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| The event sign design was "written in the cards." |
Another interesting thing they did this year is to have one of our librarians offer tarot card readings. She really knows how to do it from years of experience, so it wasn't like we just plopped some random novice down on a chair and said "okay, get crackin'...make up some interesting story about these cards as you flip them over! No one will ever know!" No, not us. Our reader—we call her Madame Psyche—gave 30 readings during her library event. And even though it was a youth services event, she said most of the interested people were adults. Well, that would make sense to me anyway.
To publicize this event, the youth department only requested a design for an 8.5x11 inch sign, 10 copies to be printed out. I went sourcing for images that had a medieval flair...shields, castles, helmets, flags, and tapestries. I ended up finding a nice tapestry with a unicorn posing over some shields, surrounded by a simple border of vines and shields. I blocked out the inner illustration of the unicorn so that I'd have a flat colour background to lay text over, then added a deck of tarot cards with a few sample cards splayed out in front of the deck. I styled the event text in some hand tooled/hand generated fonts and sent the concept on for approval. I couldn't resist to add my own little clever tagline: Your attendance is already written in the cards.
Not long after, I heard back via email from the requesting staff person that it was approved for print. A few minutes later, a second email came in, this one from Madame Psyche herself. She said she loved it, and in fact, had the very same deck of cards I chose to use for the sign and would use them for the event.
Now, how's that for "psychic designing"? J
I always knew you were psychic. Amazing how you've worked it into your career! The event sounded like a great time and your sign design was fabulous. Some people don't realize how much time is spent in researching for such a design. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThank you Bookworm. Yes, so many people think that "the perfect image is readily at hand," just waiting to be dropped into place with only the slightest of cognitive effort on the part of the person doing it. This doesn't bode well for the impression people have about the design process, but with a little time spent to educate them, the concept begins to sink in.
ReplyDeleteI actually love sourcing for images because it is during that time that I see what all the visual possibilities are that I could pursue.
There were no medieval tarot card readers in medieval times. Tarot cards appeared in the 15th century and they were used for games and not tarot readings. We have no evidence of any tarot card reading before the 18th century. I don't have a problem with tarot reading but I think it's wrong for libraries to falsify history and culture like this. I also think that libraries should give a more balanced and less stereotypical representation of these cards by teaching people how to play tarot card games instead of giving people the false impression they are only used in divination.
ReplyDeleteGreat points and insight, Anonymous! I will be sure to pass your valuable perspective on to our librarians.
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