NEW IN NORMAN
Supporting a new generation of local artists
Branding, Advertising, Illustrator, Photoshop
ABOUT
New in Norman aims to be a jumping off point for young artists, specifically as a stepping stone so they can put an initial exhibition on their résumés. Exhibitions can be highly selective and will often turn away talent, solely because they have no prior exhibition experience. The brand I developed for New in Norman aims to be visually interesting while still sophisticated, colorful yet subtle, and inclusive of all personalities and artistic mediums.
01 Research
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02 Sketch
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03 Design
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04 Expand
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01 Research ✴ 02 Sketch ✴ 03 Design ✴ 04 Expand ✴
01 RESEARCH
Norman, Oklahoma is known for two things: The University of Oklahoma and Norman Music Festival. Something that I’ve always admired NMF for is their branding– it’s beautiful every year. A mix of modern design and retro appeal, NMF stands out while accurately capturing the spirit of the music. I wanted to do the same with the New in Norman brand; channel the NMF retro appeal while respecting the sophistication of a proper visual arts exhibition.
02 SKETCH
For such a fun project, it seemed only right to create a semi-custom font for the occasion. I started with a foundation of Acumin Variable Concept UltraBlack and edited the typeface from there. The italic font is Times New Roman, as a nod to New in Norman being a starting point. Who among us didn’t start their schooling experience with Times New Roman?
03 DESIGN
When I think of “new”, I think of clean, fresh, shiny, and sparkly. I wanted to incorporate a touch of sparkle into this brand to convey the newness and magic of a first exhibition. It’s exciting to see your work in a gallery for the first time, so I wanted to capture that essence in the brand. Likewise, it was important to me that the logo be timeless and multi-functional. The CMYK color scheme is simple; however, it’s not owned by any one art form or medium, making it an excellent option for an exhibition featuring all sorts of artists from all backgrounds and mediums. As an annual gallery, including the year in the logo itself seemed crucial for making the mark adaptable for marketing materials, merch, and building hype.
04 EXPAND
To get the exhibition off the ground, we needed poster designs for printing, graphics for social media, flyers to post around Norman, and a Call for Artists. Expanding the brand to multiple touchpoints was fun and exciting to see it start to take form. The first exhibition itself was a success; I can’t wait to see where it goes in the future!
