The 10x18 project is back and we get to hear from the creators

It’s that time of the year again! The beloved 10x project is back and we couldn’t be more excited. This month, 33 artists were selected to create visual interpretations of their favorite albums of the year.

We were lucky enough to chat with one of the 10x creators Eric R Mortensen to learn a bit more about how the project started and what the inspiration was behind this year’s color scheme. See what Eric had to say and be sure to check out all of the 10x18 shots posted to Dribbble. We scattered a handful of our favorites in here—but it was very hard to choose only a few!

Row 1: Anna Hurley, Lauren Dickens, Fanny Luor.

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How did the 10x project start and why have you decided to continue it each year?

Richard Perez started 10x in 2010 as a personal project, sharing out his yearly faves in ritualistic fashion, exploring visual themes with a consistent color palette. Coincidently Richard and I both moved to Portland in 2014, so I jumped in on his tradition that year. We enjoyed seeing our personal interpretations of the project, both in our album choices and how we navigated the aesthetic constraints. With the help of Jen DeRosa we opened up the project to include a few more people in 2015, and in 2016 we doubled the number of participants. It was also the first year we built out a legit website, thanks to Joey Maase. This year, 33 of us generated 330 covers for 10x18!

I think there are a lot of reasons why we continue growing the project each year. Sure, we love sharing all the great music we’ve listened to over the course of a year and it’s a great outlet to explore new mediums and modes of making. But it also has created this summer-camp-style community of friends who’ve set aside time in their busy lives to collectively make something together, just for the fun of it! That feels like a rare gift.

Row 1: Katie Chandler, Maxwell Holyoke-Hirsch, Kitkat Pecson.

We’re curious—how do you choose the color scheme every year?

Richard’s turtle, Donna, actually chooses our palette every year. We scatter Pantone chips throughout her terrarium and eagerly await her selects. Her inspiration for 2018? Colors that look like food she eats. I should mention Richard exclusively feeds his turtle candy. It’s amazing that it’s still alive.