Poetry in Motion – poster and exhibition design
Client: Anna Woodford
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Poet Anna Woodford spent six months as poet in residence for York University’s Co-Motion project; exploring and responding to the physical, mental and social obstacles faced by older and disabled people when travelling.
The aim of Poetry In Motion is to encourage people to think differently about the travel needs of others.
Anna commissioned Velcrobelly to design a sequence of posters and promotional literature which would be displayed in 100 First York buses around York in January 2017.
Later that year, Velcrobelly designed a sequence of exhibition panels for Poetry in Motion, which displayed in Newcastle City Library, York Explore and on tour in libraries across the North.
Typesetting poetry for large format exhibition presents a unique design challenge. Variable line lengths, the number of stanzas and the length of each stanza can make consistent typography difficult. How best to make the work readable and impactful from a distance while maintaining consistency between panels?
There is also the challenge of creating a design which is accessible, inviting and stimulating for a broad public audience, while not interfering with the poetry itself.
David McClure came highly recommended and his work exceeded my expectations. He took a very general brief and produced an eye-catching and contemporary design that gave the poems wide appeal for a large and diverse audience on the buses around York. In a second stage of the project, he produced a separate design for the exhibition spaces in libraries which was fun, fresh and proved a great talking point among the general public.
David was a vital part of the Poetry in Motion project not only for his creativity but also for his professionalism and ability to turn designs around quickly and go above and beyond the brief. I hope to work with him again and recommend him warmly.
Anna Woodford
Portrait photograph by Mark Woodward
If you’d like to discuss your creative design project, please contact David or call him on +44 (0) 7946 642 161.