FOUR
“I really wanted the opportunity to make space for Black artists to show their work, and that's what I did.”
In October 2019, Maria Williams launched The Art of Four after watching a news segment honoring artists and realizing none of the celebrated artists looked like her. She started with four Black artists. The collective has since grown to over forty, with a sister gallery — In the Eye of the Beholder — and partnerships with Texas A&M-SA, Artpace, and the San Antonio River Authority.
Our mission is to promote local Black artists who highlight Black culture through expression in craftsmanship, fine design, visual arts, performing arts, filmmaking, and literature.
- Craftsmanship
- Fine Design
- Visual Arts
- Performing Arts
- Filmmaking
- Literature
Four became forty.
We do not ask permission to celebrate Black artists. We assume the platform is ours to build.
Maria's coined word — artivist — and her name for our artists, ambassadors. Always fine art, never “street.”
Our artists should not have to translate their work to a default audience. The audience comes to the work.
Stacked. Italic suprascript over display caps.
Fraunces (Soft, Regular)
1.0″ print · 120 px digital
Equal to cap-height of FOUR on all sides
Default for most applications. Use inverted on photography, dark surfaces, and gallery signage. Use cobalt only for signal moments — exhibition openings, calls to action, signature campaigns.
Four equal strokes. The mark is honest counting, not a logotype dressed up. It is the simplest possible declaration that this organization began with four — and it scales from favicon to facade without losing form.
Avatars · favicons · signage · pattern · sign-offs
What not to do.
Four colors. Used in proportion.
Structure
Warm ground
Presence
Use sparingly
Hierarchy on the page.
Bone leads. Ink does the structural work. Cobalt arrives as a deliberate signal — never decoration. Saffron is the warm accent that lives only on ink: openings, anniversaries, moments that warrant warmth.
These ratios describe a layout that feels right, not a mandate. The instinct check: if a page is mostly cobalt, you're using it as decoration. Pull it back.
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Fraunces
A contemporary serif with character — wedge-cut serifs, generous counters, real weight in the bold cuts. Confident without being precious.
- Regular · Wordmark, body emphasis
- Italic · “The Art of” suprascript
- Bold · Headlines, exhibition titles
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Inter
A clean, neutral workhorse. Excellent legibility at small sizes, full multilingual support, accessible by default. The quiet partner to Fraunces.
- Regular · Body copy
- Medium · Labels, callouts
- Semibold · UI emphasis
How we sound.
Each tagline serves a different moment. Don't pick one — let the context decide.
The system in use.
Download the marks.
Download all · ZIPHigh-resolution PNGs with transparent backgrounds, ready for print and screen. Use them as supplied — keep the clear space and see what not to do above.
This identity is built to be used by Maria, partners, and ambassadors. When in doubt: paraphrase the wordmark, never redraw the tally. Hold the system loosely; hold the posture tightly.
Download the PDF