Erie VA employee designs national Veterans Day Poster with elements from memorial park

Briana Cummings considers herself a "sign memorial nerd."

After working in the sign-making industry for 13 years, the Erie resident found the process of making memorial walls and signs interesting.

"The production of these things is a little fascinating, and when you see them you’re always analyzing how and what they did," Cummings, 43, said.

Visual projects have always been a passion for Cummings. That interest led her to design the winning poster for the national Veterans Day Poster Contest.

Designing the poster

Each year, the Veterans Day National Committee selects a commemorative Veterans Day poster from designs submitted by artists nationwide for the annual Veterans Day Poster Contest.

The winning design is displayed in VA facilities, military installations and municipal buildings across the country. It will also serve as the cover of the official program for the Veterans Day commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia on Nov. 11.

At the time Cummings entered the contest, she was a visual information specialist for the Erie VA Medical Center. She is now a public affairs specialist.

"The previous Veterans Day parade I photographed for the medical center, so I was here early in the morning and while people were gathering and getting ready I was walking around this (Erie County Veterans) Memorial and taking photos of things that just (struck) me," she said.

Cummings revisited the Erie County Veterans Memorial Park, 2642 Glenwood Park Ave. in Erie, and began re-shooting elements she wanted to include in her poster design. She specifically wanted to include a bench at the memorial park that reads "Duty, Honor, Country."

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"(The bench) was my starting point and ... I just began piecing things together," she said. "I knew I wanted to include the flag so it was just a matter of what particular angle worked with the bench, and adding the service members underneath I felt was very symbolic of the fact that they do carry all of that on their shoulders."

Sharing a piece of Erie

Winning the contest came as a surprise to Cummings, but honoring the veteran community was all she wanted to do, she said.

"It truly is an honor to give back to that demographic," Cummings said. "I mean, they’re willing to die. That’s pretty amazing."

Cummings said she received support and excitement from family and friends for her winning design, including her father, Charles Cummings, who served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1957. He also receives care from Erie's VA Medical Center.

"I looked at the poster and I have to agree, it was pretty good," he said. "One of the things that impressed me was it came from Erie, Pennsylvania, right here where all the veterans are honored. She picked up on that and I think it’s fantastic."

Charles Cummings said a person's time of service always stays with them, which is something he felt his daughter captured perfectly.

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"I’m pretty proud of that girl," he said. "She surprised me with the fact that she won the contest and that was something else. It’s about time Erie gets a good mark."

Briana Cummings echoed her father's sentiments.

"I think just knowing a little piece of Erie will be circulated nationally is pretty cool, especially as someone who grew up here," she said.

Baylee DeMuth can be reached at 814-450-3425 or bdemuth@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @BayleeDeMuth.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: National Veterans Day Poster designed by Erie VA employee