Mandela Poster Project Provides Fitting Tribute to Hero

When global, human-rights icon Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5, 2013, the world’s greatest signs helped the bells toll. In Paris, the Eiffel Tower was bathed in the colors of the South African flag; in Times Square, menuboards scrolled out the news, and, in Japan’s glitzy Ginza district, entire walls were alive with images of Mandela.

But, months earlier, while Mandela was ill in a Pretoria hospital, designers from all over the world submitted more than 700 posters as part of “The Mandela Poster Project”. From those 700 submissions, 95 were selected to be exhibited at the University of Pretoria. These colorful examples appropriately celebrate Mandela’s 95th birthday, not to mention the life and legacy of a man truly beloved.

The concept that, given the exact same project parameters, different designers will create vastly differing designs, has always fascinated me. I once took photos of more than 100 beach-house signs, while on vacation, to study the scope and range of design solutions. Every design, in some way, bears the individual mark of its designer.

It’s always good to remember that, and reflect on the value a creative design team brings to a project. Few things illustrate this concept as clearly as a poster competition: same parameters, different solutions. The 11 examples you see here are as diverse as the nations they represent, yet all of them fit the criteria and creatively reflect their iconic subject.