Hurricane Poster Project Raises Consciousness and Money
by Craig Schlanser, 1 Mar 2007
A graduate of West Chester University with a M.F.A., Craig Schlanser has been a freelance graphic designer for a
variety of Philadelphia-area design studios since 2002. When he's not busy designing, drawing, reading, and writing, he
occasionally sleeps. Contact him at craigschlanser@hotmail.com.
I'll have to admit, I haven't thought about Hurricane Katrina in quite some time. After only a year and a half, the
once shocking images of people stranded on rooftops and huddled in a decrepit sports arena have started to fade. My
attention, it seems, has changed channels. Sadly, I didn't even realize this until I attended the reception for The
Hurricane Poster Project, an exhibition and benefit for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The event, which ran from January 16 to February 19 at the Wilson Hall lobby of Moore College of Art and Design,
featured 50 limited-edition posters donated by designers from all over the US and abroad. A number of local designers
were also included in the show, such as Soonduk Krebs (SK Designworks), Paul Kepple and Jude Buffum (Headcase Design),
Joe Scorsone and Alice Drueding, and Lanny Sommese.
Seeing these posters, with their wide range of emotions, reminded me of what America felt like in the immediate
aftermath of Katrina: angry, confused, and ashamed, but also hopeful, compassionate, and generous. This variety of
reactions was no accident. The project, organized by Leif Steiner of Moxie Sozo Design and Advertising in Boulder
Colorado, was meant to give the design community an unfiltered forum to express their views of the disaster. With no
constraints, the posters take on a raw, editorial feel. In today's corporate-dominated media environment, this brutally
honest form of discourse is rare outside of the internet. And while the posters can also be viewed on the accompanying
website (www.thehurricaneposterproject.com),
it's seeing them in person, in the presence of others, that makes the most impact.
The truth is, some of these posters can make you feel uncomfortable – not as uncomfortable as losing your home
or having your community uprooted, but uncomfortable enough to want to do something. That's persuasion at its finest.
It's proof that design has the potential to do more than sell consumer goods, an idea steadily gaining currency in the
design community.
In fact, back in 2000 a handful of influential designers published an updated version of Ken Garland's 1964 First
Things First Manifesto. This controversial document urged the design community to reject outwardly commercial
projects in favor of those deemed more socially conscious. And while some dismissed the manifesto as hopelessly
utopian, many more were inspired to use their skills outside of the commercial realm. Steiner himself said, "When
the hurricane hit, it dawned on us that we could be doing so much more with our skills than designing brochures for
ski resorts."
The skills that Steiner refer to are, without a doubt, instrumental in selling cars, clothes, and all sorts of
hi-tech gadgetry. But, they also have the power to provoke, motivate, inspire, and raise our social
consciousness—not to mention money for a good cause. Sales from these posters, which are still available for
purchase online, go directly to the American Red Cross.
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