Kent State University • Graphic Design I
Short-Term Event Identity: Poster and Postcard
Student designer: Benjamin Williams
Assignment and teaching focus
This assignment asks students to develop an identity for a time-bound event through research into an organization, its audience, and a selected city. The instructional emphasis is on connecting contextual research to visual decisions, then adapting a concept across a poster and postcard.
Students investigate relevant themes and references, develop alternatives through sketching, and refine typography, imagery, color, and information hierarchy. The format changes require them to distinguish the identity’s recurring features from the arrangements needed for different tasks.
Selected student response
Benjamin’s All Ohio Balloon Festival proposal combines balloon illustration, ribbon forms, and a saturated palette across the poster and postcard. Large date typography establishes the first level of event information, while the poster’s schedule occupies a denser lower band. The postcard introduces participation through a raffle stamp grid. The project shows how a consistent event identity can extend across promotional materials while supporting different functions, from communicating event details to encouraging participation.
Poster: Scale and simplified illustration distinguish the event identity from schedule and logistical details.
Postcard front: Display typography and ribbon and balloon forms carry the identity into a smaller format.
Postcard reverse: A modular stamp grid organizes the raffle interaction, with instructions separated from mailing elements.
