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BEHIND THE PROJECT
The idea behind this project was to design a poster for Echowave, a fictional rave based in Los Angeles.
I have a deep appreciation for poster design, especially for alternative music festivals, since they offer the freedom to experiment. After researching current references, I decided to create a retro-inspired design.
I started with a photo I took myself—a street lined with palm trees, perfectly capturing the essence of the West Coast. Before diving into the typography, I incorporated another image I had: a hanging sneaker on a wire, a classic urban symbol of LA. To enhance the raw, underground feel, I applied an inverted color effect and added a grainy texture, evoking the look of a hand-printed flyer.
For typography, I chose all sans-serif fonts. The title, "Echowave," features a bold, wavy, and distorted effect, playing on the concept of "waves" and sound vibrations. To further integrate it with the background, I added a subtle glitch effect, enhancing the texture and depth. The event lineup was carefully placed in an open area of the composition, while the date, time, and venue were aligned using the palm trees as natural visual guides—allowing the background and text to interact seamlessly.
To emphasize the handcrafted aesthetic, I applied a grunge texture to the date and venue text, referencing traditional poster-making techniques from the pre-digital era. Additionally, I hand-drew dynamic lines over the palm tree canopy, symbolizing sound waves and infusing the composition with energy.
The color choices were intentional—not only to create strong contrast, but also to allow for an alternate version of the poster with inverted colors, turning a single design into two distinct yet cohesive final results.
