Science Fiction - Life On Earth Exhibit Design Idea

This initial idea for promotional images/posters for the ‘Life on Earth’ exhibition takes iconic images from history as a way of representing Earth. The idea behind this is that perhaps photographs and images that haver been archived, will be one of the main sources of information that the new Martian civilisation would have about Earth. 

The design of the banner is heavily inspired by the design of the Moving to Mars exhibit book design, using a modern sans serif typeface but with a more Earth inspired background colour. 

Ethical Considerations - While these images would be a great way to represent earth to a future generation on mars, in regards to me using them for my designs now, I do not have the rights to use them.

Re-reading the brief, it does say that the outcome should be a singular product or item. I have done a few branding projects where I have produced multiple items of collateral for a visual identity, but I think the best direction for this outcome would be to produce one singular design/product, which is far more considered. I like the idea of it being this future artefact and it in itself is a piece of science fiction. 

Thinking about creating something more intricate and elaborate, really makes me think of this idea of the future martian civilisation perceiving life on earth in a mythological light. This ties back to the research I did into proto-science fiction and the some of visuals that represented these stories such as the detailed illustrations of the “tale of the bamboo cutter’ story. 

Thinking about early examples of visual communication, from well over 1000 years ago, there are many examples such as Ancient Greek Vases and hieroglyphics which are very illustrative and pictographic, depicting historic and mythological scenes and events. This method of visual communication is so far from how we visually communicate now that it really represents the length of time between these moments in history. 

I could create a poster, advertising this ‘Life on Earth’ exhibit, utilising illustrative and pictographic visual devices. The poster would be large and elaborate and this more primitive design style would demonstrate how far in the future this exhibit is taking place, and how much this future civilisation has forgotten about Earth. With information, facts and stories about earth simply being passed down via word of mouth and whatever information and images have been saved or archived, many aspects would be embellished, because so many aspects of living on earth would be so inexplicably unfamiliar to this future martian civilisation, it almost would seem mythological.

As I have mentioned previously in my research, science fiction is often most successful when it presents these radical or exciting idea of a future, but makes these ideas accessible by mixing it with things and ideas that we are familiar with. By creating a design which shows this future martian generation painting living on earth in a very primitive and ancient light, it is demonstrating how far in the future this work is from, and how much they have developed.