Youmacon Posters

Poster System, Print, Demographic Research

The Task

Develop a series of communication pieces for a real, already established organization that will get the word out about a particular Michigan tourist interest that would attract a specific audience group. Consider culture and audience in the development and evaluation of a comprehensive brand system for a limited event. My organization of choice was Youmacon, a yearly anime convention that takes place in Detroit.

The Process

The start of any process is research. Since the 2022 convention was starting at the same time as this project, my first step was to go to the convention and speak with attendees to determine what drew them to the event. I then researched the history of anime, related conventions, japanese advertising, and the types of people most eager to attend an event like Youmacon. I explored the emotions and concepts most common among the fans and initially distilled them down to Pride, Belonging, and Freedom.

The Takeaway

My initial thought was that I would make three posters to embody the three emotions that I wanted to speak to, but in the end, I focused on the different aspects that produced Pride among my target audience: quality of cosplay and impressive collections. While I was not able to add a third poster due to time constraints, I know a third would be possible in this series.