GREAT SAND DUNES: NATIONAL PARKS POSTER

In my third graphic design studio, we were tasked with creating a poster for one of the US National Parks, (assigned at random,) to submit to the USIPB poster competition. In my research I discovered that the Great Sand Dunes is a registered Dark Sky Park, and that there is a longstanding culture in the area surrounding a UFO watchtower. I immediately knew I wanted to include this cultural quirk in my design to set it apart from the rest. Stylistically, I knew I wanted to use collage as a medium in order to stand out from the the typical WPA style. In my final design, I chose to place the UFO off-center to create more of a separation between the lightness and the darkness.

​

Although it cannot be seen digitally without zooming, the large format printed poster draws the viewer in to look closer at a small message above the mountains and wildlife peppered throughout the piece.

​

Even though the poster's intent was to be submitted to the USIPB contest, I did also submit it to the International Design Awards and received an honorable mention for its submission. The USIPB results were recently released, and I'm in! More details will be announced later this year, but the poster will be displayed at multiple exhibitions across the US and abroad.