When you’re in the business of designing things like infographics, animated videos, and social media microcontent, being able to print off your work of art into a tangible piece to show off isn’t usually part of the plan. In the Lemonly world, the nature of our work means we almost exclusively design our content for the web only.
This fall, when Lemonly co-founder and Creative Director Amy Colgan was asked if Lemonly would like to be a Van Zante Visiting Artist by the South Dakota State Visual Department, she was ecstatic but was faced with a bit of a challenge.
How do we show off our primarily web-only work successfully in a gallery for all to see?
Not being one to ever turn down a challenge, she happily and proudly accepted their proposal to have Lemonly be a visiting artist for the school, quickly working with Lemonly team members on formulating a plan on just how a full gallery show should be set up. Being an alumna of the school, along with several other Lemonheads, this was a definite honor to have our work be showcased on campus, especially during Hobo Day, the school’s homecoming.
The end result was a wonderful labor of love by the Lemonly team, and something to truly be proud of: a gallery full of all of the different types of work we have to offer.
From outer walls showcasing infographics (printed to be taller than most of the show-goers), to multiple screens showcasing our animations and interactive pieces, the show was a success. Once viewers came into the interior of the expansive gallery, they also got to participate in a live data visualization installation, plotting their personal data points to create a work of art in itself.
We came into the show hoping our work would translate well off-screen, but what we left with was a huge sense of pride seeing the beautiful pieces all working together, showing students and members of the Brookings community just how beautiful data and stories can be.
Second Time’s a Charm
After the success of the almost month-long show at SDSU, we were approached by our friends at the Sioux Falls Design Center to show off 10 pieces there during the month of January.
With one huge show under our belt, this one came to life a bit easier. Already having our works of art printed out from the Van Zante show, much of the work was essentially done. All we had to do was whittle our 40 pieces to ten. (Still a challenge, mind you.)
After an afternoon of deliberating, placing a few different combinations of pieces with varying colors, clients, and subject matter, we finally came to an agreement on 10 infographics that fit well together and showed the variety of design styles we get to work on day-to-day. Paired with our animation reel playing on the projector and a few lemon-y treats and drinks, our second gallery and reception was also a success.
We’d like to extend our gratitude to the South Dakota State University Visual Arts Department and the Sioux Falls Design Center for the honor of being able to showcase our work in-person to both the Brookings and Sioux Falls communities. This was a great way to bring the Lemonheads together to really look at our successes in our four years as a company.
