This is next draft of the 2009 Conference Brochure I posted earlier. There was some concern on the first draft that the meaning of the single hand could be mistaken as “stop!” and not as it was intended. Note taken. I went through several alternative designs and settled with hands again, this time in a outreaching gesture as though to grasp each other. I also took the time to warp the words according to the curves of each hand, which turned out pretty well.
I was dreading the design of this brochure since I first heard the topic: mental health forensics. It’s such a dry topic for one thing, and another, the obvious imagery had to be avoided at all costs: handcuffs, jail cell bars, jumpsuit orange, and so forth. The conference is about providing help to people with mental illnesses who would otherwise be imprisoned.
It took a while, but I finally came up with the symbol of the hand. It’s a bit generic, but only as it needs to be. Most people in law need to take an oath and those testifying in court need to swear in. A hand in the position of swearing an oath seemed like the perfect visual for the main conference theme of “Responsibility and Recovery.”
The hand on the cover may be viewed as a palm facing outward during a swearing-in process or as a palm downward on a book to swear by. The hand also serves as a reminder for those in positions of power that the human touch is essential in what they do.
I’m pleased with the design and look forward to designing the rest of the brochure.
