Ashley Persia

For this project, I created four compositions using George Lois’s quote, “Creativity can solve almost any problem.” One includes only type, while the other three use imagery and type. I was also challenged to use traditional, non-digital methods in two compositions.

Each composition is vastly different from the others to show just how differently this quote can be interpreted. As well as the quote, each composition has an ambiguity that leaves it open for interpretation from the viewer as well. However, my personal reasoning for each piece can be found below.

Behind the Design

The goal of this composition was to include only typography. I created my own hand lettering for the word “creativity” and the question mark. The rest of the quote is written in Futura. When I first read this quote, I questioned why the word “almost” was included. I wanted to believe that creativity could solve any problem, not just almost any problem. I put the word “almost” inside the question mark to show my reservations on the use of the word. Overall, the red contrasting with the light blue gives this composition a bold and empowering feel.

Behind the Design

This composition shows the pathways and brainstorming used to solve a problem. I wanted to show that problems can have multiple solutions and that multiple different pathways can lead to a solution. When filling in the pathways, I also wanted to show that problem-solving is not always linear; the filled-in path loops back on itself before leading to the end. The word “creativity” is emphasized here to show that creativity can lead to different ideas.

Behind the Design

I have always been interested in the graffiti and stickers put up around RIT’s campus. This interest led to my hobby of peeling graffiti stickers off the pipes, lampposts, and walls around RIT to keep in my scrapbook. I always thought these stickers were a creative way for people to spread messages and express themselves. It was with this in mind that I created this composition—a mishmash of graffiti stickers spelling out the quote. I took inspiration from real stickers that I have collected in my scrapbook. The background is a real photograph I took at RIT of their iconic bricks, as if the stickers were really stuck on RIT’s campus. The creativity of graffiti, paired with the sustainable reuse of stickers, perfectly encapsulates this quote. There are also QR codes everywhere you look on campus: on flyers, posters, signups, etc. In this composition, the QR code takes the place of the word “almost” in the quote. Scan the code to see the word.

Behind the Design

The last composition is not typically immediately understood by the viewer; I wanted the viewer to question what was happening. As part of my research for this project, I asked different people what this quote reminded them of to get different viewpoints and perspectives. One of the people I asked, an engineering student, told me about Stephen Gray’s “Dangling Boy” experiment. In the 1700s, scientists knew that humans were able to conduct electricity, so Gray began using orphans in his experiments to conduct electricity. While a disturbing story to hear now, this is truly a creative solution to a problem. It was in this composition that I decided to emphasize the word “any,” as this is an unexpected problem. The orphan is holding a wooden rod with a metal ball that is conducting the electricity that lights up the word “any.”