This project reinterprets symbolic language and visual aesthetics through poster design, drawing inspiration from a selected exhibition piece. We examined how typography, form, and color serve as symbolic tools to amplify meaning and create impact. Decolonizing Ukrainian Design, first exhibited at The Cooper Union in New York, showcases posters that celebrate Ukrainian culture in response to Russian aggression. By closely studying the nuances of type and imagery, this project seeks to create a visually cohesive and striking composition that reimagines the original message in a fresh, compelling way. Activism and art have long been intertwined—this work explores the way art can push the boundaries of visual communication.

Translation: In the spring blue field

A black-clad woman will appear

Screaming the names of her sisters 

Like a bird in the empty sky 

The original poster illustrates a poem by Victoria Amelina, a Ukrainian novelist and war crimes researcher. Following the Russian Invasion, she recorded the stories and voices of impacted individuals. Victoria died in July 2023 after sustaining injuries from a missile attack. Amplifying the experiences of Ukrainian people through her writing, Victoria sought to give a voice to those who felt silenced.

For my poster response, I was inspired by the last line of the poem: Like a bird in the empty sky. An empty sky is one without hope–a vastness and emptiness associated with a lack of personal agency and possibility. In the context of the Ukrainian war, for many individuals the sky has become empty, deprived from a cloud of hope. While the sky might be empty, a bird remains in flight. The national bird of Ukraine is a white stork, of which is often associated with freedom, peace, rebirth, and protection. The bird is a voice of truth. The bird is a beacon of hope. The bird is a light found within the vastness, a dream realized in the deepest of sleeps.