TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese academic’s poster design that emphasizes the virtue of “tolerance” among people of different viewpoints has been recognized at three international design competitions.

Titled “Tolerance (寬容),” the poster features two faces, one in green and the other in blue, kissing each other against a backdrop of red. The artwork seeks to convey the importance of showing respect towards people with conflicting views in a society embracing harmony.

Designed by Lin Chun-liang (林俊良), or Leo Lin, a professor at the National Taiwan Normal University's (NTNU) Department of Design, it has received the Award of Excellence from California-based magazine Communication Arts, the Platinum Award from New York-based Graphis Design Annual 2021, and an honorable mention at the Ecuador Poster Bienal.

According to NTNU, CA’s Award of Excellence is dubbed “one of the most-coveted awards in the industry,” while the Graphis design competition is a prestigious contest that celebrates international talent in design. Lin created the poster at the invitation of New York-based artist Mirko Ilić, who is curating an international poster tour exhibition themed “Tolerance.”

While there is no mention of the connotations of the three hues, a netizen mused the design could imply the idea of reconciliation between three sides that constantly lock horns: Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), opposition Kuomintang (KMT), and the Chinese Communist Party (CPP). Green, blue, and red are the iconic colors for the three respective political forces.