Donate Life Design

Artist's Statement:

Jillian Wight

Medsker

AP Art and Design

21 December 2021

For this piece, I was assigned a very specific prompt. To use the phrase “organ and tissue donation” in a campaign slogan that accompanied an illustration. The goal was to promote organ and tissue donation so that more people can understand what a beautiful thing it is, and will be aware of the power they have to save lives! I chose a straightforward slogan, “be someone’s hero with organ and tissue donation,” because I thought it got my point across and was easy to understand at a glance. I then chose bright colors and almost childish, nostalgic imagery to portray how organ and tissue donation is an option that can bring happiness to many many people! I included elements like stars, bubble letters, sticky notes, and stamps depicting flowers so that the viewer would be reminded of a comforting time in their lives and so would be more open to the idea of providing someone with the opportunity to continue living.

I used a variety of conventional media, (Blick felt tip pens, Dual-Brush markers, gel pen, Sharpie markers and pens, etc.) but also a number of more unconventional materials like puzzle pieces, stamps, sticky notes, and glue. These were sort of spur-of-the-moment decisions, and I really like the outcome!

I experimented a fair amount with this piece. I wanted it to really reflect my personal style but be a little more toned down for the competition. I definitely wanted to push that graphic design feeling. I think the stamps, post-its, and puzzle pieces definitely add some of my voice, as does the general style and bright colors. I definitely wish, looking back, that I had been a bit more careful with the shape of the “o” in “hero.” It almost looks like a “D” which doesn’t make sense. Even so, I’m really proud of my work and I think it’s so interesting to compare it with my interpretation of the assignment from sophomore year.

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