The first assignment of the semester was to find a promotional or informational poster within a library and discuss the basic design concepts that had been covered in class and identify the purpose of each and how it affected the design. For this assignment, I had chosen a poster depicting tips on how to find accurate sources and avoid “fake news”, provided by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.

It was in this project that I discussed the impact of contrast, colour, and font type in designs, and specifically those found in libraries. I made note of how the repetitive red images stood out strongly from the black text and drew the reader’s eye, the colour itself creating a sense of warning or urgency.

I also commented on the use of a magnifying glass in the focal point and discussed how the design itself conveys emotions through the images and colours used. In libraries, posters like this one are far and few between, but they often best capture the attention of patrons and give them useful information because they adhere to the design basics.

One of the most challenging parts of design in libraries is the lack of programs and technology used to be able to create colourful and informative posters and pamphlets. In addition to this, staff are often short on time and may not be able to locate copyright-free or fair-use images and materials, and have to go without.

During one of the Activities, I was tasked with working with the same materials many library staff have at their disposal and created a promotional poster for African Heritage Month at Halifax Public Libraries. To make the project more interesting, there would be no use of images, backgrounds or logos permitted, meaning I had to make use of colour in the text to create contrast and repetition.

In my initial design, I had gone for the more pamphlet style advertisement that might be found on a Public Libraries’ Information Desk, giving patrons an overview of the activities and events hosted during African Heritage Month. While I did make good use of the colours associated with African Heritage Month and many African flags, it was cluttered and a lot to take in for a general poster.

Part of the reason for this portfolio is to reflect on and recreate the projects I designed throughout Multimedia Services, and this poster was one opportunity that I knew I could improve on, or at least change and make more appealing to passersby. I removed the three smaller sections of Movies and Music, Stories and Puppet Shows, and African Cuisine that were featured on the original design to give more impact to the community-wide events that everyone could enjoy.

By using the basic design concepts of colour, contrast, and alignment in both designs of this poster, I created something that draws the viewer's eyes, hopefully standing out among the other posters and advertisements displayed around the library.

In design, the basic concepts and principals play an important part in creating something that will attract and intrigue your audience, however, the same is true for designs that bend those rules and instead invert them. In libraries, creativity and colour can be a saving grace in designs that do not always follow these basic concepts, instead relying on a patron’s intrigue in an out of place design to draw their attention.

For this activity, I took the idea above and ran with it, creating an image that incorporated and focused on the quote “It looks like we’re back to square one”, portraying it both literally and figuratively. In creating this design, I had the intention of making a direct connection with the quote while also creating a story behind it through the lack of design principals.

"I focused on using squares of different opacities and sizes, often in repetition to create this sense of confusion, with a broken circle in the middle to create the idea that the possible starting point isn’t inherently a square, breaking outside of the box." (Estey, T. 2020d).

By using broken and warped repetitions of the same geometric shapes in combination with a contrast between the shades of white, black, and grey, it created a complex design that while confusing, is intriguing to the eye. While I can agree that the quote which is meant to serve as the focal point of this design is difficult to read, it further strengthens the story behind this concept.

This idea of creating a story with images and as few words as required is one of importance in the library when considering design, as patrons do not always have time to stop and read a lengthy advertisement. By designing something that a library's patrons can wonder about long after seeing it can create further intrigue and even inspire them, increasing their chance of returning.

Lastly, one of the most important things about good design is ensuring that it stands out both digitally and physically. The large majority of posters designed in libraries are printed, and the quality of the digital file will not always look as pretty as the printed physical copy. As such, this must be taken into consideration when creating something that will be placed in a library as a poster, pamphlet, or even a pillow.