty feeling in their stomach. The design gives the issue and element of surprise and prompts the public to help the cause.

The poster above is dealing with the concept of global warming and the need for people to act now, before we see further consequences. The designer creatively used an hour glass to convey the idea of urgency. By placing the melting icebergs on the top of the hourglass, the water is dripping down onto the Earth and slowly drowning it.

In case the viewer did not understand the message just through the visual aspect of the poster, the designer makes his/her message very clear through his use of typography. By adding “we are running out of time/act now before it’s too late,” the designer eliminates any possibility of the audience misinterpreting the message. The words work well with the visual images because the sans serif typface and using all lowercase letters is a modern approach to a modern problem.

The colors used are effective because the blue and green stand out against the grey background. It seems as though the water turns clear when it drips from the icebergs to emphasis the idea that once the icebergs melt, we can’t get them back.

The poster is effective and does achieve the marketing goals because it is simple, clear and does not confuse the reader with statistics, numbers and terms that the audience may not understand. The only change I may make with the poster design is the background. Although it is effective the way it is, a solid black background may also be affective to enunciate the impending doom that the poster is suggesting.