Museum of Contemporary Art / Denver
Luminosity Gala
Firm: Ellen Bruss Design
Creative Direction: Ellen Bruss
Art Direction: Ken Garcia
Printing: Sprint Press Denver
Awards/Features:
Featured on Paper Specs
Merit win for the HOW Promotion and Design Awards
Runner up Creative Quarterly Award.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver holds a fundraiser gala every year called Luminocity. Each year there is a featured artist that inspires the look of the invitation. The featured artist was Ryan McGinley, a New York photographer who's started his career shooting polaroids portraits of every visitor who came to his home. This invitation was designed to play off of Ryan's love for polaroids, use of fur in his work, and intimate moments. My role in this project was designing the VIP and general invitation as well as managing the production from start to finish.
Broad’s Banquet 2016
Firm: Ellen Bruss Design
Creative Direction: Ellen Bruss
Printing: Dilley Printing Denver
Awards/Features:
Paper Specs 2016
Confetti Magazine
Women are not just A – but the – force to be reckoned with today, something that will come as little surprise to the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA Denver). Taking as its rallying cry “Broads only, no dudes,” its annual Broad’s Banquet fund-raiser invites women to celebrate art with their fellow double-Xers.
The piece was inspired by the work of Kim Dickey, the featured artist for the event.
Broad’s Banquet 2015
Firm: Ellen Bruss Design
Creative Direction: Ellen Bruss
Printing: Dilley Printing Denver
Awards/Features:
Paper Specs 2015
Confetti Magazine
The challenge for Ellen Bruss Design in creating 250 invitations for the 2015 event was expressing the attitude of the event while honoring the featured artist: Ana Maria Hernando.
A local painter and sculptor, Hernando specializes in art that is energetic and feminine. Her color palette, use of line and sense of freedom all inspired the design of the event invitations.
After exploring many options, we decided on a chartreuse box and wraparound label to carry the invitation. Inside, a hand-sewn 10-page booklet, invitations featuring Hernando’s art, and RSVP cards with beautiful gold type were combined with bright envelopes. The invitations were digitally printed. While the entire package makes a bold yet feminine statement, Bruss’ favorite touch was Hernando’s beautiful artwork printed on chiffon scarves.
