The Story Behind The December Design Of ‘Times Of Black Cultures’ Calendar

Today I would like to share how the December design of our calendar ‘Times Of Black Cultures’ came to be and explain the symbolic that it holds.

In 2023, I created most of the monthly designs up to October and completed the necessary research for dates. Ideas for different layouts, graphical elements, and typography flowed freely, and I was in a creative groove. After finishing October, I took a break to attend to other projects. I thrive on working on multiple projects simultaneously, switching back and forth. While it may seem chaotic to some, it’s crucial for my creative process.

However, this time, I struggled to resume the creative flow, and progress on the calendar stalled. Two pages remained blank for almost eight months, lingering in my thoughts. In May of this year, I finally broke the impasse and began working on November and December with no clear vision, direction, or color palette, knowing only that November had to be rectangular and December, circular.

As I finalized November and worked on December, the circular design suddenly made perfect sense: it symbolized the completion of an annual cycle, the eternal nature of time’s cycles—all aspects of creation move in cycles. It was the ideal way to conclude the year because circles have no beginning or end, just like this calendar, which can be used year after year. Its content and message are timeless, just like black people, black culture, and black legacy.

As I completed the calendar’s final month and wrapped up the design process, I recalled the project’s inception. Holding the first test prints of my children’s science book, ‘Nature’s Dark Treasure’, I proudly showed them to my husband. He looked at them and said, “Now you should create a calendar specifically for black holidays.” In that moment, the entire calendar flashed through my mind—the global concept, the collage style, the artistic approach—solidifying instantly. I began collecting dates that very day and have fell in love the idea ever since.

To encapsulate the genesis of this calendar—an idea conceived by a man and brought to life by a woman—the circular design of December features two faces in profile: a man and a woman, facing each other. It symbolizes the creative union between black men and women and the myriad dynamics that creation can take on between them. While each month’s design holds significance, December’s design is undoubtedly the most meaningful.