I know I’m not unusual in my love for travel posters. This Japan travel poster is the first one I’ve had opportunity to do for quite some time. There are stunning examples of vintage adverts, postcards and guide covers from all over the world. They often use striking colour and quickly capture the atmosphere of a place in uncomplicated forms. Although the original ones were clearly designed to introduce new destinations to travellers, I think they now serve to remind us of the beauty in places we thought we knew. The very best ones revive that sense of discovery!
We’ve perhaps gone through an over-saturation of artists and graphic designers trying to recreate these destination posters. There’s lots of examples using digital artwork, that employ limited colour palettes and simplified shapes. It can be very effective but I have always been keen on the idea of painting my own travel posters. That is, using the same traditional media that those original artists used. It’s more time consuming (for me at least) but there’s more expression there… more detail. I decided I’d give it a try with my recent Chureito Pagoda painting and see what colours leapt out at me.
Majestic Seasons of Japan Travel Poster
My previous attempts at posters have been larger, but I wanted this one to be more manageable. At A2 this piece can be delivered at Royal Mail’s small parcel size… but it’s still a nice hit of colour on the wall! What do you think? What should be the destination for my next travel poster? Send me your suggestions over on facebook, twitter and instagram or drop me a line here.
