LILLIAN GERHART
EVERY KID, EVERY DAY
"Every Kid, Every Day," is the title of a social impact poster I designed inspired by the “Fight for Kindness” typographic competition and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal #4: Quality Education. My goal for this poster was to highlight how access to quality education can shape a child’s future and inspire curiosity, growth, and confidence through custom lettering. I hoped to highlight that growing up with the chance to learn is a privilege, and I wanted this design to remind viewers of its value.
24" x 36"
17" x 30.3"
THE PROCESS
* Moodboard created for conceptual inspiration. All images used are for educational purposes only and are not my own.
When developing my mood board, I focused on illustrative, bright, and texturized visualizations. I drew inspiration from children’s books, playful crayon lettering, and hand-drawn illustrations to capture the feel that I wanted for my poster project. This direction helped me maintain a sense of authenticity while reinforcing the message that education is not only a right, but also a source of empowerment.
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REFINEMENT
After creating my first poster variation, I was
heading in the right direction with a strong and
creative concept. However, the main homework
page, which is meant to be the focal point,
wasn’t zoomed in enough which made it feel like
an afterthought. Additionally, the background
homework, like the math sheet, added too
much visual clutter and distracted from the
main message- so I eventually got rid of it.
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FEEDBACK:
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Effective visual communication
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Playful, creative, connects to childhood
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The front page is not big enough
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Homework in background is distracting
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Play with the contrast of colors
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Maybe fill in the name and date?
For my next poster variation, I kept the stacked papers in the background, but removed extra visuals to make it less distracting, leaving just plain white paper.
I also typed out the body text to look like it’s
embedded into other homework.
During critique, someone suggested handwriting it
in pen, like a teacher’s notes, so it feels more handmade. It was also mentioned that the lighting of the poster looked too yellow and dull, so scanning it might make it cleaner. The main homework
page, which is the main focal point, could also be zoomed in bigger so it's easier to look at.
After the critique, I adjusted the layout of the homework sheet by removing the bold header, “Week 9: Definitions,” to reduce clutter and save space. This also gave me more room at the bottom to draw with the crayons. Out of all the iterations I created, the third version on the right is my favorite. I love how the varying pressure of the crayon creates a natural rhythm, where some areas appear darker and more intense, while others are lighter and softer, giving the design a warm, textured feel.
This balance makes it look more genuine and thoughtfully made, almost as if a child carefully wrote it themselves. In contrast, the earlier versions felt too heavy and busy because the crayon marks were overly dark and solid. I also experimented with the body text to resemble a teacher’s handwritten feedback, suggesting they agree with the student’s definition of education and build upon it.
