MakingIt21: 21 posters sharing positive messages and insights from the industry

To put it lightly, the past year has been a bit of a wobble. This is especially true if you’re an emerging creative, with degree shows cancelled and shrinking opportunities for junior roles. So, it’s always welcomed to hear about positive projects that have risen off the back of the pandemic – like MakingIt21, a series of 21 posters with quotes by 21 creatives, created by design director David Moloney.

Those involved include an incredible roster of creatives such as David Ormondroyd from Ragged Edge, Sam Cutler from DesignBridge, Tony Brook from Spin, Camille Walala, Emma Barratt from Wolff Ollins, Veronica Fuerte from Hey and James Hurst from Pinterest, to name a few. Briefed to pinpoint the message as the central focus, David wanted the advice to shine through in the poster design – resulting in a series of impactful posters each giving its audience a healthy dose of positive assurance.

“As 2020 unfolded,” David tells It’s Nice That, “I decided it would be good to do something to reignite the positivity from that day. I knew design grads were having a rough time and I knew how tough I found it to break into the industry in the 2007 recession, especially if you don’t ride that first job wave into the industry. So I thought I’d speak to some creative people and ask them how they think young designers should make it in 2021.”

The idea stems all the way back to 2015 when David created a D&AD Newblood event called MakingIt, a series of short talks about how people had made it as creative people and entrepreneurs. “The talks left a big impression on me and I’m a firm believer in surrounding yourself with positivity to inspire you,” he says, citing the Anthony Burrill Work hard and be nice to people poster as a key influence. “Not only is it really good advice but it leaves us in a positive mindset,” continues David. This shows the importance of a change in attitude and the promotion of people doing good things, which resultantly inspires others to do the same. “I’m interested in creativity for positivity, this was the number one goal,” adds David. “I think as creative people we have power to inspire people around us in numerous ways and make us feel more connected.”

Alongside the crafted posters in an array of different hues, designs and typefaces, David also developed a mascot for the campaign to bring a much-needed dose of warmth and friendliness. “He could interact and bring behaviours to help land the ideas,” he says.

There are a few messages that David has found to be most long-lasting, likely to stick in his head for time to come. This includes Terry Stephens from Nomad’s poster reading “Hustle”, and Emma’s piece stating “Don’t Fit In” is one that David marks with high importance for designers, while Veronica’s contribution stating “50% attitude 50% talent” brings attention to attitude, which he states is “bigger than you think”.

Now that MakingIt21 has come to fruition, David plans to continue his inspiring work and will develop 21 postcards printed on 21 paper stocks. You can view the growing set of posters here.