SUNday Suns: Graphic designer produces a little ray of sunshine every week

This notion has formed the basis of an incredibly positive project by Tad Carpenter – a designer, illustrator, author and educator based in Kansas City, Missouri.

Carpenter co-runs the design and branding studio, Carpenter Collective with his wife, Jessica Carpenter where they focus on bringing powerful messages to life through branding, packaging, illustration and design.

They have worked with clients ranging from Target, Coca-Cola, Macy’s, Old Navy, Conan O'Brien, Adobe and MTV among many others. Carpenter has worked with numerous bands on posters and tour campaigns for over 10 years, including John Mayer, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Paul McCartney and Dave Matthews Band to name a few. He has also written and illustrated over twenty children's books, alongside teaching graphic design at the University of Kansas.

For his SUNday Suns, Tad explains: "As a graphic designer, a big part of my career is making things for other people. My SUNday Suns project began with a very simple rule, make a sun each and every SUNday for yourself.

"Draw it, sculpt it, design it, whatever just make something and share it. With my series, I wanted to create a platform for making something for no one else but myself. I wanted that platform to give me space and permission to play, to practice and ultimately, a space to explore what visual communication really means to me.

"When creating this project I wanted it to be an exercise in exploration first and foremost. I wanted the opportunity to examine my own personal process and how it could improve. But in the end, like all art and design practices, these SUNday Suns true purpose might just be to better the lives of the people who view them. In an uncertain and troubling time in our country (USA), I hope these little suns are a little ray of sunshine for anyone who sees them, each and every week."

It certainly brightened up our day. Discover more at sunday-suns.com / carpentercollective.com.