community design illustration
These Dogs are Parkin’!
People, Dogs, and Dog-People of Edmonton: Visit the SouthBARK dog park at 8122 106 Street NW (featuring public furniture illustrated by Curio)!
design Nerd Corner
Graham’s Nerd Corner: What makes an image “Pixel Perfect?”
“Pixel Perfect” is one of those terms that hangs around in web design circles and rarely leaves. It’s a really interesting concept, especially when explained by Curio’s self-professed design nerd, Graham Johnson.
client feature logo
A Logo is Worth 333 Words, Apparently
Do you ever get asked to show your work? We were recently asked to describe one of our logo designs for the visually-impaired, and JEEZ LOUISE, it was tougher than you’d imagine!
design identity
They Came from the Logo Graveyard (Part I)
Just about every logo you’ve ever seen has a few “undead” counterparts—logo concepts that were not chosen by the client and relegated to the Logo Graveyard [SFX: shrieking heard in the distance]. At Curio, we TRY not to spend a lot of time moping about our own Graveyard. But sometimes we can’t help ourselves. Please…
design general
QR Codes are back…wait, really?
QR (Quick Response) codes were a touchy subject in design circles when they first started popping up all over North America in the early 2010s. If the term doesn’t ring a bell, you’d know them to see them—those little squares full of black dots and lines that look like 8-bit TV static: Remember when? In…
Animation
An Animated Discussion
Should your organization invest in animated graphics? In digital marketing circles, video is having a moment—one that’s lasted years with no signs of slowing: A 2020 survey by Wyzowl states that 93% of marketers say video is an important part of their strategy Zenith Media estimates that in 2021, the average person will watch more…
Animation
Curio Portfolio Reel
We’re grateful to have worked on a number of fun projects for some thoroughly-delightful clients over the past few years; to commemorate this, we put together a portfolio reel to highlight our latest work in branding, illustration, and motion and environmental design.
illustration
Concrete Theatre
We’re happy to share illustration and design work we created for Concrete Theatre! Curio developed a season brochure with support illustrations, interpreting each performance running in the 2019/2020 season. This type of work can be so fun in the sense that we work closely with an arts organization to read each play and figure out how to visually interpret it through contemporary illustration.
identity
Christy Dean Photography
We created a playful visual identity refresh for Christy Dean Photography. We’ve worked with Christy for many years. She’s responsible for the curio portraits and the photos of our studio peppered around our website.
illustration
Alberta Dental Association & College Social Media Campaign
We’ve been working with the Alberta Dental Association & College for over a year now on social media campaigns! Everything we have developed thus far has a bold, distinct, and illustrative flavour. Visit our portfolio case study for more samples of this work.
illustration
Mural Illustration for Curio Studio & Kobot
In December of 2017, Curio took the last few days of the work year and painted an office mural. If you look closely at all of the elements, it incorporates many aspects of what both Curio and Kobot love in life (Food, skateboarding, art supplies, cycling, more food, dogs, toys, and more food). Pizza is one of the biggest items (most likely because Amanda did the sketch, but also because pizza is amazing…). If you haven’t stopped by our space to see it, come say hi! We’re right on Whyte in a beautiful heritage building called Tipton Block.
illustration
Illustrated Web Comic for the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees
The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees,Alberta’s largest union with more than 95,000 members, is celebrating 100 years of standing together in solidarity for workers’ rights. In 1919, the Civil Service Association of Alberta, AUPE’s predecessor, was founded, representing provincial government workers. The union we know as as AUPE was born in 1976, and since then the union has grown to become the province’s largest and most diverse, with members working in government, health care, education, and boards, agencies and local governments.