BEHIND THE SCENES
Local artist Katie Miller designed 17 unique scenes depicting a dystopian future for DC. Miller created the sets using nothing but children's toys. She photographed them from the perspective of our hero, Ruby Bridges, depicted by a doll whose likeness was approved by the Ruby Bridges Foundation. She used over 15,000 pieces, including over 1,000 miniature books, to create each set, with some being more significant in size. The sweeping cityscape of Washington, DC, in Chapter 7 took Miller over a month to build and shoot, and spanned over 30' in her art studio. The entire project took Miller over 7 months to build, light, and photograph; the results are astounding. Miller delivered a sweeping, profound story that exceeded even the Allegory's team's expectations.
ARTIST
The Allegory team partnered with the award-winning Dian Holton, a local designer, to bring the story to life. Holton worked closely with the team to ensure that the menu's design reinforced and enhanced the art and the story. One of the ways Holton enhanced the story was by using different typefaces that had more profound meaning and purpose. MARTIN is a non-violent typeface inspired by the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike. The primarily Black sanitation workers carried posters stating "I AM A MAN," echoing abolitionist sentiments from over a century earlier. The typeface, now known as VTC RUBY, was initially called "Gothic Shade" or "Tombstone" in 1892, which later merged to become American Type Founders (ATF), a typeface that would reemerge as "Jim Crow." The name was a disturbing reference to the racist caricatures and laws that enforced racial segregation in the United States. This history tainted the typeface until Tré Seals, founder of Vocal Type, reclaimed it as VTC RUBY in honor of Ruby Bridges
DESIGNER
The children's book narrative, written by Allegory's Beverage and Creative Director, Deke Dunne, used Joseph Campbell's famous 17 Stages of a Hero's Journey Arc to guide Ruby. To Dunne, it was important that the hero, Ruby Bridges, stayed true to her real-life legend, but since this was a fictionalized version, he wanted to make sure that her character arc was impactful and earned. It was also essential that the story read like a children's book to fit Allegory's whimsical yet dark vibe. Dunne underwent exhaustive research to capture the same energy as many modern writers of the contemporary children's literary scene.
AUTHOR
SPOTZ Studios, a local book and magazine publisher, published the menu Banned in DC. SPOTZ specializes in visual storytelling through unique imagery and design. Pete Voelker and his team worked closely with Deke, Dian, and Katie to make the book a reality. The final published menu is a hardback book that is only available at Allegory.