A physics teacher at Sewell Park Academy commissioned me to create a series of posters to celebrate key historical figures within the STEM industry for a display.
He wanted dynamic, trendy designs that would catch the eye of students that walked past and inspire students into STEM careers.
I developed a colour palette made up of muted blues and a bright yellow accent to draw attention. I opted to create collages mixing greyscale photography and related graphic elements for a more flexible approach to the designs that also made each one look unique, despite being part of the same set.
We wanted to highlight underrepresented groups within the designs. The first person we chose is Marie Curie as we wanted a woman to be the first in the series. The next are Alan Turing, a notorious genius who was imprisoned for being gay and is now featured on £50 bank notes. Finally, Lewis Howard Latimer, an African-American inventor credited for his major contribution in making lightbulb filaments last longer.
There are more designs planned for the future including a poster for Stephen Hawking for his lifelong contribution to cosmology and astrophysics, despite his severe disabilities.
My friend informed me that once the posters were up, he noticed a pair of girls reading the Marie Curie one. A small gesture but it was a great complement to hear my designs were reaching the intended audience!
