Experimental Poster Collection - part 1
I had a great time designing these original posters using a series of various design techniques such as geometric strategy and structure and the use of gradient art.
This task taught me a lot and I was free to be creative but to design each poster within my own set of rules. I enjoyed the research phase and took inspiration from many sources. Particularly the various pieces of street poster art found around the streets of Amsterdam city. One of the goals I set myself was to try something new with each design. No two posters should look the same and a lesson should be learnt from each exercise.
Overview / Motivation
This collection represents one of my most experimental passion projects — a series of posters created with no brief, no rules, and no predetermined outcomes. I approached each piece as a conceptual puzzle, letting intuition, curiosity, and spontaneous design play guide the direction.
The intention wasn’t to execute a specific idea, but to discover the idea through the process itself. Each poster was an act of excavation — like Michelangelo’s “David in the marble,” the design already existed somewhere within the creative chaos. My job was simply to chip away through experimentation until the final concept revealed itself.
Creative Goals
With this collection, I aimed to:
Push my creative instincts without constraints
Explore unusual compositions, visual metaphors, and abstract concepts
Experiment with tools, brushes, textures, and digital techniques I rarely use in client work
Develop designs through iteration rather than planning
Embrace the unknown and let each poster emerge naturally
Create striking visuals with strong conceptual foundations
The project became a space to rediscover the joy of design as exploration.
Process
Play First, Understand Later
Instead of starting with final ideas, I approached each poster with open-ended curiosity. I experimented freely with shape, colour, and texture — allowing unexpected forms and rhythms to appear. Many designs started as accidents or loose sketches that evolved into something meaningful.
Technique Exploration
I treated this collection as a testing ground for new tools and workflows:
Custom brushes
Layer blending and hybrid texturing
Distortions, warping, and abstract shaping
Negative space experimentation
Unconventional typography placement
Mixed-media visual approaches
Each experiment informed the next, creating a visual conversation throughout the series.
Conceptual Development
Once the shapes and movements began forming interesting patterns, I leaned into them conceptually — finding meaning, narrative, or symbolism within the emerging design. Instead of forcing an idea onto the poster, I let the idea reveal itself through the process.
Refinement
After discovering each poster’s “voice,” I polished the composition, clarified visual hierarchy, tightened colour palettes, and refined textures. The goal was to balance raw experimentation with a sense of finished, intentional design.
Outcome
Part 1 of the Experimental Poster Collection showcases bold, intuitive, concept-driven artwork that feels both spontaneous and thoughtfully crafted. Each poster becomes a snapshot of experimentation — visual artifacts born from curiosity, layered thinking, and pushing beyond my typical design process.
The final collection is cohesive not through a rigid style, but through its shared spirit of discovery.
What I Learned / Personal Impact
Creativity thrives when you remove expectations
Concepts can be uncovered rather than invented
Experimentation with tools often leads to unexpected breakthroughs
Letting go of the “correct way” opens space for playful innovation
Passion projects sharpen instincts and broaden creative vocabulary
This project stands as a reminder of why experimentation is essential — not just for improving technique, but for reconnecting with the core joy of design.