Image/Text Project

          For my Image/Text project, I wanted to create an image that would discourage people from bringing a car to Isla Vista and contributing to the area's severe parking crisis. At the moment, there are more vehicles in Isla Vista than there are parking spots. My primary target audience is current residents and prospective tenants who plan on bringing a vehicle. While many approaches attempt to solve this ever-growing issue—such as friendly social media posts from the Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) encouraging alternative transportation. I chose a completely different route. Instead of a traditional, informational graphic, I leaned heavily into horror genre conventions to create an image that is unsettling and fear-striking. My main purpose is to instill a sense of dread, making the prospect of owning a car in Isla Vista feel as nightmarish as the reality of finding parking.

          To construct this project, I began with a photograph of an Isla Vista street with zero available parking. I masked the layer, converted it to black and white, and lowered the exposure to establish a dark, moody atmosphere. My goal was to create fear by showcasing the intense anxiety of finding a spot. While an earlier draft featured a visibly stressed man and an angry cat, I realized that a strict horror aesthetic would leave a much stronger, more memorable impact on my audience. This led me to the phrase, “Don’t lose your head.” To illustrate this, I incorporated a headless silhouette alongside distorted, low-opacity faces lingering in the background. I then framed the image with a blended blood border and designed the text to mimic dripping blood. These specific visual choices, such as the blood-like font, the ghoulish silhouette, and the stark black and red color contrast, work together to make the piece feel exactly like a horror movie poster. By utilizing these horror conventions rather than a standard informational style, the visual identity directly supports my emotional strategy: proving to viewers that the Isla Vista parking crisis is a genuine nightmare.