Project Description
This poster project is a visual invitation to Xiamen, a vibrant coastal city in China and the designer's hometown. Through atmospheric imagery and playful typography, the design aims to spark curiosity and a sense of wanderlust in travelers who may not be familiar with the city.
My Role
As both the designer and the local insider, my role involved crafting a visual narrative that authentically represents Xiamen’s spirit. I brainstormed mood-based keywords, gathered reference visuals, sketched layouts, and iterated through poster drafts until the final composition felt both inviting and true to the city's personality. My personal connection to Xiamen informed every design choice—from the typography to the layout flow—ensuring the result felt vibrant, familiar, and uniquely mine.
The Challenges
The biggest challenge was figuring out how to appeal to people who have never heard of Xiamen before. I needed to create a visual that doesn’t just inform, but excites—something that makes someone stop and say, “Wait, where is this place and why haven’t I been?” Balancing vivid aesthetics with clarity, and avoiding visual clichés while still capturing the city’s tropical and coastal charm, were key design problems I had to work through.
The Problem
Many travelers overlook lesser-known cities simply because they haven’t heard of them. Xiamen, despite being a dynamic and beautiful place, often goes unnoticed in broader travel conversations. There’s a gap in awareness—not many people know what makes Xiamen worth visiting or what it looks and feels like. Without a compelling first visual impression, the city risks staying hidden from curious travelers.
The Solution
This travel poster uses bold composition, coastal color themes, and a playful slogan—“Chill, explore, and repeat”—to offer an eye-catching snapshot of what Xiamen has to offer. It doesn’t rely on detailed explanation but instead evokes a mood: young, sunny, romantic, and full of discovery. The goal is to make someone who’s never heard of Xiamen feel a spark of connection and a desire to know more—because a good poster doesn’t just inform, it invites.