Poster design group

This page is devoted to designing Wikimedia posters, usually with content from the projects, and developing and distributing them.

Poster concepts

A collection of timelines. Vertical or horizontal. (**** --Sj)
A collage of nature images, perhaps a series each themed about a single background color or light direction.
Calendar: this day in history (*** --Sj)
Periodic table with lengthy descriptions inside each element box
Languages of the world (*** --Sj)
Great composers: complete with (excerpts from?) PD scores
Regonalized posters: historical figures, important places, local flora and fauna, local language and celebrations, etc.
Games: with board diagrams and complete rules printed
The complete quick reference guide guide to: calculus, algebra, geometry...
Sexual positions and practices: sure to be a hit in dorm rooms everywhere... (** --Sj)
Unusual articles
Space and astronomy: also good for including pretty pictures (** --Sj)
Species: big cats, dinosaurs, insects, other popular groupings
People and places from WWII, Civil War, others...
Wikisource stuff: historical documents and mathematical constants. Large primes and Pi to the zillionth digit.
Wikipedia geek fodder: A Wikipedia article map like the Linux Kernel map, and a printout of all the Wikipedia contributors' usernames. (**** --Sj)
More wiki-geeking; introduction to Wiki editing. the Cheatsheet and related info.
Free culture manifestos : from freeculture.org, wikimedia.org, the FSF?, the EFF? -- artistically combined

Poster designs

Catherine Munro, This Is An Encyclopedia (currently on a separate cafepress store; should be added to the WMF store if distributed that way). Translations of the text, and variations on the design, are welcome.

Specs

Poster sizes : A2, A1? How much border, what color/other restrictions?

Logistics

Gmaxwell is willing and able to fund initial production runs. In the long term the project should be self-funding.
There are also foundation funds for materials, some of which may be available at the end of each quarter.
A few prizes have been offered by various people for excellent poster or T-shirt designs. We could set up regular design contests for this.

Issues and complications

All images in use on wikipedia may not be acceptable for our use. This may require more careful copyright checks. Print houses may put pressure on us to substantiate our copyright.
Wikipedia trademark, probably need board approval.
Additional fact checking should be performed; this will also do good for the Wikipedia.

Other ideas

Posters should have a mostly uniform layout. Wikipedia logo at the top with the URL, potentially the text of the GFDL in fine print on the bottom, otherwise on a sheet of paper distributed with the posters.
It would be useful, at least for some of the posters, to perform the layout using SVG and drawing content mostly directly from the articles. Simplifies keeping the posters up to date.
Multipacks: Kind-hearted Wikipedians could buy packs of a collection of all the posters suitable for schools and give them as donations to libraries and public schools.
Posters should be priced at market rates, and after cost of production the rest should go to Wikimedia.

Existing posters

Promotional material can also be created by people not listed as members of the poster design group. Please see promotion for links to such material, which includes posters in a number of languages. Discussion of new posters that may be used in an urban postering capaign is also at possible posters.

Urban postering areas : Toronto, Cambridge, Berkeley

Interested members

Please add your name below if you would like to join this group