Romeo & Juliet Theatrical Poster
African inspired retelling of Shakespeare’s classical tragedy. The project focused on layout and composition. Visual storytelling through the use of one image
Theatrical Poster
In order to make this poster more original and unique, I decided to give the class stage play an African spin. The poster features African patterns and embellishments, while portraying Romeo & Juliet as African lovers, wearing tribal matrimonial masks.The black mass that grows up from the bottom of the page represents the fate of death that the lovers will ultimately face. The fresh approach to this time tested Shakespearean play still needed to readable and familiar, so a characters were staged in a classic kissing pose, with the male positioned above the female. Romeo & Juliet come together close enough to form a heart shape in the center of the page, in the negative space.
Theatrical Poster- Sketches
Here are a few of the preliminary sketches that I generated before beginning the final poster design. Traditional sketching tools including pencil and paper and a black sharpie were used. The initial design to the far left was intended to follow a more traditional telling of the story. The sketch in the center explored presenting the story in a more modern day approach. The sketch to the far right had strong potential, in my opinion, but it felt as though the hands were too generic. Ultimately, the sketch on the far left won out, but I needed a differentiating factor. I then though that it would be interesting to give the Shakespearean play an African twist.