April Keomorokot, a London-based digital creator, designed a poster to inspire others to support small businesses during the COVID pandemic. It's inspiring to see how people can bring love and light to those who need it the most throughout a time of so much darkness. The fact that April created this poster to post on social media and it grew so exponentially that it's now printed all over London in store windows is phenomenal. It just goes to show that there is always a silver lining, and if you were looking for a sign to shop local, this is it.
I designed the poster in June of last year, as stores were reopening, after the first lockdown. I noticed the power social media has, specifically during COVID and the BLM movement, when visual communication became more essential than ever.
It was beautiful to see the way people came together to support their community. I wanted to contribute and shed light on local businesses that needed it as well as positivity. After my poster went viral on Instagram, I got connected with a risograph print shop to print my work. It's now all over London in store windows where all proceeds goes to a hospitality charity.
I feel last year, many designers made their own briefs during the pandemic as they had time. The need to shop local is universal to everyone but especially small businesses. The challenge was getting my personal work out into the world and to experiment with manipulating images. As a digital designer this was new to me. It had a slower process of layering, similar to painting.
The arrangement of fruits was taken in front of a grocer's when we had to queue for 30 minutes before we could go in. I was excited to see all the exotic fruits, drawn particularly to the custard apple for it's pattern. I liked that the imagery came from a unique time, the start of the 'new normal'. Generally, I enjoy taking photos of everyday life on my phone and now refer to them for concepts.
Project Credits
PageMasters.co , Risograph Print Shop