— CASE STUDY · CAMPAIGN · IDENTITY · ADDY AWARD WINNER —
A bold publication celebrating artists who use creativity as a tool for expression, advocacy, and change.
CLIENT
GCAC
ROLE
Design + Art Direction
YEAR
2022
FOCUS
Community Campaign
Art Activism Action needed more than a campaign, it needed a rallying cry. The brief: build an identity and multi-channel campaign that turns community art into civic momentum, giving artists, organizers, and audiences a shared visual language loud enough to be heard and disciplined enough to be trusted.
SCOPE
Identity · Campaign · Print · Social · Environmental
DELIVERABLES
Coffee book
TIMELINE
6 months
WEBSITE
AWARD
American Advertising Award (ADDY)
Activist visual culture is rich, urgent, and handmade but campaigns often sand it down into something safe and interchangeable. The system had to hold protest energy and institutional credibility in the same frame: bold enough for a march, structured enough for a grant application.
PILLAR A
Preserve the Moment
Treat the project as a visual time capsule, documenting a transformative moment in Columbus history with sensitivity, intention, and respect for the artists, community, and stories represented.
PILLAR B
Build the Narrative
Use photography, typography, pacing, scale, and editorial sequencing to guide audiences from tension and uncertainty through creative expression, reflection, resilience, and hope.
PILLAR C
Extend the Experience
Move the story beyond the printed page through QR-driven media, environmental graphics, projection, merchandise, and spatial design, creating multiple ways for audiences to engage with the work and its cultural significance.
Art Activism Action - Book
Book highlights activism
behind art made during
summer 2020 protests
As Art Director and Lead Designer of Art Activism Action
I saw the book as a time capsule and visual history book, one that preserves not only the artwork, but the emotion, urgency, and collective spirit of that moment. The murals reflected unity, community, courage, strength, and hope, capturing how art became a powerful tool for expression, remembrance, and social change.
Art Activism Action - Event
Art Activism Action - Merchandise
Art Activism Action - Out in the World
AMERICAN ADVERTISING AWARD
FEATURED ARTISTS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS
COMMUNITY ART, FRAMED NOT FLATTENED
The system gave a grassroots movement the visual authority of an institution without asking it to whisper. Juried by the American Advertising Federation, carried by the community.