Can you color your way to a career?
For so many Americans, the summer of 2020 was one of the darkest we’ve seen in our lifetime. The effects of Covid-19 had caused businesses to shut down, millions to lose their jobs and families to retreat inside their homes; people were dying around the globe; hospitals were full as our nation’s healthcare workers risked their lives; and to top it all off, a tumultuous election was brewing while the murder of George Floyd set the country and our hearts ablaze.
The virus was spreading. Division was spreading. Hate was spreading.
We found a way to connect with families while educating about the role of design.
“We simply wanted to spread love and kindness. More specifically, we wanted to spread it to those who we thought needed it the most: The children in our communities who were seeing the tragic events unfold.”
– LINDSEY ASHLEY, GRAPHIC DESIGNER
The Fearless Thinkers at TWIST Creative, Inc. looked to help the children of Cleveland by using their design platform to capture their imagination, build confidence and inspire them to create and to look for color when the world around them is dark. Their answer: A coloring book that gives children the opportunity to color imaginative worlds of kindness, while at the same time be inspired to pursue a life of art through the personal stories of each designer.
Consisting of four pieces, each section of the coloring book represents a designer from TWIST and features their own personal story through the form of a questionnaire.
“I’ve been making art since I was 9 months old, ever since I could hold a crayon. A blank canvas, especially a new sketchbook, has always excited me. It’s like having a superpower.”
– VICKI VINCENT, GRAPHIC DESIGNER
After getting to know the designer, the colorist then flips to the next page to find multiple illustrations based on the artist’s own creative personality and message of kindness: Lindsey’s drawings and messages are found in nature—outside, Vicki’s are magical and full of wonder, Rachel’s are strong, hip and onward, and Jeff’s are clean and simple with life in motion. Along with their stories and illustrations, under each piece of art is a quote from other artists that have influenced each designer. The last page in each section is left blank, where kids are free to draw or to write whatever they choose—whatever is on their hearts—their own message of kindness.
“From a young age, I was always doodling whenever I had a chance. I was also lucky to have a mom encourage and instill passion in me for all art forms.”
– RACHEL TEUSCHER, GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Since its publishing at the beginning of 2021, multiple families across Cleveland, as well as the children at Providence House have engaged with the coloring book. And looking at their smiles, their mess of crayons, pencils and markers, and the colors they’ve left on the page, it’s clear that the coloring book has done what it was created to do: Spread Kindness. One of TWIST’s old taglines used to be “Love and Big Ideas”. 2020 didn’t force this team of Fearless Thinkers to walk the talk, for them it was only an opportunity to go further. From Brand X to My Pandemic Pivot, to StayCLE and now Spread Kindness, at TWIST it’s always been about love and big ideas.
“My favorite color is blue. It’s associated with a lot of positive things like calmness, trust, loyalty, and peace.”
– JEFF HARTZELL, GRAPHIC DESIGNER
