The Bright and the Bold: Newest Poster 2023 Submissions

What attracts you to a piece of work? Is it the use of colors, or the inclusion of a bold image? We get the best of both of these design elements with this week’s poster entries!

Colors have a significant influence on our day-to-day lives; they’re essential to art, fashion, and communication, and they can even affect our mood and productivity. Though when you pick out a shade of paint or pull out your favorite shirt, have you ever wondered about the science involved? It all comes down to chemistry. In his Poster Annual 2023 submission, “A Química da Cor,” or “The Chemistry of Color” (above, left) award-winning, Portuguese Graphis Master João Machado illustrates in his distinct, colorful style how a chemical gets its color, which is a process that occurs when the electrons in atoms absorb energy and become ‘excited.’ That excitation further absorbs wavelengths of light, creating the colors we see every day. Machado shows this with round electrons seemingly dancing across the top of the poster in a vivid rainbow color palette. 

Last year the team at LOGAN, an American design firm, was entrusted with designing promotional posters for the Sony Columbia Pictures movie adaption of Empire V, a Russian novel by Victor Pelevin. The story is a biting satire of hegemonic society that follows the main character’s journey into darkness when he gets initiated into a world ruled by corrupt vampires. For their approach to “Empire V (“Ампир V”) 2022” (above), the team went high tech with animated posters that transformed each of the main characters into a digitally sculpted 3D avatar, referencing antique artifacts and kitsch knick-knacks with a variety of textures, colors, and typography. These portraits were then brought to life with the help of animation software to create digital billboards, moving posters, and a social media campaign, in addition to the traditionally printed posters. You can catch this movie when it premieres on March 31st, 2022!

Anne M. Giangiulio created “Fuck Putin” (above, left) as a homage to Maria Prymachenko, a Ukrainian folk artist whose 25 paintings were lost on February 28, 2022, when Russian forces burned the Ivankiv Historical and Local History Museum, about 50 miles northwest of Kyiv. Revered as an icon of Ukrainian national identity,  Prymachenko’s paintings have appeared on stamps and even the country’s currency. Her work is rich with imaginative and colorful scenes of both people and animals decorated with intricate patterns reminiscent of the traditional Ukrainian decoration practice, pysanka, which is a wax-resist method typically used on Easter eggs. Giangiulio emulates Prymachenko’s unique art style by drawing characters in beautiful, floral patterned clothing similar to those depicted in Prymachenko’s artwork. However, the characters are shown raising their middle fingers with the statement “Fuck Putin” written out in stylized, phytomorphic type above them. Giangiulio’s piece is a declaration of solidarity with Ukraine, as well as a celebration of the country’s rich cultural heritage and one of its greatest artists. 

“ZERO “Let’s Fly seeds to a New Future” (above, right) is a poster submission from Miyoko Kawamura of Shima Design Office Inc., which is based in Japan. Kawamura initially created her piece for the New Art ZERO Association’s annual poster exhibition held at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts. Reflecting on the economic and social impacts of the pandemic, Kawamura wanted to create a symbol of hope in the form of the poster’s futuristic portrayal of dandelion seeds floating through the wind, with the seed heads replaced with zeros in honor of the art exhibit.  The glowing effect is twofold; while the seeds are being carried to various places and will eventually sprout and grow a brighter future, the glow also reminds us of a light in the darkness, telling us to keep hoping for better days ahead.

Discover more posters and enter your own at graphis.com.