Manual
Bay Area Now 8
Bay Area Now 8
Bay Area Now 8
Bay Area Now 8 is the eighth manifestation of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts triennial survey of Northern California art. It is a platform that showcases the work of 25 artists living and working in and around San Francisco.
We were engaged by YBCA, a long standing client, to create a city-wide marketing campaign as well as associated exhibition material design. We chose to assign photography a central role in the campaign rather than leading with graphic design, commissioning and art directing photographer Mark Mahaney for the effort.
Working closely with Mark, we visited featured artists and designers in their studios to document place and process, focusing on the environments and tools through which their ideas are manifested.
We developed a theme around the idea of “art in the making,” celebrating process and the development of new projects. The resulting images present glimpses of artists and designers working in a broad range of media, asking questions and exploring meaning around race, gender, and the environment.
The resulting campaign features loose graphic layouts with dispersed images inviting and intriguing the viewer and allowing them to get closer to the artists. Themes include materiality, making, and the individual. Graphically, the bold use of yellow and hand-scrawled typographic accents create a sense of vibrancy, energy, and urgency.
