Visual Rhetoric Poster & T-Shirt
The 2nd Life of Fashion Conference | Poster & T-Shirt Design, Visual Communication | March 2025
Roles: Art Direction, Typography, Photography
Tools: InDesign, Photoshop, Photography
This project consisted of a poster and a two-color t-shirt designed for a hypothetical conference I created, The 2nd Life of Fashion, centered on overconsumption in the fashion industry.
The goal was to use principles of visual rhetoric to translate abstract theories into a system that questions and provokes.
Behind The Design:
To frame the issue, I developed carefully worded statements and questions, with “how much is too much?” serving as the core rhetorical device. I explored 45 thumbnail iterations, testing a variety of semiotic references tied to sustainability, material excess, and consumer culture, which helped refine how the message was communicated visually.
For the main imagery, I staged a photoshoot using my own hands adorned with every piece of jewelry I own. The composition evolved from a single overloaded hand to both hands in a dynamic pose with additional layers of jewelry, heightening visual impact and strengthening the rhetorical message.
Alongside the imagery, I refined the typographic system to establish hierarchy, clarity, and legibility, ensuring the design functioned effectively across both poster and t-shirt formats. Contextual information about the conference was integrated to reinforce the connection between the message and the event.
Through these choices, the project demonstrates how rhetorical strategies can be expressed visually, showing how design can move beyond information to spark reflection and dialogue. It also reflects my approach to thoughtful, structured design, emphasizing hierarchy, contrast, and clarity to create visually engaging and persuasive work across multiple formats.