This week was poster sale week at UNF. Students plaster slick images of their heroes and passions onto their walls in order to express their own identities. The five-day sale traditionally hosted at the Student Union fills the giant breezeway with huge books of posters. Students leisurely flip through the pages until an image catches their eye. “That’s totally me!” blooms in their head when they’ve found a poster of their favorite band, TV show or artwork.

The week-long poster sale lured in students who have the extra cash worth spending on an array of poster art. Posters are a cheap way for students to spiffy up their dorms and apartments, making the space a little more like home. That’s one reason why we buy posters, but what really compels a student to single out and purchase this form of glossy expression?

Based on what a few students said at the poster sale, here are reasons why we buy posters.

Because “I love penguins”

This is a reason for freshman Trey Arnold, who already purchased five posters.

“I have a problem,” said Arnold with a grin and a chuckle. He said he loves funny posters, and anything penguin-related. “Penguins are awesome in every single way.”

In addition to purchasing a poster of his all-time favorite flightless bird, Arnold also bought movie and TV posters from shows like House of Cards, Death Note and The Nightmare Before Christmas. His favorite poster is a surreal image of a tiger, a fish and a pomegranate.

Because you love his art

Tahmina Karem held a note-book sized print of Picasso’s “The Old Guitarist.” She said she always loved the piece. Karem said she saw the painting while taking an Art History course back in high school.

“There’s something that always draws me to it,” said Karem, who also bought a couple of band posters.

To keep the joke running

Bobby Kennen, the associate head basketball coach, purchased a full profile of Hamilton “Ham” Porter, the snarky but endearing Sandlot character, for his daughter. He said that she’s 19 and in college, but that this poster will stick with her for awhile. “We use that phrase a lot, ‘You’re killing me smalls,’” said Kennen.

To keep the dream alive

Andre Roman rolled out two posters. The first one featured photos of late famous rapper The Notorious B.I.G., or ‘Biggie Smalls’.

“They are such an inspiration to me.” he says, showing them off. “They’re probably some of my favorite old-school artists.”

The next poster displays the cast of Empire, a hit show on the Fox network that just started its second season.  He said he has a lot of posters, all of them involving music. Roman said he bought the music-related posters to continue to inspire him and his dreams of becoming a music journalist.

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