A close up of poster saying PAUSE

Mixed Media

Client: Independent Study

Focus: Brand Design
Role: Graphic Designer · Illustrator

Client: Independent Study

Focus: Brand Design
Role: Graphic Designer · Illustrator

Client: Independent Study

Focus: Brand Design
Role: Graphic Designer · Illustrator

The challenge: Create a PSA poster using mixed media, including at least one physical collage, while ensuring the final design effectively communicated the message and balanced expressive, hands-on elements with professional clarity.


My solution: Inspired by David Carson’s experimental style, I created a mixed-media collage using paper scraps, magazine cutouts, paint, and markers. I then refined the composition digitally in Adobe InDesign and Photoshop, applying typography and colour adjustments to bring structure and clarity while preserving the tactile, expressive quality of the materials.


Results: The final poster merges raw, experimental visuals with clean, professional design, effectively communicating the PSA message while demonstrating a balance between creativity and clarity. This project strengthened my ability to combine traditional and digital techniques to produce compelling, contemporary design work.

The challenge: Create a PSA poster using mixed media, including at least one physical collage, while ensuring the final design effectively communicated the message and balanced expressive, hands-on elements with professional clarity.


My solution: Inspired by David Carson’s experimental style, I created a mixed-media collage using paper scraps, magazine cutouts, paint, and markers. I then refined the composition digitally in Adobe InDesign and Photoshop, applying typography and colour adjustments to bring structure and clarity while preserving the tactile, expressive quality of the materials.


Results: The final poster merges raw, experimental visuals with clean, professional design, effectively communicating the PSA message while demonstrating a balance between creativity and clarity. This project strengthened my ability to combine traditional and digital techniques to produce compelling, contemporary design work.

The challenge: Create a PSA poster using mixed media, including at least one physical collage, while ensuring the final design effectively communicated the message and balanced expressive, hands-on elements with professional clarity.


My solution: Inspired by David Carson’s experimental style, I created a mixed-media collage using paper scraps, magazine cutouts, paint, and markers. I then refined the composition digitally in Adobe InDesign and Photoshop, applying typography and colour adjustments to bring structure and clarity while preserving the tactile, expressive quality of the materials.


Results: The final poster merges raw, experimental visuals with clean, professional design, effectively communicating the PSA message while demonstrating a balance between creativity and clarity. This project strengthened my ability to combine traditional and digital techniques to produce compelling, contemporary design work.

Original Collage
Image of the physical collage that was used as a base for the project
Sketches

The main idea was to illustrate a transition between the chaos and calm of the brain. The dense collage at the top gradually dissolves into open space, visually guiding the viewer from disorder to serenity and reinforcing the message of mental pause and relief.

initial sketches of the concept
Typography

The distressed-style headline typeface shows the urgency and mental overload, while the clean sans-serif subtitle typeface restores clarity and calm. This contrast mirrors the transition from stress to relief and reinforces the main message of this project.

Typography choices
Colour Palette

Variety of dark blues create tension and mental weight, while white space introduces breathing room. The red accent draws attention to the core action (“BREATHE”), functioning as both a visual anchor and emotional trigger.

colour palette of the project
Layers

The final poster was developed by digitally reworking the original physical collage into two layers. The typography was positioned between them, allowing the upper “clutter” layer to encroach on the letterforms. This interaction visually reinforced the theme of mental overload, with the visual weight concentrated toward the top of the composition.

project split into layers: base, typography and top layer
Final Design
A poster saying PAUSE, Breathe, Feel the Difference
A poster saying PAUSE, Breathe, Feel the Difference
The poster in a monolith stand outdoor

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