The Notebook serves double duty as both a quarterly exhibition catalog and newsletter for “The Lab,” located in the Belmar neighborhood of the emerging cultural hub of Lakewood, Colo. The Lab is an art museum/think tank/public forum where people can come to learn about progressive contemporary art forms and artists. The Notebook communicates, through witty narration and enticing imagery, just what this space offers: intelligent art exhibitions, alternative educational programming and a growing lecture series. Jorge Lamora of Ellen Bruss Design created a print life for this material, assembling it into a finely packaged and increasingly sought-after object. Close contact between designer and client “allows us to become really involved in what needs to be communicated,” Lamora explains, noting that this relationship “is instrumental in conveying a connection with the reader.” With its intricate insights and meticulous attention to detail, the design establishes a well-thought-out, conceptually framed composition from issue to issue, one whose sum of parts definitely makes a whole. by Jaime Groetsema