The objective of this project is to create an expressive poster that signifies a meaningful and memorable life event through expressive typography. This poster highlights my study abroad experience in Florence, Italy. Personal growth became the concept that progressed the project forward after researching, brainstorming, sketching, and class feedback. The word “GROWTH” is the poster’s focal point, and its shape gives the illusion of a gradual increase in movement with the choice of color gradient and a warped form coming out of the funnel. The funnel represents the world I was living in. The background text represents personal thoughts and feelings that never ended.

The final poster consists of 3 primary colors: Yellow Orange, Peach, and Purple. These colors represent the many beautiful sunsets of Europe and the overall warm-toned colors of Florence. The three typefaces for the poster are Reenie Beanie Regular, Mittwoch Norm Bold, and Tarzana Wide OT Bold. Reenie Beanie Regular mimics handwriting for the personal text background. Mittwoch Norm Bold is the type for the funnel and reflects the surroundings of Europe. Lastly, Tarzana Wide OT Bold is for the focal word, “GROWTH,” because the heavier weight stands out from the other elements within the poster.

The definitions in my project are derived from personal experiences and text message interviews conducted with close friends and family who had their own unique experiences and relationships with me during my time abroad. Through these interviews, I gathered insights into their emotions and memories, gaining a deeper understanding of their perspectives on both the time spent abroad and my departure to Florence. By compiling a list of relatable words from their responses and reflecting on forgotten memories, as well as adding my own personal feelings and standout experiences, I defined and categorized these words based on my emotions and the events that took place during that semester. These sorted words were then incorporated into my poster, with my emotions serving as the background and the events forming a funnel shape.

Kent State University provides a variety of study abroad opportunities, ranging from short trips to full semesters. While not mandatory, I recognized the potential of studying abroad and decided to seize the fantastic opportunity. Opting for a semester in Florence, Italy, a popular destination among Kent State students, I found comfort in the fact that over 150 students would be joining me, and the university had its own presence in the city. Through this program, I fulfilled my International Business Minor by taking courses such as International Business, International Entrepreneurship, International Marketing, Elementary Italian 2, and The Art of the Theatre. This transformative experience holds a special place in my heart, leading me to choose it as the theme for my expressive poster. I selected "GROWTH" as my focal word, reflecting the significant academic and personal growth I underwent during my time abroad.

Landmarks are an essential part of Florence’s charm and history. The four landmarks that gave the most significant impression on me are the Duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore, the Boboli Gardens, and the Ponte Vecchio.

Researching these famous landmarks helped me to learn more about their origins. However, the most essential part of this research was analyzing pictures of these landmarks. Seeing various close-ups and angles allowed me to see new details and look at these large structures differently.

In sketch 1, the concept resembles a tornado or wormhole, representing the Florence experience. Transparent text in the background reflects my thoughts, with the word "GROWING" highlighted to symbolize personal growth. 

Sketch 2 features gradually curved lines of text, conveying varying feelings and reactions. Calmer emotions are depicted by straighter lines, while more anxious and frantic emotions are represented by tighter, curved lines. 

Sketch 3 explores the contrast between big and small text, with larger words reflecting the external presentation and smaller words representing internal thoughts and emotions. 

Sketch 4 depicts stacked words resembling a brick wall, symbolizing the facade of a perfect experience with cracks revealing true emotions. 

Sketch 5 returns to the black hole concept, with swirling text forming a tunnel chronologically depicting events and emotions, leading to the center representing returning home. 

In sketch 6, structured buildings and monuments inspire the concept, reflecting confidence growth. Positive words form a building-like structure while negative self-doubting words rain down in the background.

Color Study:
For my color study, I captured various sky views from rooftops, balconies, and landscapes, exploring both cooler and warmer color palettes. The cooler palette represented the daytime sky with bright blues and whites, while the warmer palette depicted colorful sunsets with yellows, oranges, and purples. I chose the warmer palette as it reminded me of sun rays and aligned with the funnel shape and "GROWTH" concept. Additionally, the warm tones reflected the orange and yellow hues prevalent in the buildings, artwork, and landscapes of my surroundings. This color palette better represented my environment overall.

I used three very different fonts to represent the content within my poster. The first font I chose was Reenie Beanie Regular to mimic my handwriting for the background text that incorporated my thoughts and feelings during my semester abroad. The next font I chose was Mittwoch Norm Bold. This font is used in my funnel shape, where that text references my surroundings while in Florence. The last font I used is Tarzana Wide OT Bold for my focal word. I chose a heavier-weighted font that could stand out from all the other elements in the expressive poster.

After deciding on the concept that was based on my first sketch, I had to learn how to alter a block of text to create a curving shape. I first went to YouTube for tutorials on manipulating text to create shapes. I followed these tutorials until I became comfortable with beginning the first version of my poster. To the left is where I documented my entire process.

For my first round of critiques, I created two options from my sketches for feedback from my classmates. The poster to the left is based on sketch 1, and to the right, that poster is based on sketch 4. After creating the two posters, I was leaning toward the left poster, but I wanted to get my classmate's input. My classmates also favored the poster to the left, which solidified my plan to move forward with developing the left poster as my expressive poster.

In my second version of the poster, I focused on the "GROWTH" concept. I updated the font for "GROWTH" and warped it to convey growth. Additionally, I created a new 3D shape and adjusted the font to represent growth and the Italian setting. I maintained the same font for my feelings as it still resonated with me. Another change I made was creating a new color palette inspired by the sunsets I witnessed during my trip. After receiving feedback on the second version, I addressed some issues. Specifically, there were concerns about certain parts of the gradient text blending together, particularly the letters "O" and "H." I narrowed down and adjusted the colors within the gradient to improve legibility. I also received feedback on refining the warped word to better fit within the funnel shape.

I made adjustments to the poster based on previous feedback. I focused on refining the colors and shape of the word "GROWTH." I reduced the number of colors in the gradient, ensuring contrast with the background, and aligned the word at the center of the funnel shape. I also re-warped the word to create the illusion of growth. In response to feedback, I changed the background color to a lighter peach shade to enhance the visibility of the focal word. Additionally, I made two minor updates unrelated to feedback: I switched the stroke to fill for the background text and adjusted the shape of the funnel to make it slightly wider and occupy more space on the poster, allowing "GROWTH" to be wider as well.