Gary Taxali | Designer for Royal Canadian Mint

In January 2012, the Royal Canadian Mint launched its series of six celebration coins designed by OCADU alumnus and Assistant Professor of Illustration Gary Taxali. The coins are now available for order on the Mint’s website, and demand is so high that for some of the coin gift sets, shipping is being pushed back to February. The coins feature the themes of Birthday, Wedding, Tooth Fairy, New Baby, O Canada, and Holiday, and are intended as keepsakes to mark special occasions. Taxali’s coin designs are a unique and marked departure from the Mint’s usual coin designs, depicting a more edgy, vintage yet contemporary style. Each coin is like a miniature collectible piece of Taxali art with the artist’s initials engraved on the coin that will excite Taxali fans worldwide.

“The Mint is pleased to work with Gary Taxali on this year’s gift sets,” said Patrick Hadsipantelis, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the Royal Canadian Mint. “His renowned artistry brings a new and unique twist to these special keepsakes which celebrate some of life’s great moments.”

The coins feature Taxali’s recognizable pop culture imagery infused with his retro graphic vintage style. The words “25 Cents”, “2012” and “Canada” are depicted on the coins in Gary’s famous font called “Chumply,” the first time the Mint has allowed an artist to change the typography on coins.

Taxali’s collaboration with the Mint has garnered quite a bit of media attention, including a feature on CBC’s The National on Sunday, January 22, 2012 (watch the video online). He has been featured by CTV’s CanadaAM, Maclean’s magazine, Toronto Life and the National Post.