Kelly Walters - Font Research & Development
KELLY Walters is an artist, graphic designer, researcher, and educator from Stamford, Connecticut. She founded Bright Polka Dot, a multidisciplinary design studio specialising in print, digital social campaigns, displays, and textile design for musicians, artists, and cultural institutions. Her areas of expertise include writing, teaching, and designing, with a particular emphasis on race and illustration in design.
As part of her design practice, she explores the complex aspects of identity formation, value systems, and shared vernacular within and surrounding black visual culture.
Goal
Design a poster inspired by Kelly Walters
Objectives: Using Kelly Walters’ designs as inspiration, create a font and design a type-driven poster using the font created.
Role: Graphic Designer
Hats worn: Researcher, Creative Director & Illustrator artist
Date: October 2021
Target Audience
Exhibition Visitors
People who are passionate and appreciative of a wide range of artistic expressions.
Problem to solve
There are several challenges involved in creating a type-driven poster. Creating a design that feels fresh and original can be challenging, given that so many type-driven posters exist, especially when it comes to revealing the gender of the artist.
How might we design an art piece depicting Kelly Walters as a creative lady?
Process
Researched Kelly Walters, read her biography, and reviewed her past projects to gain an understanding of her style. Sketches derived from the compilation of her artworks in the mood board were then digitalized.
Research
Ideation
Sketch
Digital
Final Solution
The first variation is clean but does not give a typography-driven poster feel. The second variation was selected because one could tell it was typography-driven, and Kelly Walters is a lady.
Outcomes
Kelly Walters' poster received positive responses and stimulated interest in learning more about her journey as an artist, graphic designer, researcher, and educator.
Final Learning
As a result of working on this project, I learned the power of mood boards in influencing a design process.