Make Gallery is hosting their annual benefit poster show D.R.E.A.M. II (Design Rules Everything Around Me) where 15 designers and illustrators were invited to create a poster inspired by a book. Everyone has that one book they can return to time and time again. So this is the perfect timing to bring that book out again as back to school season is just around the corner.
One of my favourite activities to do as a child was go to the public library. I loved the process of walking up and down the aisles, scouring over hundreds of books, and picking out the ones I wanted to bring home. This was done very methodically of course, with my rubric consisting of one column: “how attractive is the cover?” My love of reading stemmed from the fact that literature was able to transport you to different places. It was a temporary break from reality where you could be absorbed by action, drama, or romance. Ranging from the cover art to the imagery of a novel, everything revolved around the visuals.
How are these visuals created? Semiotic theory is the study of the relationship between sign, object, and meaning. One thread of semiotics is language. Language is a sign system developed for the sole purpose of communication. It’s a universal system that allows individuals to share ideas, thoughts, and emotions. We can apply this to reading a book. Each word acts as a sign and these signs trigger visuals, which in turn create meaning. Due to the universality of language, we associate certain visuals with certain words. For example, when you read the word ‘cat’, an image of a furry feline pops into your head. However, what’s interesting is that no two people will render an identical image of said cat. This leaves room for interpretation, and this is what makes the poster show so unique.
Each designer has played with the meanings of certain signs to explore the major themes and character relationships in their novels. They have created bright, vibrant, and playful posters that are not only clever in nature but are just exemplars of how talented they are. Think of the poster show as a stand against the dreaded movie adapted book cover. With language being so visually rich, it’s exciting to see what each designer has rendered in their poster. Limited edition posters will be available for purchase with all proceeds donated to the Vancouver Recovery Through Art Society.
Here is the list of the talented designers participating in the show: David Arias, Alex Castellani, Alice Clair, Jenn Duong, Dana Kearley, Andrew Klotz, Katie Maasik, Tierney Milne, Cole Nowicki, Andrew Pommier, Luke Ramsey, Alex Rhek, Aaron Schwartz, Nick Small and Scott Strathern.
Come out to the opening of D.R.E.A.M. II on September 8th from 7-10pm to see how they conceptualized their favourite books!
