in the fall of 2013, my undergrad professor at missouri state university invited me to participate in an international poster exhibition he was organizing. titled "sarejevo 100", it is a collection of historical events from the past century of this storied city.
after doing initial research on the city and learning a lot, i initially wanted to do a piece on some little-known aspects about the siege of sarajevo, which, at almost four years long, was the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. i became very interested in the sarajevo tunnel, which was secretly dug to link the city with UN-controlled territory, allowing much-needed supplies to be taken into the city.
ultimately, though, i decided that i needed to look at the history of this city in a personal way, and that history is a result of the collective actions of ordinary people. part of my development as a designer is influenced by sarajevo though my professor, cedomir, who was born there and was taught by mladen kolobaric at the academy of fine arts in sarajevo. cities influence people in myriad ways; teachers influence students who become teachers and continue the cycle, each in their respective cities. this is where i landed with my poster concept. part of the history of sarajevo is its cultural output; the connections and lineage it engenders.
initial pencil sketches for lettering
[more to come on this project as i finish production]