October-December 2020
Typography II
A poster series highlighting three social justice opera singers ranging from racial segregation to divisions of the Lebanon Civil War to those who are disabled in professional careers. Marian Anderson, Fairuz, and Andrea Bocelli each took what society was resting in, undoing and positively shifting the unrest of their time through their persistence in performing.
Typographic Experimentation
I took photographs of printed words in water, through glass, while moving, 3-dimensionally constructed, and digitally sketched.
What Connects These Singers?
After researching each artist’s background, these concept ideations show their similarities and how their singing impacted the world they lived in. From their music to their vocals, to the social movements they lived through, each artist had a unique impact.
Layout Iterations
Playing with composition, image choices, and unrest shadow movement.
Visual identity
Font & Color — Deep reds and golds were inspired by traditional theaters. Added saturation emphasizes the strong impact that each singer had on their communities.
Images — Each poster includes the artist, a microphone from their time, individual aspects of their story, unrest musical rest symbol, and repeated music notes.
Marian Anderson
As an African American opera soloist during the American Civil Rights Movement, Marian Anderson’s persistence in performing shifted the unrest of racial segregation and inequality.
While Constitution Hall’s Daughters of the American Revolution wouldn’t allow her to perform due to her race, Marian Anderson took her performance outside with the president’s invitation, securing her highlight performance at the Lincoln Memorial where people of all races were invited to listen.
Fairuz
As a Lebanese woman singing for peace in her country, Fairuz’s persistence in performing shifted the unrest between two sides of a religiously polarized civil war.
After gaining traction from performing at music festivals and later broadcasted throughout the country by radio, Fairuz’s opera music spanned and found significance with both sides of the war. Her music spread a message of peace and unity, becoming much of a national symbol for her country.
Andrea Bocelli
As a visually impaired opera singer, Andrea Bocelli’s persistence in performing shifted the unrest for the blind and disabled in professional careers.
Born with low vision but fully blind by the age of 12, Bocelli started learning music at a young age and wanted to pursue it as a career. However, with the influence of his family, Bocelli instead went to law school. After securing his degree, and practicing law for a year, Bocelli dropped law and chose to pursue music full-time despite his vision limitations.
