When designing my poster for the Indiana University Dance Marathon (IUDM), I chose designer Nia Gould as my influence. Nia is a designer and illustrator known for her whimsical, art history-inspired work featuring cats and bold, graphic styles. I was drawn to her playful yet sophisticated aesthetic, her use of vibrant colors and textures, and her ability to create designs that tell stories in an engaging and lighthearted way. Her combination of digital illustration and experimentation with textures resonated with me as an ideal approach to capturing the energetic and heartfelt spirit of IUDM.
Looking at her background, Nia Gould is a British designer and illustrator who lives in the quiet seaside town of Budleigh Salterton, Devon. After graduating with a First-Class Degree in Graphic Design from Falmouth University, she spent ten years working in the arts industry before deciding to focus on her own creative passions. Her work is known for its playful blend of art history and animals, particularly cats, which she often uses as the main characters in her designs. In 2015, she launched her brand, Niaski, where she combines her love of art and animals to create unique illustrations, prints, and products like pins and stationery. Nia’s work is both fun and educational, and her characters bring a lighthearted twist to classic art. Today, she runs Niaski out of her studio in Devon, where her business continues to grow.
The IUDM is a 36-hour event dedicated to raising funds and awareness for pediatric care at Riley Hospital for Children. It holds a special place in the Indiana University community, as it was founded in memory of Ryan White, a student who passed away from AIDS. Since it’s a celebration of life and resilience, I wanted my poster to feel approachable, fun, and full of movement—qualities that resonate with Nia Gould’s art.
In my design, I incorporated several elements directly inspired by Gould’s style. Gould often uses a one-color, bold background color in her designs, so I used bright yellow as the background color to convey energy and optimism. I also added multiple textures to the background, without overpowering the poster, to reflect Gould’s use of texture in her designs. For my font choice, I chose the font “Shantell Sans” which I think reflects Gould’s use of fonts that look handwritten, have thin lines, and are playful all on their own without directly using the same fonts she uses in her works.
The three dancing cats in my poster embody Nia’s signature style, each with a unique personality and pose. Nia almost exclusively uses animals in her works, the majority being cats. She designs the animals in her designs in not completely symmetrical, fun, textured ways, which is also what I aimed to do. One of the cats in my poster is dressed in the iconic Indiana University striped overalls, another in a “Hoo Hoo Hoosiers” shirt, and a third is lying down, waving an IU sign—a subtle nod to the university spirit. Gould also often uses hand-drawn shapes that repeat in the background around the subject of her designs, such as stars around a cat, so I recreated this element of her design using musical notes. The hand-drawn floating musical notes around the cats in my poster add movement and vibrancy, representing the lively dance marathon atmosphere and indicating that the cats too are part of the event.
I feel my poster is successful in capturing Gould’s influence. My use of hand-drawn cats, a huge part of Gould’s designs, has a playful yet endearing look that reflects her style, and the overall composition is simple but attention-grabbing. However, I think I could enhance the layering of textures, which Gould often excels at. I added a few textures to the background of my poster and used textured brush strokes for my drawings, however, I think I could have added more texture to the cats themselves. Additionally, subtle shading could make the cats feel more grounded and bring more depth to the design.
Overall, designing this poster taught me how to adapt an illustrator’s style in a way that respects their unique approach while still making it my own. By infusing Nia Gould’s whimsical spirit into my poster, I think I created an engaging design that aligns with both the joyful energy of IUDM and her artistic influence.