Artists know a thing or two about addiction. Not necessarily to that of altered states, but to their art, which is an altogether more healthy dependency than most.
Now, charity group Action on Addiction, which researches the causes of less positive addictions and the best ways to prevent and treat them, has enlisted the help of several artists for one of its annual fundraising events. This will take the form of an on-line auction of paintings and art work, for which London design consultancy Agenda Design Associates has created the identity.
The consultancy has worked with the charity for three years and this year’s event, organised in conjunction with London auction house Sotheby’s, aims to raise funds through the Web. Artists such as Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin have been approached to donate works to the event, called Art Against Addiction, and big names including Sam Taylor Wood and Elizabeth Blackadder have already contributed.
Agenda presented several ideas for the identity, some focusing on the concept of art, some on addiction. The chosen design, launched at the end of January, will be applied across a website, stationery, invitations, tickets and flyers.
‘We were asked to come up with something a bit different, something not so obvious,’ explains Agenda senior designer Evelyn Hegi. In view of this, Agenda has created an identity featuring a hand imprint with the lines, including the lifeline, forming the shape of an A. The look and feel of the ‘sinister’ hand, says Hegi, represents the difficulties in trying to break free from an addiction, as well as reinforcing the image of the hand as a creative tool and method of communication.
The hand sits in a blue box surround, which is rough-edged to put across the artistic side of the event, and is set against the hard, linear logotype of Art Against Addiction. The blue shade of the hand and the black of the typeface remain in force throughout. In addition, from the back of the hand radiates an ‘overpowering force’, alluding to the power of addiction.
Dominic Hoard, events manager for the charity, points to the design of the identity as being key in securing the support of the art community. So far, 46 out of a target of 50 works of art have been donated.
‘The designs have really helped the event,’ he explains. ‘It has helped brand the event to look professional, and if we hadn’t had the logo we wouldn’t have had the response from the artists that we did, no doubt. The logo has so many different connotations and has got a really good reaction.’
The on-line auction runs from 30 January 2001 at www.sothebys.com
Client: Action on Addiction
Design: Agenda Design
Designers – Evelyn Hegi, Paul Davis
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