To celebrate the opening of their Frank Gehry renovated gallery space, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) asked the Galison Private Label division to create stationery products highlighting their collection of more than 73,000 works of art. The main goals of the renovation were to increase the space and to engage art viewers from all ages and walks of life. We took all this in consideration while developing the AGO stationery collection.
The focus was on four of the gallery's most popular paintings — J.E.H. McDonald's Montreal River, Claude Monet's Vétheuil in Summertime (shown on the Little Keep It Box of cards below), Tom Thomson's The West Wind, and Mary Hiester Reid's A Garden in September.
Each painting was used as the focal point for a stationery collection that included formats from our own Galison line: Little Keep It Box of note cards, Sticky Note sets, and two Write On journals – both full and pocket size. We helped select formats that would appeal to a wide audience, and that have been among our best sellers for years. In the design process we stayed true to the original artwork and developed color palettes inspired by the respective painting. Early in the process we knew this project needed a "less is more" design approach so we used color economically, accenting the products for a most contemporary yet true to the original art appearance.
The Write On blank journal shown at left is based on Tom Thomson's The West Wind.
While we love all our design children, our favorite product for the AGO is the sticky notes. The fine art imagery on this charming format resulted in a most sophisticated stationery piece. The set shown below shows Falls, Montreal River, by J.E.H. MacDonald.
This Write On Journal is based on Mary Hiester Reid's A Garden in September.
Heading to Ontario? Read about visiting the Art Gallery of Ontario by clicking here.
You can purchase the AGO products at the museum's online shop: www.ago.net .
--Roza Mikova, Creative Director
Galison Custom Division
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