We recently asked 12 of our members to interpret the symbol most synonymous with love—the heart—for the 2012 I Love Design poster project. Each person brought a different creative interpretation. Here is the final rendering of the classic love icon, created by Jim Ward.

“I approached this project with fun in mind. Sometimes I take things too seriously and have to remind myself to play. I’m a fan of wordplay, so when I was messing around on something else in Photoshop and zoomed in really close to where the pixels separate, the heart project popped in my head with the line, “You’re close to my heart.” It fit, so I ran with it. At first I did a technical type of treatment, but realized that’s not my style—I’m an illustrator as well, so I decided that needed to show. I broke out the ink and brush pens and had fun until I was happy with the outcome.”

The full poster will be unveiled tonight at AIGA Jacksonville’s annual Valentine to the creative community, I Love Design. Purchase your tickets online in advance for a $10 discount (online registration closes at 5p.m.). The poster is free for members who bring in the I Love Design mailer (while they last) and will be sold for $10.

~ I Love Design and the I Love Design poster project are proudly sponsored by Print Resources.