Graphic Stories Cyprus is a series of events related to visual communications, both in a local way and internationally. It consists on conferences, lectures, workshops, happenings and a contest of poster design.
For the seventh year in a row, the organisation held the event in the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia. The high profile of the participants, lecturers and jurors made the event earned the "Remarkable Arts Festival" given by the European platform "Europe for festivals / Festivals for Europe".
For this edition the brief for the poster design contest (entitled "Break down the walls") was a poem from one of the most remarkable greek writters, it was the first time I ever faced such kind of briefing and from the beginning it just hocked my interest:
“Walls”
Without consideration, without pity, without shame
they have built great and high walls around me.
And now I sit here and despair.
I think of nothing else: this fate gnaws at my mind;
for I had many things to do outside.
Ah why did I not pay attention when they were building the walls.
But I never heard any noise or sound of builders.
Imperceptibly they shut me from the outside world.
they have built great and high walls around me.
And now I sit here and despair.
I think of nothing else: this fate gnaws at my mind;
for I had many things to do outside.
Ah why did I not pay attention when they were building the walls.
But I never heard any noise or sound of builders.
Imperceptibly they shut me from the outside world.
Constantine P. Cavafy [1863 – 1933]
The first step to fight for freedom or demand your rights is to open your eyes, to be aware of those walls, those barriers sometimes not obvious that can even be in your mind, controlling your desires and actions. That's my conceptual background for this poster design, my thinking starting point.
Visually I wanted to make a statement (by showing a person breaking free) that it depends on you to take action and start the change. I didn't wanted to be literal, to show a wall, to portrait someone smashing it... the image of the sunglasses as hands covering the eyes conveys the idea that if you accepted to "wear" those barriers, you are the only one who can get rid of them.
When developing the illustration I was keen to execute an image that's not related to some specific demand (for instance ecologic, political or international conflict) and I wanted that the character was also neutral, it's ambiguous physiognomy can subtly make it look like a boy or a girl.
The aim was to connect with the biggest audience possible, to make most of the people feel free to make this statement as if it was theirs.
My design earned the 1st place in its category (International Professionals), amongst nearly 900 entries around the world.
