Jing Zhou, MFA, professor of graphic and interactive design in the Department of Art and Design, published three social and environmental posters—along with corresponding poems—in “Continuum” (ORO Editions, 2025) by Marlena Buczek Smith.
The poster designs, “Sustainability,” “We Cannot Fight Terrorism Using State Terror,” and “Who Is Paying for the War?” are part of Zhou’s Backward Waves Poster Series. They have previously been exhibited in prominent venues including the Mons Memorial Museum in Belgium, the Danish Poster Museum, and the Triennale Design Museum in Milan. Zhou also composed the corresponding poems, “Garden Sweet Garden,” “The Thread of Love,” and “The Soldiers’ Tickets,” at Smith’s invitation.
“Continuum” challenges designers to leave their comfort zone to become “part poet” thereby having the potential to meld two communities into one. The socially conscious work features a mix of mid-career and influential graphic designers, including Seymour Chwast (U.S.), Holger Matthies (Germany), Armando Milani (Italy), Alain Le Quernec (France), and Elizabeth Resnick (U.S.).
The foreword was contributed by noted designer and author, Debbie Millman. In her words, “The art and poetry in this collection extol the virtues of peace, human rights, and ecology. In doing so, the contributors have invented powerful new ways to envision the future.”
