Advisor: Isak Berbic

Only for Spring

“Only for Spring” is my Senior Honors Project in Studio Art, which consists of a three-dimensional art
installation accompanied by six posters containing similar content but competed in six different visual
and aesthetic styles. In this project, I analyze and address the question of whether designers from the
same country or the same cultural background, perpetuate traditions or similarities in their poster
design. I study these ‘cultural’ influences on the design features, and I utilize them in the design of my
own posters, featured in my art installation.

The installation is mainly composed of organza and floral wire. This motif is one of the main subjects of
my design process. The fleeting beauty is eternally preserved in this three-dimensional installation. Due
to the special texture of the materials, I used in constructing the organza, its “petals” will change color
with the change of the surrounding light. The floral wire is easily shaped, and the artwork viewers are
invited to touch it and interact with it, creating any shape they like.

These six posters featured in this project were designed based on the background research on the poster
art traditions from the following countries: China, Japan, and the U.S.

Different historical backgrounds, different languages used, and even different religions have led to
distinct design styles between countries. Apparently, designers from the same country appear to share
some similarities in their visual styles. Without following any unified style or manifesto, they cannot be
categorized as their own artistic genre, but rather as a specific phenomenon influenced by various
schools and cultural trends such as Minimalism, Realism, and Dadaism.

Title: Only for Spring, Date: 2022, Dimensions: 20 x 12 x 50 inches , Medium: Installation

Details of the installation, digital photography

The model with the installation, digital photograph

The Similarities Between Poster Designers from the Same Cultural Background
The poster as a visual medium originated in the early 19th century and was one of the earliest forms of
advertising. The combination of text and pictures was an artful way to make a commercial in the
transmission of an advertising message. “Nineteenth-century poster artists, many trained as painters,
applied their skills to graphic designs which advertised products such as champagne, beer and cigarette
papers, or promoted bars a

nd nightclubs, magazines, newspapers, steamship lines, railroads, sporting
events or tourism. Posters were also created for promoting cultural events such as exhibitions, concerts,
theatrical productions, and then in the twentieth century, film showings. Throughout history, posters
have also been used to express political positions, proselytize, propagandize or convey information that
has social importance.” (“Reflecting the Soul of a Nation: Polish Poster Art – Illustration History”) The
poster began to develop as a medium for visual communication, it’s a tool and also an art form.

Examples of posters with various visual styles:

Call it ‘Coke’ or Coke-Cola it’s the same delicious drink, 1954
British advertisement for Coca-Cola,1954

Moulin Rouge: La Goulue
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1891, A party poster, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA.

I Want YOU for US Army
J.M. Flagg, 1917, recruit soldiers to fight in World War I and World War II.

We Can Do It!
J. Howard Miller, 1943, an American wartime propaganda poster designed to boost workers’ morale, also
known as a symbol of feminism and political empowerment.

“They influenced the development of typography because they were meant to be read from a distance
and required larger type to be produced. The poster quickly spread around the world and became a
staple of the graphic design trade. ” (“Posters : Design Is History.”) The poster has become an important
part of graphic design.

Different Styles Between Different countries:

“Despite cross-pollination, distinctive national styles also became apparent – Dutch posters were marked
by restraint and orderliness; Italian posters by their drama and grand scale; German posters for their
directness and medieval influence.” (“A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE POSTER”)

Different historical backgrounds, different languages used, and even different religions have led to
distinct design styles between countries. Designers from the same country appear to share some
similarities in their own visual styles. Without following any unified style or manifesto, they cannot be
categorized as their own artistic genre, but rather as a specific phenomenon influenced by various
different schools such as Minimalism, Realism, and Dadaism. （“THE INSANE HISTORY OF POLISH MOVIE
POSTERS”）This is a development based on a long history, deeply rooted in the country’s past.

Some film companies have designed specific film posters for different countries’ preferences that have a
strong commercial appeal to the local people.

“For instance, Fox’s “Venom” is set for a release on November 9.
The newly released poster, features the titular superhero
depicted in the style of a Chinese ink painting.
By blending Chinese elements into their posters, many
Hollywood films get better promoted in China as they are often

considered to be works of art by lots of movie fans.”
(“Hollywood Films Get Localized Posters for China”)

The poster of “Venom.”

The Chinese version of the poster of “Venom.”

“When the film “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
arrived in China two years ago, each of the beasts got their own
portrait, painted in the style of the illustrations found in ancient
Chinese mythical books.

Since the Chinese audience was already very familiar with J. K.
Rowling and her magic world, they were surprised and flattered
by these localized posters.” (“Hollywood Films Get Localized
Posters for China”)

I will analyze the typical features of poster design in three
countries, China, Japan, and America to support my poster
design.

The poster of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

Four Chinese version posters of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

Chinese and Kanji in Japanese:

Japanese includes katakana, hiragana and kanji.

“kanji, (Japanese: “Chinese character”) in the Japanese writing system, ideograms (or characters)
adapted from Chinese characters. Kanji constitute one of the two systems used to write the Japanese
language, the other being the two indigenous kana syllabaries (hiragana and katakana).

Ancient Japan had no writing system for its spoken language until kanji were imported from China in
about the 8th century CE. With the development of the kana syllabaries, kanji came to be employed for
writing nouns, verb roots, adjectives, and other important words. Nouns often consist of compound
characters: two or more kanji written together. The Japanese affixes for verb tenses, prepositions, and
other grammatical markers, which do not exist in Chinese, were then indicated by kana (typically
hiragana). The pronunciation of kanji symbols may be indicated as well by hiragana script.” (“Kanji |
Definition, Rules, & Facts | Britannica”

The Use of Kanji in Poster Design:

Japanese designers will use kanji as the main element in posters, more like turning kanji into a symbol or
graphic than conveying information.

Since kanji are composed of many strokes, some Japanese designers change a few strokes and combine
them with other graphic elements. Or break up the characters and use only part of them. Usually, the
stroke is associated with the use of kanji.

“Brush strokes are yet another commonly recurring motif seen in Japanese design. This motif is largely in
part tied to the traditional practices of Japanese calligraphy, also known as an art form called ‘Shodou’.

In Shodou art, the brush strokes are often messier, streaky, and cruder, as the art form dictates that no
corrections to each stroke should be made, instead each line should simply flow into the next.” (“Graphic
Design from around the World: Japanese Design.”)

84 Chikyu Poetry Festival
Fumihiko Enokido, 1984

Ryumin/ New Typeface Promotion
Ikko Tanaka, 1986

Typography
Yukihisa Takakita, 1979

Title: Calligraphy, Date: 2022, Dimensions: 16*20 inches, Mediums: digital poster

I use the kanji of the flower as the background and use one font that is different from all other text
messages. The color is a light blue so that it won’t interfere with the reading of other information. The
size of the flower’s kanji is large enough to grab the reader’s attention easily. It echoes with the photo of
the flower in the left corner of the poster.

Gradients and Geometric Shapes:

“Another trend you might observe in Japanese graphic design is a large use of gradients. Subtle colors
fading and bleeding into one another is a very commonly used graphic element, often used for
backgrounds to bring life and color to designs.” (“Graphic Design from around the World: Japanese
Design.”)

Represented by Koichi Sato stands for a group of Japanese artists who like to use gradients in the
background. Their poetic way of designing has given the reader a sense of stillness. Geometric shapes
are also an important element for Japanese designers, a big reason is that the circle, the most classic
geometric shape, is on the Japanese flag.

Color in Japan The Yusaku Kamekura, 1964

The Fall of Sujaku Family
Koichi Sato, 1987

Totto Noren Kai
Koichi Sato, 1989

Rikyu
Koichi Sato, 1988

Deep and Poetic
Koichi Sato

Title: Blooming, Date: 2022, Dimensions: 16*20 inches, Mediums: digital poster

I used AI and PS to draw the flowers with clear edges. Just like in my installation, it can see the different
layers through the semi-transparent petals.

There are many different styles of Chinese painting, but they can be broadly divided into two
types. One is “gongbi”, a realist Chinese painting technique involving highly detailed brushstrokes
that originated around 2000 years ago during the Han Dynasty. Usually painted with ink and
color on silk, with very thin lines and many details. “Compared to Western art, Chinese painting
is traditionally more stylized, more abstract and less realistic than Western types. It also
emphasizes the importance of white space. In simple terms, there are two types of “guo hua”:
the first, known as “Gong-bi” or meticulous-style, is also described as court-style painting; the
second, known as “Shui-mo” or “xie yi” or freehand-style, is also called ink and brush painting, or
“literati painting”, and was practiced by amateur scholar artists.” (“Chinese Painting:
Characteristics, Types, History”)

Orchids, Ma Lin, Date: second quarter of the 13th century, Medium: Album leaf; ink and color on silk

Tang dancing girl in blue dress,
Pang Xunqin, 1944

Four Chinese version’s posters of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

Title: Gongbi, Date: 2022, Dimensions: 16*20 inches, Mediums: digital poster

I placed the picture of the model with the flower in the center of the poster, leaving a lot of white space
around it. I used a background with texture to express the feeling of silk. In the negative space, I put
gongbi-style Chinese elements, such as cranes, and used Chinese calligraphy fonts.

The other is “xieyi”, where Xie means to write and Yi the meaning. A famous master of Chinese
painting, Zhang Daqian, said that Xieyi indicated the fact of drawing the spirit of the beings. Full
of hazy and romantic. (“Chinese Painting Xieyi”)

SANS TITRE Untitled, Zhao wuji, 1990

Autumn Mountains in Twilight
1967
Zhang Daqian

Title: Colorful shadows, Date: 2022, Dimensions: 16*20 inches, Mediums: digital poster

The background of this poster is the shadow of the flower installation. Due to the special material of
organza, the installation will produce a colored shadow under the light. Since I used soft light and the
installation had some distance from the background set when I shot it, the shadow is hazy. There is no
clear outline. This blurring is like Xieyi, there is not much detail but conveys the feeling.

Repetition is a principle often used in poster design, as it emphasizes the subject that needs to be
highlighted and also creates a kind of order. American designers also use a lot of repetition in their
graphic designs, and they make some changes accompanied by simple repetition. For example, Michael
C. Gross changes the color of the shapes, Klára Tamás changes the direction of one of the shapes, and
Stephen Frykholm designs similar shapes of different sizes. All of these will strengthen the reader’s
impression and bring visual impact.

Michael C. Gross, Department of Publications and Urban Design, Organizing Committee of the XIX Olympiad
International Festival of the Arts, Swingle Singers, Mexico City Cultural Olympics
1968

Klára Tamás
Le Mur (The Wall) (Film poster for the film directed by Constantin Vaeni, cinematographer Josef Demian)
1974–1976

Stephen Frykholm
Herman Miller Summer Picnic August 21, 1970

The intersection of graphics and text:

In general, properly overlapping text with graphics can bring a three-dimensional feeling and make the
reader feel a depth to the poster. Obscuring the text in this way doesn’t affect the reading, but draws the
reader in to spend more time figuring out what the poster is communicating. It is also an interesting way
to combine text and graphics, such as in America’s Answer! Production, where the letter O is also a nut.

Paula Scher
The Public Theater, 95-96 Season
1995

Orient Cycles
Edward Penfield, 1895-1896

America’s Answer! Production
Jean Carlu
1942

Title: Hide and Seek, Date: 2022, Dimensions: 16*20 inches, Mediums: digital poster

I overlapped the flower installation with the text, trying to create the feeling of the text being inside the
flowers. And repeat the flowers and change the color and size. The repetition is used to emphasize the
theme of the installation.

Chaotic typography:

In this type of poster design, textual information is the dominant factor. There are not many graphics or
icons. And unlike ordered typography, the textual information isn’t arranged in order of importance. This
out-of-the-box approach also gets the reader’s attention and it can be impressive and engaging.

Typographic Chaos emphasizes the importance of experimentation, and finding new approaches beyond
various typographic systems, to solve design problems. It pushes the limits of communication by
examining how an audience perceives and reacts to the subject matter. It utilizes three-dimensional
space in order to achieve more variations of design. As a result, Typographic Chaos will not only promote
creativity but will also help to form better visual communication with an audience. (Vlad Golosiy)

Emigre Inc., Rudy VanderLans, Zuzana Licko
Emigre 10, Cranbrook
1988

Edward Fella
Review Committe
1989

Elaine Lustig Cohen
Catalog for Ex Libris
1990s

Title: New Age, Date: 2022, Dimensions: 16*20 inches, Mediums: digital poster

I put the name of my project, the name of the creator, the date of the exhibition and other textual
information all in this poster, challenging the rules of typography.

Reference and Sources:
“Reflecting the Soul of a Nation: Polish Poster Art – Illustration History.” Illustrationhistory.org, 2015,
www.illustrationhistory.org/essays/reflecting-the-soul-of-a-nation-polish-poster-art.

Flask, Dominic. “Posters : Design Is History.” Designishistory.com, 2022,
www.designishistory.com/1850/posters/.

“50 Posters That Rocked Our World.” Xerox.co.uk, 2012,
www.xerox.co.uk/en-gb/digital-printing/insights/custom-poster-prints.

Internationalposter.com, 2022, www.internationalposter.com/a-brief-history-of-the-poster/.
THE. “Sabukaru.” Sabukaru, 28 Mar. 2021,
sabukaru.online/articles/the-insane-history-of-polish-movie-posters.

Meno, Andrea. “8 Movie Posters That Were Way Better in Other Countries.” Cracked.com, Cracked.com,
15 Jan. 2019,
www.cracked.com/article_26142_8-movie-posters-from-other-countries-that-are-simply-awesome.html.

“Hollywood Films Get Localized Posters for China.” Cgtn.com, 2018,
news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414e78497a4d30457a6333566d54/index.html.

“Kanji | Definition, Rules, & Facts | Britannica.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2022,
www.britannica.com/topic/kanji.

Kirei-Posters from Japan, 1978-1993/Japanese English (English, Japanese and Japanese Edition)
Hardcover – March 1, 1994, by Catherine Burer

Stribley, Mary. “Graphic Design from around the World: Japanese Design.” Learn, Canva, 16 Aug. 2021,
www.canva.com/learn/japanese-design/.

“Chinese Painting: Characteristics, Types, History.” Visual-Arts-Cork.com, 2022,
www.visual-arts-cork.com/east-asian-art/chinese-painting.htm.

“Chinese Painting Xieyi.” Chine-Culture.com, 2022,
www.chine-culture.com/en/chinese-painting/chinese-painting-xieyi.php.

“Artsy — Discover, Buy, and Sell Fine Art.” Artsy, 2017, www.artsy.net/.

“Smithsonian American Art Museum.” Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2022, americanart.si.edu/.

“MoMA.” The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA, 2022, www.moma.org/.

Vlad Golosiy. “Typographic Chaos.” Artsy, 26 Feb. 2014,
www.artsy.net/article/vlad-golosiy-typographic-chaos.