UNA Cover Illustrations
illustration, print
What started with a full program guide re-design for University Neighbourhoods Association (UNA) in 2018, continued with various brand collateral updates, and has lead to the yearly project of designing the new program guide covers.
The covers are always designed in sets, starting with the Winter edition, followed by Spring/Summer, and ending with Fall. Every year we meet to discuss the year's theme, concept or goal, and create cover illustrations accordingly. We always carefully consider the specific neighbourhoods audience and demographic, and aim to highlight the neighbourhoods community and collaborative efforts, as well as annual festivities and programs. Generally, we want the cover artwork to stand out boldly, easy to spot from a distance, with colour palettes that are different enough from eachother that people can easily tell when a new guide is available.
Below you can look back on the past few years of cover designs!
2023/24
For 2023/24 we wanted to highlight specific seasonal activities, within the centre and outdoors, while also showcasing the neighbourhoods diversity.
The Winter cover highlights holidays and activities across a gallery wall, the Spring/Summer cover showcases more local events and programs in the shape of postcards, with the Fall cover displaying seasonal offerings via illustrated polaroid pictures.
2022/23
For 2022/23 we wanted to highlight the beautiful natural landscape that surrounds the neighbourhood. We decided to make each cover a scavenger hunt of sorts.
The cover artwork turns into a bit of a game, as well as an educational tool. The winter cover showcases birds you may spot flying around, Spring/Summer highlights the various flowers that start blooming, and Fall focuses on the different falling leaves and tree fruits and nuts.
2021/22
Welcoming people back to join activities post-pandemic, we really wanted the 2021/22 covers to feel bright and lively, with a focus on all the neighbourhood has to offer.
The three covers feature seasonal three-colour palettes with high contrast pairings. The illustrations are small and bold, showcasing the various community centers and outdoor spots fields, as well as indoor and outdoor seasonal activities such as the mahjong club, music lessons, dog training sessions, community gardens, fitness classes and more.
2020/21
During the COVID-19 pandemic the centers sadly had to close and many programs were temporarily put on hold. We kept coming back to the theme of community and belonging, despite social distancing. One thing we all shared during this time, were small comforts from home, common views, and the warm sunshine throughout the seasons.
Every cover showcases a minimal landscape illustration - mountains, water, nature - from the point of view of someone's living or bedroom, with the large warm sunshine throughout.
2019/20
In 2019 I worked on some graphic elements with UNA to showcase their misson and values in a visual manner.
With the celebration of 100 years of Bauhuas, we took inspiration from these visuals for the new covers, creating minimal, abstract illustrations, featuring seasonal colours.
2018/19
With the initial re-design of the program guides, we wanted to do something very special with the covers.
We decided to go with an abstract theme using colours to reflect the seasons. Once the visuals were sorted; Vancouver's blue mountain range for winter, colourful abstract flower field for Spring/Summer, and fall coloured overlapping panels for the changing leaves, we proceeded to create the artwork by physically overlapping textured paper into collages and scanning it. This made the covers stand out and gave them a very textural feel.
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