Walking With Dust

 

My poster was centered around the Christian season of Lent, but more specifically the beginning day-- Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday occurs every year and marks the start of the Lenten season that leads up to Easter. Observed by many branches of Christianity, it is common to see people walking around with ashes resting upon their forehead on this day.

The creation of my poster involved a few symbols that might not be recognized by the general public. I added splashes of purple because it is a religious symbol for this season. According to Golombisky, using history as a tool for choosing color can help convey your message. 

The color purple represents royalty and serves as a reminder of who Christ is and all that has been done for us and our sins. In addition to it being a symbolizer of Christ's love for us, it also has pain behind it's meaning. The covering Jesus was given before being crucified was also purple, therefore, this color brings out feelings of distress and suffering. 

Another symbol I used to convey my message was the palm branches. The ashes used on Ash Wednesday come from the burning of blessed palm branches from Palm Sunday, another day observed by Christians. When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem he was welcomed by crowds waving palms at him, however, this same group of people called from him to be crucified just a few days later. 

So, together the ashes and palms create a physical reminder -- the cross of ashes placed on our foreheads -- of our sin, repentance, and death. 

Being on the creation side of things, rather than the consumer, forced me to look at things from a different perspective than I might normally. I quickly realized how important it is, as a creator, to focus on the little details throughout the design. As consumers, we typically just look at the poster, interpret the message as a whole, and move on. 

However, I learned that in order for the consumer to be able to understand the message thoroughly, the little details must be in order. Through my experience as a content creator, I found myself seeking help and critiques from outside perspectives as an attempt to best see my design from this consumer point of view.

My original draft and my final design differed greatly from each other. In my original draft, I attempted to incorporate the symbolism of purple by making it the entire background. This proved to be messy and overwhelming. Therefore, in my final product, I added splashes of the color instead. By making this slight change, my focal point -- the cross --stands out and has become the center of attention. 

I think one thing I would've adjusted was the audience of my poster. I did not give much information about what Ash Wednesday is, so if people were unfamiliar with this religious day of observation, then this poster probably did not make much sense to them. Ash Wednesday is a very public event and has no age, gender, race, or even religious exclusions. If I would have included more information, then it might have been more inviting and welcoming to those who are not familiar with this day.