Modern
YEG Art
Founder, Administrator, Designer
Modern YEG Art (MYA) was a one-year volunteer-run project dedicated to supporting illustration in Edmonton. For both artists and appreciators, the concept was to brighten life with new artistic connections!
The Logo
The MYA logo and colours embraced a vibrant, juvenile aesthetic. Illustrators are often influenced by pop culture media such as western cartoons, video games, and anime that feature bright colours and cute characters. I wanted to create a logo that would immediately feel welcoming to creators who love these forms of storytelling - often considered "childish" in other spaces.
The logo attracted 2SLGBTQIA+ community members and femmes, who stated that the logo and colours of MYA immediately signalled welcome to them as marginalized peoples. Over 50% of people in MYA were from an equity-deserving group.
The Social Media
Social media was an important tool to keep members updated about events and more. I used it to promote members to the general public and recruit artists through informative posts. In addition to posting announcements, I shared about local markets and other organizations.
The Branding
For branding imagery, I went with sticker-like graphics. Stickers are an ubiquitous ware among artist tables at markets, conventions, and more.
I also came up with a mascot - a shape-shifting cat named Maude. Maude allows for communal storytelling and is algorithm-friendly on social networks.
For colours, I used pastels that represent the nostalgia of cartoons and draw upon the widespread influence of anime subcultures. The vivid pink and black also add a modern edge.
Online Resources
The MYA website was originally created to promote members, house a forum for Edmontonian's and illustrators to make connections, and share resources.
However, after the one-year pilot period came to a close, I made the difficult decision to shut down MYA operations due to a lack of capacity.