Creating the premier issue of Art 180’s new quarterly magazine, Q, gave us the chance to channel our inner youth while still maintaining our hard-earned professionalism. Lucky for us, this is our favorite thing to do, and as always, working with this organization that provides “art-related programs for young people in challenging circumstances” proved enriching and inspiring. The boundless energy of the Art 180 youth required ample space for artwork, poems, and photos, so we provided a panoramic layout—a vast, blank canvas. This seemed like a choice as natural as the use of bright colors. While thinking of her own childhood, Jennifer Owen remembered an over-sized envelope that a favorite uncle had used to store important documents. This seed grew into the envelope we created for mailing the first issue of Q, designed also to store the future issues from the year as a treasured collection. Other local designers will use this Owen D/Co. template for each issue that follows. The potential here is abundant: providing Art 180 a line to communicate with their supporters, allowing benefactors to see the impact of their donations, and rewarding the young artists with published art to share.
To support Art 180 visit their web site at www.art180.org.