Rainbow Belts
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Rainbow Belts 〰️
Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Mantis Shrimp.
A poster about a cannabis strain, and a new Nietzschian hero to inspire us all.
I’ll keep this short & shrimpy: This is a poster for a show that was sponsored by a cannabis brand to raise money for charity. The poster had to represent a cannabis strain, which I picked from a list of pre-named strains. This one is called “Rainbow Belts 2.0.”
And so, a mantis shrimp was born.
A bit o’ process.
I was told by my D.A.R.E. officer that marijuana is a gateway drug, however let’s not discuss that here because I was a (nepo baby) D.A.R.E. essay contest winner in 1991 and do not want to compromise my position.
In addition to being inspired by a cannabis strain name, this poster was also inspired by MTG cards, a game I barely know how to play but that I appreciate. I once won a game in one dramatic swoop when I slapped down a Jokulmorder card, which is a very unserious card and very expensive, mana-wise. No one who knows how to play would put this card in their deck, but me? I’m built different. And it won the game. Maybe there’s a lesson there? I’ll write a thinkpiece about it on LinkedIn soon that will help us all get to that C-Suite.
The 24x36” poster is a character in a non-existent card game, with fighting powers that are 5 hearts (?). Wow, that’s a lot(?)! There’s also a poem around the edge to get you in the mood.
Details, details.
Did I tell you I once had a mantis shrimp for a pet? The part about their amazing eyesight and how they see more colors than human eyes is sort of a myth but also who cares? Myths are the building blocks of civilization, which I assume you want to tear down, right? You’re very brave and strong. Speaking of, mantis shrimp punch extremely hard, and they create little air bubbles at the end of their punching appendages because it heats up the water… or something.
Me, a one-man rainbow coalition.
This poster was part of a group show put on by Proper Cannabis and Friends for Good in April 2024, and is still available for sale here! I ordered one myself and the printing and paper is really nice.
The printed poster, taken in my basement during a tornado warning.
Credits
Client
Proper Cannabis
Design & Copy
Terri Mitchell
Show Curator
Friends for Good