Freedom of Religion

This poster was designed for Amnesty International (a human rights organization which fights to free prisoners of conscience).  The poster is a tool used by the organization to educate the public on the topic of Freedom of Religion from their Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As I was looking through Woody Pirtle’s website, I noticed several layouts that he did for Amnesty and this one caught my eye.  This piece is highly influenced by the Swiss International Style.  The layout is on an obvious grid and the font is a san-serif style - probably Helvetica.  The use of various weights and sizes of types, the ninety-degree rotation of the title “Freedom of Religion” and “Article 18”, and the enlargement of object photographs were all commonly used by Swiss practitioners.  The filtered image of the candle and flame is a universal representation of religion, hope, and freedom.

The candle is also part of Amnesty International’s logo.  In the logo, however, the candle is surrounded by barbed wire which represents the suppression of human rights.

I think this poster is a highly effective, persuasive piece of graphic art.