"Creative Flux" Poster on Display
Project Background
The Saskatchewan Graphic Communications program was invited by TAFE WA North Metropolitan (North Metropolitan TAFE) in Perth, Australia to participate in an international poster exhibition. Each student was asked to design an A0 poster that would be printed and displayed on the school’s critique wall leading up to Australia’s National Skills Competition in June.
The exhibit aims to celebrate young Canadian designers, spotlight Saskatchewan Polytechnic graduates, and engage with the evolving challenges in the graphic design industry, drawing inspiration from the New Rules: Navigating Design’s Unfixed Future report.
The report highlights an industry in motion: more collaborative, research-driven, and technologically intertwined than ever before. It calls on designers to remain curious, transparent, and adaptable, offering a timely challenge to reimagine what it means to be a creative in today’s uncertain world.
Obstacle & Approach
The biggest challenge in this project was finding the balance between authenticity and experimentation. I wanted to push beyond my usual style without losing the essence of my voice as a designer. With only two days to complete the piece, I needed to respond meaningfully to complex themes like instability, identity, and the future of creative work.
To meet the brief, I created "Creative Flux", a visual exploration of chaos, growth, and the grounding force of nature. I started by revisiting a photographic composition from early in my design journey: a rose surrounded by flames. This became the foundation of the piece, symbolizing both the beauty and pressure of navigating a shifting creative industry.
Through early exploration, I experimented with different directions for the main subject, including a statuesque figure, a blindfolded woman, a figure enclosed by plastic wrap gasping for breath, and a more cyberpunk-inspired approach. After evaluating each option, I chose the blindfolded figure. It captured the feeling of uncertainty while still leaving room for interpretation and subtlety, which better suited the reflective tone I was aiming for. It also reflects the structure found in design principles and the design process, suggesting a balance between chaos and organization in the design industry.
Building from there, I layered natural floral elements to bring softness and stability into the composition. Additional symbols included a barcode from a previous Skills project (representing growth and future potential), a row of diminishing dots (iteration), a torn sticker (development and change), and three icons symbolizing transformation, time, and the rise of AI. Directional arrows hint at the uncertainty of the creative path, while a paper texture grounds the entire piece with a tactile, human element.
Summary
Creating “Creative Flux” pushed me to blend the personal with the conceptual. I was able to honour where I started while embracing the uncertainty of where design and I might be headed. Despite the short timeline, the process helped me distil how I see the industry: messy, beautiful, constantly evolving, and full of potential for those who remain open and adaptable. The final piece feels like a raw, honest snapshot of my mindset as a designer in transition.
