Condradiction

The prompt

I was first drawn to this prompt because I thought it would be easy. Make a poster, but have the text be grossly misrepresented by the image? Should be easy enough. But then I realized that I was having a hard time coming up with two moods that were fully contradictory. The idea of using an image that is so incorrect for the message and text has been fairly common in media for a while. At first I thought of using a creepy image and bloody-looking font to say something cheerful, but I realized that horror movies have been using that idea for decades, and it enhances the scare rather than confuses it. A depressing image with happy text feels too much like a 2012 Tumblr depression post. Instead, I came up with a depressing text and used confetti and a cheerful font that makes it seem more like the invitation to a wealthy eight-year-old girl’s birthday party than a desperate cry for help. They were about as opposite as I could get.

I used Canva to design this. The font is called “Crafty Girls.” The background with all its colors definitely made it a little difficult to read, but I think that enhances the effect because it takes a little more effort. You take a minute to look at the confetti before reading it, and it makes it seem extra juxtaposed. It was just a happy accident.