PROJECT - Popular Woodworking’s brand identity, magazine layout and illustration, and video graphic design

CLIENT - F+W Media / Popular Woodworking

INVOLVEMENT - Senior Graphic Designer

During the fall of 2018, Popular Woodworking deployed a completely redesigned magazine and brand identity to cater to our loyal woodworkers and begin to share how one can blend woodworking with other media to create beautifully unique pieces. From cover photography direction to page layout (bind-ins included), illustrations, and video graphics, we have brought simplicity and brand uniformity to Popular Woodworking.

Check out this new design in our magazine (produced seven times a year) through print or digital or keep current with our blogs, purchase books, and watch videos you’ll only find with Popular Woodworking. 

PROJECT - New brand and identity with menu design & illustration

CLIENT - Concept Work (Bakersfield Restaurant)

INVOLVEMENT - Graphic Designer

AWARD - AAF Akron Silver Student Addy 2015

Take the Bakersfield era of music and combine it with high-class Mexican food and you get Bakersfield restaurant. A restaurant this unique needs a brand that speaks to its personality. This conceptual design includes a food menu, drink menu, coasters, take out menus, take out bag and etched glasses. Each menu has a custom illustrated design that has been wood burned onto the back of a wooden board (essential Mexican food ingredients for the food menu and bottle caps for the drink menu) with the menus attached using two guitar picks. Wood burned coasters round off the restaurant branding.

PROJECT – New logo, identity, and brand

CLIENT – SAS | Retail Odyssey

INVOLVEMENT - Graphic Designer

In the summer of 2015, Daymon Worldwide hired me to create a logo, brand, and identity for The Retail Odyssey Company, a new brand of Daymon Worldwide exclusive to The Kroger Co. Included in this design were the logo, stationery, client presentations, templates and tools for Microsoft Office and office SWAG.

*Note: The Retail Odyssey Company began working closely in 2018 with another brand of Daymon Worldwide, SAS (Select-a-Service), and referred to as the SAS | Retail Odyssey Team.

BRAND GUIDE

LOGO PROCESS BOOK

PROJECT - Can design and illustration

CLIENT – 2017 PBR Can Design Contest

PROJECT INVOLVEMENT – Illustrator

For the past four years, Pabst Blue Ribbon has asked the country to come up with their best designs in three categories: 3D, 2D, and Can Design. Below was my entity description into the Can Design category.

The American spirit embodies patriotism for one’s country, bravery in the face of the challenges we have overcome, and resilience to the tragic events spread throughout history. No matter the problems, we have always survived and become stronger.

After the tragic events of 9/11, we as Americans came together to rebuild and seek justice for those lives lost. As a reminder of our perseverance on that day and the following days, the tree that survived the attack on the Twin Towers was nurtured back to health. Today, the Survivor Tree still lives on within the shadow of the Freedom Tower. As a symbol of the lessons learned that day, the seeds have been distributed across this nation during times of tragedy to serve as a reminder that we will rebuild and become stronger. #PBRstrong

PROJECT - Advertisement designs

CLIENT – Concept Work / Freelance (Yellow Ribbon Support Center)

PROJECT INVOLVEMENT – Art Director / Illustrator

AWARD – AAF Akron Silver Student Addy 2014

This design includes a poster and three magazine advertisements conceptualized for the Yellow Ribbon Support Center in Cincinnati, Ohio (a non-profit ran by the father of a deceased soldier, Matt Maupin). The inspiration for this piece came from one of the letter’s sent to the Maupin family. It told the Maupin’s that a yellow rose bush will be planted in Matt’s memory and that the number of blooms will never equal of the number of soldiers and their families that are being supported by the Yellow Ribbon Support Center. The yellow rose illustrations follow the path of a ribbon, a bugle (instrument Taps is commonly played on), the star, and the eagle - four important patriotic symbols.

The Yellow Ribbon Support Center is supported entirely on donations; this work was done pro-bono as this is a non-profit that is near and dear to my heart.

PROJECT - Summer 2019 How Design Magazine Issue

CLIENT - F +W Media / How Design

INVOLVEMENT - Graphic Designer

The How Design Magazine will be brought back into the print world for a special edition featuring the 2019 International, Promotion, and Logo Competition winners. It will be available at the 2019 How Design Live Conference this May and on select newsstands.

PROJECT - Photomosaic

CLIENT - Liberty Nature Center

INVOLVEMENT - Graphic Designer

When a fellow volunteer looks back on their time with the Liberty Nature Center, two things come to mind: the volunteers they worked with and the raptors they rehabilitated. This photomosaic consists of over one thousand photographs positioned strategically to create their icon logo. It represents the hundreds and thousands of hours of hard work that has been placed into this non-profit to make it what it is today.

*This was done entirely pro-bono. The original print was auctioned off at Liberty Nature Center's annual fundraiser this past March.

PROJECT – Illustrated Holiday Cards

CLIENT – SAS | Retail Odyssey

INVOLVEMENT - Art Director / Illustrator

Personalized, hand-illustrated holiday cards are always better than electronic, overused cards that are used by hundreds of other companies and individuals. These two holiday cards were designed with the SAS | Retail Odyssey partnership with Kroger in mind. The 2016 card featured a snow globe named “Retail Odyssey’s Winter Wonderful,” which pictures a small-town style grocery store, Christmas tree with lights, and a Kroger grocery store sign. The card is personalized with a Retail Odyssey star and a hand-written note, and a Retail Odyssey nameplate. 2017’s card continued with the same theme: a personalized snow globe. It detailed Cincinnati during the 1950s and included a Kroger grocery store and a bench where one can wait for the streetcar to arrive. The snow globe sits on a fireplace with a pine tree and three ornaments, one with the company name.

Holiday cards were available to deliver by two methods: by email with a simple animated version and by mail as a bi-fold card.

PROJECT - Title Sequence animation

CLIENT - Concept Work

INVOLVEMENT - Animator / Graphic Designer

Ever thought about remaking a title sequence? This title sequence is for the 1983 “A Christmas Story” comedy film based on stories by Jean Shepherd. It is based on one line that branches off into several lines creating several iconic scenes from the movie including The Christmas Story house, the Bumpus’ home, The Christmas Story car, and the Toy Shop. The design allows the new title sequence to flow nicely into the beginning of the movie.

*Please note that music and voice-overs come directly from the film itself.

PROJECT - Brand Spankin’ News (Newsletter)

CLIENT - Kroger / Retail Odyssey

INVOLVEMENT - Graphic Designer / Photographer / Illustrator

The Brand Spankin’ News is a Kroger employee newsletter that is used to communicate events, new items, and various other details across hundreds of stores and thousands of employees each period (every four weeks). The newsletter was started at the beginning of 2014 and was passed along to me in mid-2015. Over three years, I worked alongside Kroger to continue to improve the design with unique photography options, illustrations, and brand spotlights.

PROJECT - Product & Packaging Design

CLIENT – Concept Work

INVOLVEMENT - Graphic Designer / Illustrator

Ocean Surprise Tea is a one of a kind conceptual tea brand that is inspired by the life of the octopus and has three different tea flavors. The first flavor, Toxic Tango, is a strongly flavored mango and papaya tea and is inspired by the Blue-Ringed Octopus that lives in Australia. The second tea, Rooctopus, is made of rooibos, peaches, strawberry, and rhubarb. The three hearts of the octopus as well as the coral communities of Cape Verde Islands in Africa inspire it. Lastly, the third tea is called Inky Black and is a black tea inspired by the black ink produced by octopi to scare off its predators. It is inspired by the corals of China (since black tea originated in China). Personality could then be added for our tea lovers by infusing the tea with Raz the Octopus tea infuser.

PROJECT - Logo & Business Card

CLIENT – Concept Work (Akron Marathon)

INVOLVEMENT - Graphic Designer

Since the Akron Marathon’s theme is “Run the Blue Line,” this conceptual logo redesign includes a modern American theme in the colors of red, pale blue, and white. It embodies the freedom of the run as well as the excitement of completing the marathon that each and every runner experiences when they cross the finish line.

PROJECT - Logo Designs

CLIENT - Woodridge High School Athletics

INVOLVEMENT - Graphic Designer

Over the past several years, I have worked with Woodridge High School Athletics to update and expand on their brand. It began when I was asked to add an athletic element to their current logo. I did so by adding a dumbbell in the hand of the current Bulldog.

Several months later, an additional logo request was made to consist of a bulldog in some shape or form and be accompanied by a motivational phase. The final logo chosen was a bulldog with a barbell and the word’s “Breakout Bulldog.” The logo was placed on blender bottles and given away each week to the two most approved athletes as a way to honor the hardest working students and motivate the rest.

This work has been done entirely pro-bono.

PROJECT - Brand identity & magazine layout

CLIENT - Concept Work (Birds & Blooms)

INVOLVEMENT - Graphic Designer / Illustrator

This conceptual magazine redesign is based off a watercolor background and includes a newly designed masthead and ampersand, simplistic layouts, and watercolored birds. Included are the cover, table of contents, one department article, and one feature article (as well as a few extra pages that are included in every issue). Also included are two more cover designs that would be used to create a consistent look that would be continued with every issue.

PROJECT - Brand and Identity

CLIENT - Concept work (Akron Civic Theatre)

INVOLVEMENT - Graphic Designer

The Akron Civic Theatre is one of the community’s cultural landforms and has a rich, spectacular history, as it is one of the five remaining atmospheric theaters left in the United States. Included in this conceptual design are a logo redesign, stationary and invoice, magazine advertisements, rack card, program, usher uniforms, and responsive website design. These new design pieces would allow the Akron Civic Theatre to get the publicity it deserves so that more communities around Akron, throughout the state, and across the nation can see the beauty that is inside this culturally significant landform.

BRAND GUIDE

PROJECT - Logo Design

CLIENT - North Florida Youth Bass Club

INVOLVEMENT - Graphic Designer

I was asked by the founder of the North Florida Youth Bass Club to create a logo to use for their jerseys, polos, baseball caps, and more. I was given three elements to include: southern Florida bass, representation of Florida, and the club name.

This work has been done entirely pro-bono.