Coloring & Coffee
Coloring & Coffee is a community event designed for individuals seeking to connect with new people while enjoying the simple pleasure of coloring. This monthly event, hosted on Sundays at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), welcomes anyone looking to unwind with a cup of coffee, engaging conversation, and the therapeutic act of coloring.
Branding and Identity Systems
Systems Design
Marketing Management
About
Coloring & Coffee emerged as a collaborative effort initiated by Hailey Peace, Chloe Lang, Charlotte Antenucci, and myself. Taking on a leadership role, my responsibilities included shaping the identity of the event, designing and printing posters and bookmarks, and hosting the events at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).
As part of the creative process, I guided my team in developing a consistent template for posters, incorporating various designs to create a collection of promotional materials. Leveraging risograph printing, we produced these posters, strategically placing them around our campus to advertise and generate interest in the event effectively. The collective effort aimed to establish Coloring & Coffee as a recurring and well-known community gathering.
Process
In developing an identity for our club, we aimed to create a mini-branding system that would be visually distinctive and recognizable. The strategy involved designing promotional materials for events that followed a consistent theme, allowing people to associate the club with each unique poster. The concept centered around maintaining the placement of text in a fixed position while allowing the center to change for each event, ensuring individuality while preserving a recognizable format. This approach aligned seamlessly with the theme of coloring, evoking the idea that each poster showcased a new and unique piece of art.
Typography played a pivotal role in maintaining cohesion across collateral. For headers, we opted for Goudy Bold, while Univers was selected for the footer. These font choices corresponded to the fonts used for our letterpress bookmarks. By ensuring consistency in fonts across posters and bookmarks, we established a cohesive and easily identifiable visual identity for our club.
Printing
To fulfill our printing needs for posters and bookmarks, we collaborated with Small Works in Detroit. With their expertise, we successfully produced over 300 posters and bookmarks for our club events. The posters were printed using a Riso machine, while the bookmarks were meticulously handset and printed with a letterpress.
Operating the Risograph and letterpress was a team effort, requiring coordination and collaboration among our members. In the end, our collective efforts paid off, resulting in the creation of all the posters and bookmarks that were prominently displayed and distributed to advertise our club’s meetings. The hands-on involvement in the printing process added a personalized touch to our promotional materials, contributing to the unique identity of our club.
Meetings
Our monthly gatherings at the Detroit Institute of Arts for Coloring & Coffee were a resounding success. Held once a month, community members enthusiastically joined us to enjoy each other's company, savor coffee, and engage in the therapeutic activity of coloring. The event garnered positive feedback from the Detroit art community, becoming a well-received and anticipated gathering.
Beyond the success within the art community, Coloring & Coffee served as an excellent opportunity to welcome individuals to the Detroit Institute of Arts who might not have otherwise visited. It became a bridge between our club and the broader community, fostering connections and providing a relaxed space for creativity and socialization.
