This semester in Type, we were challenged to create a poster that looked like a song (of our choice) sounded. We were only allowed to use typographical characters and we had to really think to figure out how to create a visual sound. Before I explain my process, give the song a listen, you'll be glad you did.

So I decided to layer my work starting with black heavy dark type to represent the first sounds you hear in the song. The second "layer" of the song was the repetitive high hat sound that is carried through the entire song. I recreated the beat using dots and dashes to give it the repetition that looks like a music beat. Next, I added the text "Where I Am"  which floats in and out multiple times during the song. The final layer has the fine dotted pattern that seems to run spastically through the piece. This was to represent the high pitched electronic sounds that float through the piece.

When listening to the song, the most interesting part of the music was the sense of space it created. It was a sound that I felt like I could get lost in. To create this feeling in my poster, I decided to print each layer on a sheet of tracing paper. I then taped the layers on top of each other on a window and photographed them for the final. The different layers created the blurring effect that made the poster seem like you could reach into it.

The last step of the project was to add the final words, and the copyright information for the song. I placed all of this information on top of the picture in photoshop because I wanted it to look significantly clearer than the rest of the poster.

This project was probably one of my favorites from this semester. It taught me to think differently about space and sound when it comes to my design.

 

The song used was The District Sleeps Alone Tonight by: The Postal Service

Music & Lyrics: Benjamin Gibbard, Jimmy Tamborello
Copyright: Where I M Calling From Music BMI, Dying Songs