Process presentation for the development of the Looking Closer poster series, a self-shot and designed collection encouraging playful discovery using Japanese landmarks

1. POSTER PROJECT
kate’s class michelle lee

2. ARTIST’S STATEMENT
What would you find if you took the time to look closer?
This has been the leading question throughout this project, aiming to encourage
people to take a break from rushing through their environments for long enough to
appreciate small details otherwise often overlooked. In a moment of observation,
your imagination has time to breathe and even play. This poster series uses
photos taken at well-known locations to recontextualize the beauty that exists in
man-made locations, coaxing people to explore the world around them.

3. WHAT ADDRESSING/
ASKING/EXPRESSING?
★ encouraging slow looking, playfulness, and giving attention to details and
corners often overlooked
★ expressing a love for the world in macros and the value in stopping to look
closer at things

4. WHO AUDIENCE/
BENEFICIARY?
★ english speaking tourists (for now)
★ people walking on the streets with time and ability to look
★ possibly tourist/heritage sites featured

5. EXISTING
PRECEDENTS/
SOLVED
ELSEWHERE?

6. poster inspo

7. tatsuya tanaka

8. PROJECT
PROCESS

9. sketches

10. very first draft

11. first presentation

12. interating

13. Interating p.2

14. second presentation

15. no site sketches, more legible type

16. playing with type and interactions

17. playing with the possibility of shifting posters

18. Iterating, this time with a rubber stamp-inspired location logo

19. the three location stamps

21. playing with the type

22. playing with doing a magnified area

23. playing with one tagline

24. NARRATIVE/ HOW IT WORKS
★ 2’x3’ posters (vinyl or digital) placed in public areas (bus stop, sidewalk
adjacent, train platforms)
★ notice the full-bleed imagery from afar, notice type as they approach, notice
small figures at the closest. lead them in and let them wander
★ walk away entertained by the figures and inspired to look for little details.
maybe even seek out where the photos were taken at the sites.

37. FUTURE WORKS
★ general refinement
★ further develop location-specific rubber stamps
★ perhaps tie into a treasure-hunt style concept
★ interactive stick figure posters or disappearing figures
★ play on sizing - postcards to side of buildings, how can this similar concept be
applied and how does it change with scale
★ a series that uses the triptych/diptych macro/micro contrasts