Cardon Copy by Cardon Webb

New York graphic designer Cardon Webb collects fliers and hand-written notices from his neighbourhood and replaces them with his own re-designed versions.

Calling the project Cardon Copy, Webb uses exactly the same wording as the original notice, whether for a for a missing pet or garage sale, but adds his own imagery and graphic style.

The new posters are then displayed on the street alongside the originals.

Here are some more details from Webb:

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Cardon Copy, takes the vernacular of self-distributed fliers and tear offs we have all seen in our neighborhoods. It involves hijacking these unconsidered fliers and redesigning them, over powering their message with a new visual language. I then replace the original with the redesign in its authentic environment.

I started Cardon Copy as an experiment to demonstrate the power of visual communication. It also gives me a venue to create and express myself, allowing me to combine my art, design, and typographic ideas. By considering, then altering, such things as color, composition, image and type to a common street flier with a message as simple as, “I lost my cat”, the transformation is interesting.

The message changes, though the content is the same word for word. Is the new visual language helping or harming the message? Will products sell better, ads be answered more? Are people more inclined to notice the message, but not necessarily trust it? What demographic will answer an ad for an apartment for rent that is hand written in marker, as opposed to a well designed printed poster? It is interesting to note how the medium and design of a message can affect the success or failure of its communication and purpose. My hope is to open up this type of conversation.

Cardon Copy is meant to be slightly facetious. There is something comical about seeing familiar street fliers presented in such and elaborate way. It is important to note that I am not dismissing these found humble fliers, trying to rid the streets of ugly signage. The fact is, that I appreciate the original fliers, aesthetically and conceptually.

Because of this I only redesign fliers that there are multiples of. This way both the original and the redesign or Cardon Copy exist in the community together, to compare and contrast. I like to think by doing this in some way I aid in the discovery of what is often neglected.