When “Nyfes” was announced, Odeon (Assos Odeon) launched a poster design competition for the film. Around the same time, I had the chance to attend a presentation by Ioanna Karystiani (the writer) and Pantelis Voulgaris (the director), which made the whole experience feel even more immediate and inspiring.

After reading the book, I felt there was a very particular emotional atmosphere around the story – something quiet, heavy and deeply human. I didn’t want to approach the poster in a polished or cinematic way. I wanted it to feel older, almost like something found rather than designed.

Both protagonists were illustrated from scratch, based on photographic references. The first approach was developed in color using pencils, while the second was explored in black and white with charcoal. Bringing these two together, with the abrupt division almost through the middle, felt like the right visual expression of the tension between the two central characters.

The title was treated almost like an object from that era – something closer to old letters and correspondence than modern typography. The rest of the text was kept intentionally simple, allowing the image and atmosphere to lead.

The poster won the competition and ran in parallel with the film’s official promotional campaign in selected areas and locations.