Client: American Express (US, UK, Mexico & Canada)
In-House Design Team: OnBrand
Production: COLLAB+
Illustrators: Mariell Guzman, Reyna Noriega, Shawna X, Erin Aniker, Blake Angeconeb, Lourdes Villagómez, Marcos Chin & Sabrena Khadija.

COLLAB+ was selected by American Express to oversee their Always Welcome artist series, which featured illustrations created by artists based on their own interpretation of the theme "Always Welcome." This project involved the design of new signage and marketing materials for merchants in the United States, UK, Mexico, and Canada.

American Express has committed $1 billion to promote racial, ethnic, and gender equity for colleagues, customers, and communities, and this partnership with artists aligns with those efforts. The collaboration promotes messages of inclusivity and equity to customers and communities, as well as our merchant partners.

COLLAB+ played a critical role as Art Production and Talent Management throughout the entire process. Our team sourced the artists, onboarded them, and coordinated the entire process with American Express, their in-house design agency, and the artists to bring the artist series to life through 2021 - 2023.

"By managing this project through our COLLAB+ network, we created a seamless process from sourcing, vetting, onboarding/briefing, art production, as well as interviews and behind-the-scenes capture coordinating with the artists and their representatives. We streamlined communication, administration, and payment through our agency, allowing the brand and artists to focus on creating impactful work," explained Matthew LeBaron, Senior Producer and Founder of Much Creative/COLLAB+. "We have developed a system that can carry this artist series into 2024 and beyond, allowing for a continued focus on making impactful work."

- Matthew LeBaron, Senior Project Manager, Much Creative