EMP MUSEUM
FOUNDERS AWARD
EMP Museum (MoPOP) / ongoing program
Role / Creative Direction + Design / Campaign Design / Experiential Design
Deliverables / campaign identity + logo / save-the-date postcard / invitation / event program / print + digital event signage / auction screens / swag
Recognition (Buddy Guy) / 2012 American Advertising Awards Seattle, Arts Campaign, Gold ADDY
The EMP Museum Founders Award is the museum's premier annual fundraising gala, bringing together music legends, philanthropists, and cultural leaders to support youth education and outreach programs. Each year's event demanded a complete creative program worthy of the occasion and the artist being celebrated.
As the designer entrusted with leading the campaign for two consecutive years, I developed distinct event identities that shaped how guests moved through and remembered each evening. For blues icon Buddy Guy (2011), the creative drew from his instantly recognizable polka-dot guitar, building a cohesive identity that ran from the first invitation through the final moments of the gala. For rock legend Carlos Santana (2012), the campaign drew from the rich color, geometry, and cultural symbolism of his Latin American roots, extending across every touchpoint of the evening.
The Buddy Guy campaign earned a Gold ADDY from the American Advertising Awards Seattle, setting a new standard for the program and inspiring the thoughtful, cohesive event identities that followed in subsequent years.
