Design to represent 26th Annual Lincolnville Festival
By Hannah Locke
When visiting Lincolnville you may not associate birds on telephone wires with the surrounding 19th century buildings, but Junior Ian Latchmansingh saw the complex wiring between the poles one day while walking to his home in Lincolnville and immediately thought of his class assignment.
Graphic Design I instructor Chris Smith encouraged his class to enter the Poster Contest for the 26th Annual Lincolnville Festival.
“The project was for a grade,” Smith said. “I wanted them to compete with each other to motivate them to do their best. In the real world designers are always competing against each other. This was our first time entering this contest. It was open to the general public, but I knew we had a pretty good chance in winning.”
Latchmansingh, a graphic design major, said he chose his images because it was an area in transition. The poster gives a feel of communication — maybe from the black community to its past, or maybe from the black to the white community, or maybe between its diverse residents that currently live there.
“My design originally derived from a photograph of the telephone poles,” he said. “Then I added the birds and the ribbons of color. The red, yellow and green symbolize the African-American culture. The design is really a subtle, abstract concept.”
His concept grabbed the attention of the Special Events Chair of the Fort Mose Historical Society, Derek Hankerson.
“When I saw Ian’s poster I was moved,” Hankerson said. “It captures the essence of what we want to say; that the festival is back downtown.”
Latchmansingh won the contest and his poster is now the official trademark of the 26th Annual Lincolnville Festival.
“Ian really picked up on the visual element, on design,” Smith said. “He lives in Lincolnville, so he had a certain advantage over the rest. His poster shows good typography and other design attributes.”
Along with winning the contest, Latchmansingh’s poster will be the design on the Festival’s T-shirts. He also was offered continuous freelance projects for Martinez Communications.
The rest of the class can sell their posters at the festival as a way of promoting their work and making a profit from their dedication.
“I have never seen such quality work from such students before,” Hankerson said. “They were so diligent and hard working. All of the students inspired me and my board members.”
“I wanted the project to serve the community while giving my students a learning opportunity,” Smith said.
And that is exactly what happened. Four other students from the class now have opportunities to use their posters for the upcoming Jazz Festival at the beginning of the year.
The 26th Annual Lincolnville Festival will be held on the first weekend of November on Washington Street.
It is a free event, but the Fort Mose Historical Society has many sponsors, including Art Walk and The St. Augustine Record.
All proceeds will go towards the second building phase of the African-American Museum. The events will include music, arts and culture and food. They plan to have tours of the walking trail of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
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