These are some cool Sri Lankan tourism posters. We’d go so far as to call them modern classics. What we’re showing here are the winners of the No Bill Piece Prize, organized by the Stick No Bills shop in Galle.
1. Ceylon Paradise Map – by Mohamed Sabir
First prize went to Mohamed Sabir for his Ceylon Paradise Map. Mohamed is an undergraduate at the Colombo Academy Of Design. This design is awesome because it takes the old Ceylon paradise map (we have a copy) and updates it, both in terms of content and design.
We especially like how he’s played with the shape of the island. It’s not the ‘actual’ shape of Sri Lanka at all, but it captures how it feels. We also dig the expressway leading the viewer into the artwork.
2. Gamarala by Indika Sriyan Gammudali
This faded modern take on gamarala, the village headman, is by Indika Sriyan Gammudali. We know Indika because he did the layout template for YAMU magazine. He also does layout for Echelon magazine and is an all-around brilliant designer.
This design is awesome because it takes modern minimal design and mixes it with the old-school Ceylon poster style to produce something both very new and anchored in the design ethic of the past. It’s also tastefully faded. We dig it.
3. River Rider by Ruwangi Amarasinghe
This image by Ruwangi Amarasinghe shows a boat cutting through a lake full of lotuses. It’s simple, beautiful, and an interesting play on light and dark. The top and left side of the image are in shadow as the boatsman emerges out of it.
The Event
The winners have been announced and there will be a prize award ceremony on Thursday the 11th of December. From then the winning designs will be available as posters, post-cards and limited edition signed prints. Again, this is all at the Stick No Bills shop in Galle.
We think it’s a wonderful venture, to crowdsource modern images of Sri Lanka. Looking forward to the No Bill Piece Prize next year as well.
