Poster, Freedom / Equality / Liberty / Security / Property,

1989

After training at Kansas City Art Institute, April Greiman studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule Basel (Basel School of Applied Arts) under Armin Hofmann (1920­–2020) and Wolfgang Weingart (1941–2021). It is thus no coincidence that her graphic design combines Swiss Style tenets with postmodern approaches, and analog with digital design. Her interest in computer-based methods was demonstrated in 1990 in the publication Hybrid Imagery—The Fusion of Technology and Graphic Design. One year earlier, she numbered among the sixty-six designers selected by the Paris-based Artis ’89 to create a poster commemorating the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution and the adoption of Europe’s first declaration of human rights. By sampling images and text, she brings multilayered dynamics into play, with individual geometric planes calming the composition. A number of pictorial elements, such as the dove of peace, immediately catch the eye, while others, like the angel, tend to be spotted upon closer inspection, underscoring the complexity of the content. (Bettina Richter)