A Bear, a Bike, and a Band

A passion project! This gig poster was a delightful challenge to balance whimsy with depth. The concept of blending happiness with sorrow intrigued me, so I started my creative process with a word list focused on "happy," "peaceful," and "whimsical." From there, I zeroed in on a more profound idea: you can’t truly know happiness without understanding sorrow. With that in mind, I decided to capture this in a playful, unexpected way—a sad, blue bear riding a tiny kid’s bike up a hill. The bear is big, blue (both literally and figuratively), and struggling, which adds a touch of pathos and humor to the design.

By combining playful illustration with design principles like color theory, size contrast, and dynamic composition, I was able to communicate a message about perseverance. The poster shows that even in the face of hardship, positivity and hard work can help us rise above. The sun, ever-present in the background, reminds viewers that there's always hope if you look up.

And because I’m a sucker for patterns, I created a fun, visually engaging design for the back of the poster—just in case someone taped it to a window. You know, to keep the whimsy going from both sides!

Design principles at play: color theory, contrast, composition, and pattern design.