I was asked to do a design favor for the Office of the President. Like so many offers that can’t be refused, this favor was both exciting and terrifying at the same time.
A special print piece was requested for the memorial service of former Indiana University Bloomington Chancellor Emeritus Ken Gros Louis. I am not an IU Alum, but as I did my research I quickly learned that the man was beloved.
He was special. And so, his memorial piece needed to also be special.
At the onset, my perimeters were 1) that it be a booklet, 2) that it be relatively small in size, and 3) that it contain a flat-style drawing technique that was admired from a previous piece I had designed a few months earlier. After researching Ken, I learned about his love of poetry and books as well as his effect on those around him. I kept finding people’s wonderfully kind and effusive words detailing the impact he had on them as students, faculty, or employees.
It was these words that became the message of this memento. Using photos from the University archive, friends, and family, the booklet took shape. The cover was designed to look like one of the many leather-bound books that adorned his overflowing shelves. The cover icon encapsulates his love of reading and writing as well as his passion for the LGBTQ+ community. In 1994 he established the Office of GLBT Student Support Services at Indiana University.
The center spread depicts Ken’s office — complete with overstuffed leather chair, his beloved books and mementos, and photos of his family — drawn in the flat-style that was perimeter three.
For more about Ken Gros Louis’ life and legacy at Indiana University, visit: https://kengroslouis.indiana.edu.
Click here to view the full booklet.