Hand-Drawn Typography Illustration

Poster Collection


A collection of posters, both for the International Poetry Forum and personal experiments, where I explore dynamic type and illustration.

Photoshop, Illustrator

2-3 Weeks per Poster /2024- 2025

Sole Designer


01 / Srikanth Reddy: Poetry of the Underworld


Poster for Poetry of the Underworld, a reading by Srikanth Reddy at the International Poetry Forum. To me, the phrase Poetry of the Underworld conjures up ideas of smokey bars, jazz sessions, and beatniks spouting subversive gab in late-night cafés. To capture that atmosphere, I leaned into cloak-and-dagger, Saul Bass-esque imagery. 

This poster is a 3x3 MagazineMerit Award Winner. It will be published in the 3x3 International Illustration Annual No.22 and the Online Gallery.

The CMU School of Design interviewed me for an article on this poster! Read it below.

School of Design Article
Process Blog



02 / Red Right Hand


Poster inspired by one of my favorite songs: Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. By combining skewed type with a sinister, grasping figure, I sought to emulate the track’s ominous atmosphere. For a design class assignment, I brought this design into the physical realm through screenprinting.

This poster is a 3x3 MagazineMerit Award Winner. It will be published in the 3x3 International Illustration Annual No.22 and the Online Gallery.



03 / Judy Collins at the International Poetry Forum


Poster for a reading by Grammy-winning artist Judy Collins at the International Poetry Forum. Inspired by the folksy, psychedellic posters of Judy’s mid-seventies heyday. With this piece, I stepped out of my typographical comfort zone to play with swooping, ornamental letterforms. For my portrait of Judy, I also challenged myself with a more detailed style of illustration.

Judy’s Instagram Post
Process Blog



04 / Get Hip


A groovy little piece borne from my fascination with late-fifties beatnik culture. Features a blue fellow inspired by midcentury illustration styles, along with playfully wonky hand-drawn type. Later, I created a risograph version as a printmaking experiment.

This poster is a 3x3 MagazineMerit Award Winner. It will be published in the 3x3 International Illustration Annual No.22 and the Online Gallery.




©Rusu 2025     /    Mulţumesc!