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Gwen Frostic

2024 Bronze STUDENT addy award winner

This exhibition design project explored the life, work, and lasting influence of Gwen Frostic. The goal was to create an engaging experience that tells her story, showcases her artistic contributions, and introduces her legacy to a broader audience, both within the local community and beyond.

My impact

  • Brand Identity
  • Environmental Design
Michigan Wildflower Seeds envelopes sealed with red wax lying on a wooden table beneath printed exhibit posters.
Collage of Gwen Frostic's work: small block-print cards of a plant, a goldfinch and a frog, a photo of her carving at a desk, an open book with an orange lily print, a raccoon print, a duck print and a second open book with yellow flowers.

Concept

Throughout her life, Frostic overcame physical and societal challenges while building her career as an artist. Her story reflects themes of growth, resilience, and change, much like the Michigan nature and wildlife featured in her work.

These themes helped shape the creative direction of the exhibition. We drew inspiration from Frostic’s distinctive artistic style, typography, and nature-inspired illustrations to develop a visual identity that felt true to her work and existing mark.

Gwen Frostic: Art & Nature in Michigan. Brand identity logo with coral line lettering on a cream background.
Type specimen: Benhard Fashion Std Regular, showing the uppercase and lowercase alphabet from Aa to Zz.Type specimen: Futura Medium, showing the uppercase and lowercase alphabet from Aa to Zz.

Cream

Hex: f2eee6

CMYK: 4,4,8,0

Tan

Hex: a78566

CMYK: 33,45,63,7

Orange

Hex: e77d59

CMYK: 6,62,69,0

Promotional Materials

Bringing the exhibition’s visual identity into other materials was an important part of the design process. This included promotional mailers to help spread the word and connect with the local community, along with an opening ceremony program that carried the design through to the event itself.

Exhibit poster artwork: Gwen Frostic, Art & Nature in Michigan, in orange letters on cream with a hummingbird and an orange lily; April 3 to May 6, 2023, Ferris State University Fine Art Gallery.Five cream announcement cards and envelopes printed with orange lily illustrations, fanned out on white.

Didactics

A series of introductory, biographical, and quote didactics were designed to guide visitors through Frostic’s story and provide additional context for her work. These displays gave visitors the opportunity to learn more about her life and explore her creative journey.

Exhibit poster mounted on a gray panel, with part of the gallery visible beyond it.A man reads three large wall panels titled Gwen Frostic: Art & Nature in Michigan, with blossoming branches that continue across the panels.
A man holding a small plate looks at framed prints hung along a gray gallery wall.Two books with bird and tree cover illustrations displayed on a rough-edged wooden shelf against a gray wall, with more books on a second shelf.Two visitors look at a hanging grid of small illustrated cards on a gray gallery wall.

Extending the Experience

As a way to extend the exhibition beyond the gallery, visitors could take home Michigan wildflower seeds to plant and enjoy a little piece of Frostic’s legacy for themselves. This was such a fun and rewarding project to be part of during my time at Ferris, from the early concepts to bringing the final details together.

If you’re not familiar with Gwen Frostic or haven’t had the chance to explore her work, I encourage you to learn more about her art and legacy below!

Learn more about the exhibitExplore the sanctuary
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A cream Grow Your Garden card and a Michigan Wildflower Seeds packet with a red wax seal, both marked Gwen Frostic: Art & Nature in Michigan.