Designing Immigrants
I'm pretty sure I have to make a poster announcing my defense talk on May 4. In spite of the fact that I've seen fliers for talks all over the department for the last seven years, I'm not entirely sure what to put on it. Here are the two options I cooked up in the last half hour.
First is a poster with a small centered graphic depicting Rome on the Peutinger Map. The idea is to evoke the concept of all roads leading to Rome (and thus immigrants flowing into Rome). This poster is relatively uncluttered - the title, author, date/place/time are clearly visible. I'm not sure the graphic translates very well to black-and-white or to being printed. (Click to enlarge - ignore the artifacts from doc-pdf-jpg conversion.)
Second is a poster with a full-page watermark-style graphic of a skeleton from one of the sites I studied. This poster actually looks quite striking when printed. I have it tacked up on the wall across the room, and at one glance, I can clearly see the skeleton. I might have to work on the dark blob in the upper left-hand corner, as I think it obscures the talk title a bit. But this is a poster that I would stop and read if passing in the hall. Then again, I stop and read anything with a skeleton on it, so I'm biased. (Click to enlarge - ignore the jpg artifacts.)
Opinions? Suggestions? Ideas?
Update #1 - Following a suggestion to make the graphic a sidebar (which is actually where it is on the cover slide of my talk)... I do always love a good watermark, but this version makes the text clearer. However, I'm worried that the skeleton image is less organic, like it's there just to titillate people.
First is a poster with a small centered graphic depicting Rome on the Peutinger Map. The idea is to evoke the concept of all roads leading to Rome (and thus immigrants flowing into Rome). This poster is relatively uncluttered - the title, author, date/place/time are clearly visible. I'm not sure the graphic translates very well to black-and-white or to being printed. (Click to enlarge - ignore the artifacts from doc-pdf-jpg conversion.)
Second is a poster with a full-page watermark-style graphic of a skeleton from one of the sites I studied. This poster actually looks quite striking when printed. I have it tacked up on the wall across the room, and at one glance, I can clearly see the skeleton. I might have to work on the dark blob in the upper left-hand corner, as I think it obscures the talk title a bit. But this is a poster that I would stop and read if passing in the hall. Then again, I stop and read anything with a skeleton on it, so I'm biased. (Click to enlarge - ignore the jpg artifacts.)
Opinions? Suggestions? Ideas?Update #1 - Following a suggestion to make the graphic a sidebar (which is actually where it is on the cover slide of my talk)... I do always love a good watermark, but this version makes the text clearer. However, I'm worried that the skeleton image is less organic, like it's there just to titillate people.
Comments
I know...random comments from someone you've never heard of who's been reading your blog (very much enjoying each post) while wishing he had gone back to get his PhD in anthropology. You probably get this all the time. =0)
I mocked up another version of the poster, as I already have the skeleton in a sidebar on my slide. It's definitely more readable than the watermark... plus, now people know that I'm not just talking about foreigners and slaves but also about their skeletons!
A little of topic, but what is the grey, possibly stone or cement cylinder protruding from the ground in the left of the skeleton picture?
http://johnrauchert.brinkster.net/work/images/Killgrove-talk-2Lib2_john.jpg
The overlapping lettering adds depth.
Since it was late after a long day at work yesterday, I realized I didn't do a great job of explaining my thoughts. I made a real quick mock up of what I thought might be good (of course again, completely random thoughts from a completely random person). It would probably pop a little better in color.
As for the libation tube... oil and wine were given to the dead on various holidays and birthdays. I don't know the history of the practice or the item; but mortuary practices tend to be fads. That is, they're memes and can become adopted in an area without the movement (colonization) of people. These tubes are found in the lower-class Roman cemeteries but not all that often, surprisingly.