2013 APA Heritage Month National Poster Contest Winner Announced

 

This year’s winning poster design for APA Heritage Month

by Robin Lee Gyorgyfalvy.

Congratulations to Robin Lee Gyorgyfalvy, Landscape Architect and Scenic Byways Leader from the Deschutes National Forest in central Oregon! Robin’s winning poster design will be printed and displayed at the USDA Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month event in Washington, DC on May 23rd. Her poster will also commemorate AAPI Heritage Month on display in the Forest Service Washington Office.  Click here for a pdf: Asian Pacific Heritage Month Poster

A noteworthy entry came from Mario Chocooj, a graphic design and publishing specialist in the R5 Regional Office…

This poster entry was designed in conjunction with the Civil Rights and the Public Affairs staffs, Regional Office in Region 5. It adheres to the theme and other guidelines of the contest as specified below. All graphic and design elements used are original and their authors have been given the proper attribution at bottom of poster.

Chocooj’s description:

The poster starts with the title “Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.”  The font selected for the title and other main information on the poster complements the curves and bubbles seen in the wave of bubbling waters below it. This wave of bubbling waters represents the vast Pacific Ocean. The month and year are emphasized by placing them inside a bubble that mimics the bubbles in the ocean wave.

The wave transitions into green leaves, representing bamboo or palm tree leaves, which might be found on Asian Pacific areas. These leaves, guide the eyes to the shape of the continental United States, which is made up of all the names of countries, islands, and territories around the Pacific Ocean. This shape of names is mainly for visual presentation and it gives the viewer a chance to interact with the poster by trying to find a particular (country, island, or territory) name.

The map shape, in turn, leads to a sampler of Asian Pacific American community members (within the Forest Service in Region 5). Their portraits are contained in bubble-like shapes, to maintain consistency with bubbles in ocean wave above.

The eyes then travel to the “Building Leadership: Embracing Cultural Values and Inclusion.” This text has been emphasized by giving it a white outline.

The whole composition rests on the flag of the United States of America, representing the ground on which the Asian Pacific American community is making a difference.

The color scheme used was developed to give the poster a cool and refreshing look and feel to it.

Last, but not least, we see the Department and Agency ID. Followed by proper attribution to artists for their contributed work.

 So, this poster represents how and what I value about Asian Pacific American culture: its vastness, its richness, and its inclusiveness.