A Movement was Forming
“On June 9th 2020, Dominique Alexander was found hanging from a tree. After 66 minutes, the NYPD ruled his death a suicide in Fort Tryon’s 67-acre park. The lead investigator took two weeks off and there was little communication with the family. The Alexander family does not believe this was a suicide.”
This project was born from the motivity of the moment. We didn’t have time to be meticulous in our planning. A movement was forming and a beacon was needed.
I collaborated with the organizer to produce a name. We decided to mirror the name after the premise of the movement: to declare justice for Dominique Alexander; thus, emerged DeclaringJustice.
Designing the Sign to Reflect the Times
The symbol and typeface needed to be striking. It needed to be bold. It needed to be recognizable. It needed to mean something.
I am often drawn to adinkra symbols from West Africa. They represent popular proverbs and maxims, record historical events, express particular attitudes or behavior related to depicted figures, or concepts uniquely related to abstract shapes.
Components of the icon:
Epa is the symbol of law and justice.
In our Western culture, the color red signifies danger, energy, passion, action, ambition and determination.
Black signifies mystery, the unknown, secretive, death.
The color red is often used to grab attention. It can be used to emphasize key points in a story, warn the viewer of danger, or create a sense of urgency for the viewer. Red is often associated with strength and might because historically red was seen as the color of blood, which was seen as life force.
The color black absorbs all light frequencies without reflecting them back. Black signals an absence of light or energy. It has also been used as a symbol for power throughout history. For example, in some African cultures black is worn as a sign of mourning. The color also signifies mourning in Christianity.
IN A FLASH
This was a time when the images and meanings came to me in a flash. This was a time where the story, out of absolute necessity, was impelled to reveal itself; and because of my training and skills, I was able to produce from the visceral, instead of the analytical.
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