The house of Bernarda Alba

2024

01 ABOUT

The House of Bernarda Alba written by Federico Garcia Lorca is a highly known play in Spanish history.  The entire project draws direct inspiration from the play itself, which tells the story of five sisters at the mourning period following their father’s death. Around this premise, the narrative unfolds, addressing socially relevant themes nowadays such as the oppression of women and the emphasis some people have on maintaining appearances in front of others.

This project includes a poster designed for a theater company that staged the play, along with other necessary elements for the production, such as flyers.

03 DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

The process began with a brainstorming session involving the actors from the play, who know better than anyone what the story means and represents. After hearing various ideas and interpretations, an initial sketch was created, which evolved into the illustration featured on the poster.

The outstretched hand, reaching for something and positioned as the centerpiece of the illustration, represents one of the sisters, Adela—the sister who fights for her freedom and against her mother’s authority. Surrounding her, the other hands symbolize her sisters, trying to hold her back. The chains represent the mourning period and the mother’s authority, which forces the sisters to remain at home under strict rules.

One of the hands features a ring, symbolizing the engagement ring given to one of the sisters by the man she is to marry—a gesture that could grant her the freedom she longs for. The background, although dark, is adorned with stars, frequently mentioned throughout the play. Together, these elements capture the essence of one of the main characters and her struggle to escape the confines of a home where she lacks the freedom she craves.

The typography combines a more traditional serif font, referencing the play’s status as a classic of Spanish theater, with a Sans Serif typeface to ensure readability, even from a distance. This was a key consideration for making the poster legible on the street while also catching the attention of passersby and encouraging them to attend the play.

Designing the flyer posed a challenge, as it needed to include a lot of information while remaining clear and easy to read. The Sans Serif font from the poster was chosen for its legibility, even at smaller sizes, allowing all necessary text to be included. The flyer also adopted the key colors from the poster to maintain visual coherence.

Not all the logos included on the poster and flyer had a single-color version available, so the full-color versions had to be used despite not being ideal choice.

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