Art and Design in Love
As the sun set over the horizon, Art sighed. “What a stunning landscape,” he said, from behind the easel. “In hansa yellow, cadmium orange and a touch of quinacridone rose.” With one last, feather-light touch of his brush, he’d captured all he wanted to of the moment.
“Or PANTONE+ 1–16, 30–8 and 48–16.” Desi smiled wryly and wrapped her hand around Art’s paint-flecked fingers. “Ways of seeing.”
Art smiled. “How’d yours turn out?”
Desi lifted her laptop’s lid, revealing a dynamic, stylized poster of the sunset. The words “Until Tomorrow” — set in bold, sans serif, all caps letters — dominated the layout. Until hovered in the deepening sky while Tomorrow, stacked beneath, waded into the water. Beneath the headline, overlaid on the underwater, were three columns of type describing an eco-philanthropy, whose logo and partner logos lined the invisible bottom margin.
“Wow, impactful. Love the message. I’m sure your client will, too.”
Desi nodded, ever-hopeful but unsure of the ‘sure thing.’ She craned her neck to peer behind the easel, and was greeted by the familiar symbols and swirling energy lines of Art’s signature style. Invented creatures roamed the terraced hills in the distance, and Desi herself appeared at the water’s edge. Her face lit up at the discovery, just as the sun disappeared completely. “I know you say paintings are open to interpretation, but I’m pretty sure that’s me.”
Art shrugged and made that face. “Could be. Honestly, I’m pretty disappointed I never feature in yours,” he teased.
“Maybe I’ll make a special one, just for you,” said Desi. “One with a more personal, less commercial visual language.”
“So you wouldn’t send it off to your client, then?”
“Probably not. Might go against the whole minimalism thing.”
“Or…you might just be a bit of a control freak?” Art brushed the tip of Desi’s nose blue.
She jumped up, laughing, and chased him around the yard. “You know I have a meeting tomorrow morning?!”
“And what spot color is boo-hoo blue?” He turned around embraced her, until the lines between Art and Design blurred completely.
