The frontispiece to Monadnock Tonality, a visual essay that combined photographer Marc Norberg's black and white photos of roots blues musicians with an original tone poem by Maxwell Arnold. To see a printed copy, contact us here.
This coming year will be the 20th anniversary of the design office that is now called Artifact. A river trip through Maine's great north woods evolved into a long and successful partnership between the late Jeff Pollard and myself, producing a great deal of exceptional work and many memories.
“If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: ‘I am here to live out loud.’”
I learned a lot about both design and life from Jeff and as I was going through my archives recently, I came across this spread that he created as the opening statement in the first issue of our long-running series of design monographs for Monadnock Paper.
Just like Jeff, the statement was bold and not a little audacious. But it was simple, inspiring and readers couldn't help but notice it. It took some of them by surprise but it made many others stop and take a fresh look at Monadnock. Happily, sales grew as a result of the impression we helped them make.
This is the work we do. Over time, we have proven that simplicity, compelling imagery and a strong, clear message are the critical elements for creating success.
As we begin a new year, I share this as an homage to both Jeff and the power of design.
DPV / East Arlington VT