Chicago 2010 Poster Biennial

Gold Medalist, Stephan Bundi, Tartuffe (alias Etienne Bonjour), Switzerland

First you should understand that the posters in this show are more than good — they’re great. They’re so great, they immediately make me think of String Theory.

String Theory, as you undoubtedly know, is (potentially) a unified theory of physics: a reconciliation of General Relativity (Einstein) and Quantum Mechanics. In other words, our generally accepted views of the Big Picture and the Small Picture are universally at odds. String Theory presents a way to resolve this conflict with (quantum) beauty and (relative) simplicity. Brian Greene, noted theoretical physicist from Columbia University, made this concept accessible and exciting in a treatise he termed, The Elegant Universe. String Theory is indeed an “elegant” solution in that it wrestles complexity to the ground, rendering it not just digestible but palatable.

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And this is what makes a Poster great.

There are Poster makers represented in this show that were given the task of capturing the various facets of an opera, the emotional promise of a musical performance, or the gravity of a socially charged issue. In the face of these challenges, they did not run to the easy solution. They did not default to the expected. They did not show concern for our comfort. They worked hard to enlighten us. They dug deep to surprise us. They succeeded in provoking us. Within the confinement of a two-dimensional frame and a limited toolbox of visual devices, they wrestled with complexity and rendered it palatable, emotional and memorable. Their solutions are without question, elegant.

The first Chicago International Poster Biennial exhibition was held in Daley Bicentennial Plaza — part of Chicago’s Grant Park — in September of 2008. See a slideshow of that exhibition here. An exhibition of the 2010 winners is open to the public until July 28, 2011. More info here. The CIPBA will continue to advocate on behalf of posters and communication design as a shared, public experience.

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Comments (4) | JUMP TO MOST RECENT >>

If you can get to this show, go. You won't regret even a long drive to get there (it's worth building a day or evening in Chicago around). My partner and I went for the opening last week and had to look at all the posters twice (and the Poles and the Swiss, three times). I thought I was sorry to have missed the first show, and now I know just how sorry I should have been. I don't plan on that happening again.

Maurice Meilleur
07.19.11 at 03:06

Thank you for posting this article and gallery. Who doesn't love posters??? These are fantastic, and so proud of the Chicago International Poster Biennial for curating another amazing body of work!

Nancy Essex
07.19.11 at 03:44

String theory is background depedent. If we find a theory of quantum gravity, it will describe how space exist and not just what happens in space. String theory is like the women who looks beautiful from across the room. However, the closer you look, the more flaws you see. I'm sorry this has nothing to do with graphic design, but it's hard for me to see string theory used as the epitome of elegance.

Keith Champney
07.20.11 at 11:01

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ABOUT THE SLIDESHOW

A slideshow of the posters selected for the 2010 Chicago Poster Biennial.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert Petrick began his design career at age 10 when he entered the logo design contest for The Cleveland Browns. Having suffered rejection, he quickly learned to love the business and eventually obtained a design degree from The University of Cincinnati in 1978. In 1986, Robert formed Petrick Design, based on the philosophy that a flush world is a clean world.
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