Graphic Design & Media Design
Fading Freedoms
Year
2025
Duration
6 months
Tools
After Effects, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop
Overview
A design exploration of the gradual erosion of civil liberties. The project visualizes how freedoms can disappear quietly, using print, motion and editorial design to provoke reflection and awareness.
A2 Poster – static design exploring fading typography and symbolism
Photoshoot – outdoor documentation with vibrant backgrounds to highlight contrasts
Editorial Booklet – a series of A5 cards with texts, definitions and imagery
Animated Poster – a motion graphic version bringing the fading concept to life
Research
The project began with an exploration of the concept of freedoms fading over time. Instead of tying the theme to one political context, the research focused on the broader idea of rights and liberties slowly disappearing from society, freedoms of speech, expression, equality, and human dignity. I studied visual metaphors such as shadows, light, fading colors, and closing spaces to translate the abstract issue into a strong graphic language.
Design
The design process started with a printed A2 poster, using gradients, typographic structures, and symbolic fading effects. The poster was then photographed outdoors, placing it against vivid and textured backgrounds to emphasize contrast and create new meanings in context. From there, the project expanded into an editorial booklet: a series of A5 cards, each combining texts, definitions and visuals to deepen the narrative. Finally, the poster was reinterpreted as an animated motion graphic, using After Effects to bring the fading theme into dynamic movement.
Results
The project culminated in an exhibition at "Kräftner" in Graz, where the different outcomes were brought together in one space. The A2 posters were displayed on the walls, highlighting the graphic message. On tables visitors could explore the booklet series, engaging more deeply with definitions reflections and imagery. Large screens with headphones invited the audience to experience the animated poster, translating the fading of freedoms into motion and sound. The exhibition emphasized how each medium complements the others print for permanence, editorial, for reflection and animation for immersion. The animated poster can also be viewed below.
