1. What did you learn?
I learned about the history of Dada, De Stijl, and general artistic avant-garde movements. I also learned about typefaces relating to the period, and the creation of posters based in this strange area.
2. What was easy?
Picking the topic. I’ve always been a fan of the Dada movement because of it’s absurdity. When I saw it was one of the options available, I was very excited to get to research and work on a poster based on the movement.
3. What was challenging?
I had a lot of trouble figuring out what I wanted to do with the poster. While avant-garde was my main focus, truthfully I was more interested in the Dada movement then I was the De Stijl. I wanted to design a wacky poster that looked so strange it would surely catch the attention of those who walked by. I also had to incorporate De Stijl styled elements, which became the basis of the poster somehow. I guess it just worked out that way better, but I would’ve preferred to base it in Dada elements with touches of De Stijl.
4. How could your submission be improved?
I don’t think I was successful in a 50/50 blend of Dada and De Stijl that I had hoped. I resorted to strange pictures in an effort to make the poster feel strange, but also have that Dada feel to it. I couldn’t overlap words as I wanted to, because it made the poster unreadable.
5. How could the professor improve the assignment for the next class?
I don’t think there’s much to be improved upon. Personally, I’d get rid of the “era” of type requirement and only focus on a singular movement or font. I felt slightly forced to include De Stijl when I didn’t care for it too much.
6. How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?
I can make wacky designs that stand out amongst the rest. While it may not look the best, if it captures attention, that’s all I need. That comes true for things such as advertisements.