Altered Earth:
The purpose of this project was to develop an effective visual design system that seeks to unify differing components of a system yet instill excitement through its innovative representation of meaning. This project focused on the manipulation and arrangement (composition) of typography and image as it conveys messages through a poster series. Students developed three posters that persuaded viewers to attend a series of events. Each poster aims to communicate the meaning of a person's work contribution.
Altered Earth: Poetic Perspectives on Planetary Shifts shows the relationship between the poets and their efforts to bring awareness to shifts we’re experiencing on earth.
Design Concept:
The green, purple, and blue boxes represent the past, present, and future, moving upward to reflect this progression. The placement of the poems mirrors this concept: in the past, the poem appears in the background; in the present, it spans both the foreground and background; and in the future, it moves to the top layer. As the poster series progresses, both the square and the poet's name shift upward, while the poems themselves become more prominent through changes in opacity. I also emphasized key words—invisible, they say, and forward—when they appeared in the poems.
Past:
Heid’s poem Peace Path includes the line 'invisible history of this place,' which I chose to highlight by emphasizing the word 'invisible' and placing her in the past. Much of her work reflects on her Ojibwe heritage, and in Peace Path specifically, she writes about how westward migration led to the erasure of Indigenous land and stories—something often left out of history lessons. Her poem conveys how the once-visible presence of her people has been made to feel invisible.Present:
The poem I used by Orchid is titled Prayer. She repeats the phrase 'they say' to question the false promises and harmful practices of large corporations. The poem challenges how industries claim to help the planet while actually causing damage. The mock prayer at the end highlights how companies use faith-based language to appear morally good. This message feels especially relevant today as we face growing concerns about pollution and environmental harm.Future:
Hussain’s poem entitled Exodus had the word “forward”. He talks about how the past affects the future, and the opening line talks about a normal human connection and then how we lost that connection over time. The whole poem really is a transition from past to future.Research:
Heid E. Erdrich
Heid E. Erdrich is a writer from North Dakota whose background is Ojibwe, which is apparent in her writing and storytelling, as most of her writing explores themes of Indigenous identity, history, culture, and environmental justice. Her main motive for writing her poetry is the commitment to Indigenous storytelling, cultural reclamation, and social justice. One of her main motivations is to challenge colonial narratives and reclaim the voices and histories of Native peoples, particularly the Ojibwe community. 
Orchid Tierney
Orchid Tierney is a poet and scholar originally from Aotearoa-New Zealand who now lives in Ohio. She is known for her experimental approach to process and creativity in her poetry. In her poems, she often writes about environmental crisis, waste and memories of places. Her work is collaged by using fragments to create a whole. One of her poems I found most intriguing is titled "prayer" where she dissects the past, present, and future of the planet and the risks that we may face soon. 
Hussain Ahmed
Hussain Ahmed is a Nigerian poet and writer whose work explores themes of identity, migration, memory, and the complexities of personal and history. His poetry is deeply reflective, often engaging with themes of home, displacement, and the intersections of cultural heritage and personal experience. He examines the lingering presence of the past, exploring how history, language, and memory shape one’s sense of self. Additionally, he contributes to lifting up underrepresented voices. Hands-On Workshop:
During the workshop, I experimented with various techniques, using found materials and hands-on methods to create initial ideations and explore potential directions for my final posters.
Directions:
From the workshop, I then collaged them together and ended up with different directions to continue iterating on.
Digital Iterations:
Building off of my physical directions, I played around with them digitally. These are my first digital ideations.
Refinements:
After reviewing my initial posters, I realized that while certain elements were working well, the overall compositions lacked character and fell flat, prompting me to shift directions and rethink my approach.
Layers:
Black background, texture made out of a crumpled post-it note
Secondary text of information
Post-it note used again to act as a frame, placed in the bottom for past. 'Invisible' is highlighted to show the words the poet wrote
Poet's name
Poem used in the background as texture and to emphasize the words fading in the past
