CURRENT POSITION Graphic Artist, Enoch Pratt Free Library, MD DEGREE BA, Animation and Visual Effects, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, 2008 FAST FACT Archibald is a long-time animation and cartoon comic fan and followed that interest to get a second bachelor’s degree in animation and visual effects. FOLLOW prattlibrary.org/summer-break; bit.ly/LinkedInArchibald; bit.ly/ArchibaldPortfolio Photo by John Cassini

Gab-worthy Graphics

Eric Archibald, graphic artist at Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library, proves that a picture is worth 1,000 words.

In 2023, Archibald’s work on two different projects generated enormous impact for the library and demonstrated that effective design can make a difference in library programming.

For many years, the library has produced t-shirts for its popular Summer Break Baltimore reading program, but they wanted to find a way to expand their reach. Tapping into Archibald’s creativity, the Pratt team decided on a Baltimore-themed shirt with an Oriole and an iconic Baltimore treat, lemon sticks. The shirts went viral, with 20,000 claimed quickly. The library credits the shirt with a 36 percent increase in summer reading participation. “It was great seeing something I did be so embraced throughout the city,” Archibald says.

Archibald also worked with curators of the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence, which rose near the White House following the murder of George Floyd. Pratt digitized the artwork that people attached to the fence, and Archibald worked with the digitizers to create an art exhibit. He recreated the pieces of art so meticulously that the library had to add a sign to the exhibit noting these were copies, not originals. The library installed chain link fences to mount the art, and vinyl floor clings reading “Black Lives Matter” were placed in the exhibit’s hallway.

Visitors, including school field trip groups, stood before the exhibit and cried. The library’s staff frequently told Archibald how much it meant to them. “That made the work more than worthwhile,” he says.