Client:
21xdesign
Art direction:
Patricia McElroy,
Dermot Mac Cormack
Designer:
Patricia McElroy,
Dermot Mac Cormack
Illustrator:
Brandon Wherley
The Orlando shooting tragedy inspired us to create a poster to bring attention to the recurring issue of gun control, and the role guns play in these tragic events in our society. Regardless of the motive, guns are invariably the primary cause of death and injuries in all these mass shootings.
We knew we wanted to create an image that used the American flag, along with the bullet holes with each star representing a victim in the shooting. We went through many iterations of the flag, from illustration to photo recreations but we still felt the flag component wasn’t quite right. One day, while cleaning out the studio Patricia came across a cardboard box that contained a small, old, and weathered flag, and immediately we knew this was the right image for this poster. We photoshopped the rainbow colors and used an old archive image of bullet holes to complete the poster. I wanted the typography to be minimal (initially I was inspired by the simplicity of On Kawara’s date paintings) and be a powerful reminder of both the aim of the poster, as well as the time and location of the tragedy.
RECOGNITION
2020 Graphis Design Annual (International)
Gold Award
Pedersen Design Group New York NY
2019 Retroavangarda International Online Gallery Exhibition
Invitational
2018 Graphis Poster (International)
Gold Award
Pedersen Design Group New York NY
Creative Quarterly 47, The Journal of Art & Design,
Graphic Design Category Winner
Artisanal Media, 2017
AIGA: Philadelphia Top 50 Design Awards 2017
American Institute of Graphic Arts
Juried Competition & Exhibition
2016 Creativity International Design Awards
Platinum award