Sorry to double post this week, but I am kind of excited about this project and wanted to run it by you guys as soon as possible.
Last year Radiolab aired a show/podcast about where creativity comes from. One of the guests was Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love. I have never read the book, but I was very struck by what she had to talk about. The general gist is that ideas are just floating around our world looking for good homes. The really great ideas are picky and require a home that has done it’s due diligence. One name for these ideas is ‘Ingenium,’ which is latin for talent or ability. It also is related to the idea of genius and where that comes from. Anyway, it’s a really interesting idea to me and I think you should listen to the podcast if you haven’t already.
So after I listened to the podcast I wanted to design a poster with the phrase “My Dear Ingenium, I am here. I am listening.” that I could hang over my computer to remind me that if I want to do amazing work, I have to put in the time and effort to earn it. So, after more than a year, I finally got around to working on it last night and this is where it stands. Due to visual balance I shortened the phrase to “My dear ingenium, I am here and listening.” I envisioned it being much more scripty/fancy, but like where it has gone. The “built” letters work nicely with the idea of the effort and grit that is necessary, but it still has a refined feel to it, I think.
Now, it’s obviously not finished. So what do you think I should do next to it? What would make it cool enough to print really big and hang on my wall? Or better yet, what would make it cool enough for other people to want to hang on their wall? Posters are definitely not my strong suit, but I know that many of you are great at them. What do you think? Thanks.
Not a poster guy either, so I think its pretty great how it is. But, have you played around with making the words different colors – for emphasis? BTW, I love that episode of Radiolab and have actually tried thinking of ways for me to remember it as well.
The idea behind this is extremely interesting and I like where you’re going with it visually. Where the e,n, m, and h meet make a really great bit of negative space.
If it were me…I’d probably start playing around with textures—nothing too heavy. And I’d probably start with the background which will push the letters forward and then go from there. It’s going in a good direction. Very cool. Are you saying you did all this in one night? *Gasp.
It’s coming together nicely! I’d love to see how it holds up without the heavier outline and just use color for contrast. It may be a bit more like the “loser” font, but I think it would help clean it up.
Thanks guys. I am excited to see where this goes. I definitely agree that texture is the way to go, but I also need to experiment into the color realm. Very scary stuff.
And Anna, I didn’t do it all in one night, though 75% of it really did come together in only 1-2 hours. It’s kind of amazing how some projects just come together, as if they are designing themselves. Rather appropriate for this particular piece, I would say.
I really dig the style of the letters, though they are difficult to discern at times. I agree that minimizing or removing the thicker strokes would help, as well as adding some color. For a starting point, you’ve got a lot to go on. Really great job, no matter how long it took.