Listen Up! How Maryland’s Bats Use Echolocation

  • Masonville Cove Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership & the National Aquarium
  • Procreate, Photoshop, Illustrator
  • 2024
  • This educational poster was created in collaboration with Baltimore’s Masonville Cove Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership. The aim was to educate visitors about bat echolocation, a phenomenon they may encounter in the cove with the aid of bat frequency detectors.

Process

1. Thumbnails

After receiving reference material, I created several different poster layouts for the client to choose from. I include different elements in each layout so clients can mix and match what they like. A lot of thought went into how to visually portray echolocation.

2. Rough Sketch

Once the layout had been approved, I began to lay out my text and sketch my illustrated elements. A particular challenge of this piece was leaving enough room for both English and Spanish text (provided by the client).

3. Line Work

Next, I drew the final line work for all of my illustrated elements. I wanted to emphasize the bats’ cuter features so they wouldn’t appear frightening to visitors.

4. Color

Because bats wake up in the early evening, I chose colors that would create a twilight atmosphere. Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, including the National Aquarium, are lit up in the background to show that bats thrive in urban areas.

5. Final Render

I brightened up and unified the colors to really emphasize the bat in the foreground and better connect the environment in the top half to the design elements in the bottom half.