Our Blog

design identity

They Came from the Logo Graveyard (Part I)

May 2, 2021

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… Take a look


design general

QR Codes are back…wait, really?

April 13, 2021

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… Take a look


Animation

An Animated Discussion

March 17, 2021

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… Take a look


Animation

Curio Portfolio Reel

October 28, 2019

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

May 3, 2019

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

April 18, 2019

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

February 20, 2019

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

February 14, 2019

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

February 8, 2019

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.


design

Print Design for the 8th Annual Harvest Celebration

January 30, 2019

The Harvest Celebration Gala is an annual fundraiser hosted by the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation. The event raises funds for the hospital to put toward research, and building a better future for its patients. For the events eighth year, we chose gentle lines and watercolour flowers to visually express the spirit of the celebration. Building upon this creative platform, we developed marketing materials for the event, including invitations, a program guide, and wayfinding signage.


illustration

Illustrated posters for Primary Care Network

January 22, 2019

Primary Care Network consists of a team of health care practitioners who work alongside a family doctor to help patients improve their overall health. This program includes over 97 member clinics, with 300 family physicians and 160 PCN staff, striving to improve the health of their patients. The PCN teams are composed of nurses, nurse practitioners, healthy aging nurses and social workers, behavioural health consultants, registered dietitians, respiratory therapists, exercise specialists and administrative staff.


design

Publication design for Arts Habitat Edmonton

January 17, 2019

Arts Habitat is a non-profit entity whose mandate is to provide affordable, habitable studio spaces for artists. Arts Hab has made great strides in their mission over the last ten years, and they approached Curio to design a printed report that would summarize the last decade of their work. Much like a tree, Arts Hab has, put down roots in the creative community.