Tell us about yourself:
My name is Evan Lavender, and I am an Illustrator and Graphic Designer here in Kansas City! I love video games, anime/manga/comics, and music. They are big influences in my life, and I am constantly looking for ways to draw more and express my gratitude for those influences that shaped me growing up. I am currently trying to learn more about character design, working on getting my art out into the metro, making more art friends, and doing collabs with them!!
What is the inspiration behind your poster design?
The idea for my poster came from a few different places. I had some trouble picking a phrase for this project, and as I was sketching out ideas, one of the thumbnails was inspired by the vibrant comic art style of the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse movies. I had also recently worked on a raised-fist design in a collab with Café Cà Phê for Black History Month, and used that as my basis to create multiple fists in different styles. The final result turned into a poster, almost like a mural, commemorating different styles coming together. It is always my hope that somebody seeing my art helps inspire them to create art, because that is what so many other artists have done for me.
Please tell us why you think inclusivity and solidarity are essential in our society…
I believe that having a wide range of voices and having multiple ways to do things is important to many facets of life. So many of the things that I love were made by people who were influenced by those around them or before them, given the space to create them, all in the hope that someone out there loves them. That turns into a cycle of influencing and being influenced by people who inspire us. No one person, group, or way of doing things is a monolith, but having different ideas and styles or ways of doing things working together in solidarity is how we show up for one another and help each other move forward.
How can we create a more inclusive design world and ensure that everyone is represented?
We all inhabit the same spaces. We have to have conversations with everyone who occupies that space so we can learn everyone’s story, find everyone’s style, and help raise people up. Use each other’s backgrounds and talents to create a design that people can relate to and see themselves in. It is always important that someone sees a representation of themselves out in the world so that they know it’s okay for them to exist and to do the things they love.
