Wes Anderson WPA Posters — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

Wes Anderson WPA Posters

Name: Jennifer Skarda
Major: Graphic Design
Hometown: Lakewood Ranch, FL
Faculty Sponsor: Laura Huaracha
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project

Abstract

I will be presenting posters from my Graphic Design Senior Seminar class. Sparked from a project for my History of Graphic Design class, I created posters for the movies of Wes Anderson resembling the style of the Works Progress Administration travel destination campaigns. The series includes the films The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Darjeeling Limited, & The Life Aquatic.

The Works Progress Administration ad campaigns of the late 1930's-early 1940's are iconic in the fields of graphic design, travel, and nationalism. The WPA funded these campaigns to encourage the nation to gather around the arts, to promote tourism within the United States, and to create a sense of national pride.

I felt that the design elements of these iconic campaigns would work well superimposed upon the work of Wes Anderson. His themes and plots often reflect a struggling sense of unity among his characters, and typically maintain a steady yet flawed main character with a seemingly strong sense of self and charisma. In light of these themes, blended with the stunning locations and production design that Wes Anderson is known for, I felt that the nationalistic and prideful themes of the WPA travel posters could mimic this as a campaign for these movies.

This series is not only a study of design elements, but also a meticulous study on the emblematic color palettes of each film. I referenced Wes Anderson’s iconic, nostalgic themes, using the exact tones and colors used in the production design in each film to recreate the atmosphere and ambience. Specific typefaces, color palettes, and imagery were used to source the era and motifs of each film.

Poster file