Real Art needed a unique promotional piece to showcase several of their top projects. In a brilliant collaboration, multiple designers came together to create a beautiful greatest hits album featuring SSTV (slow-scan television) image transmission using the album’s audio and an app to decode an image from each track. But you can’t have a killer album without solid packaging and printed collateral.
After researching many beautiful albums for inspiration via my brother’s personal collection, I was immediately drawn to choosing a translucent red vinyl for the final pressed piece. I was responsible for designing the album jacket—featuring metallic silver ink on uncoated paper—the record labels for both A and B sides, and the first spread in the booklet insert.
2018 AAF-Dayton Hermes Award:
Gold, Self-Promotion
Designed at Real Art
Thermos was in need of a brand refresh to showcase more personality and character in their website and their overall digital footprint. I took part in large brainstorm sessions to concept and sitemap their new sales-driven website. I also wrote custom copy with a specified tone of voice and designed a trio of fun badges they could use as stickers.
Designed at Real Art
Every year, Hobart gives away a one-of-a-kind, custom-designed 60-quart mixer at The International Pizza Expo, the world’s largest trade show for the pizza industry. The only design request from the client was that the heavy-duty Legacy HL662 dough mixer needed to target the expo’s main attendees: independent pizzeria restaurant owners with a bit of an edge.
I presented two totally different style boards, each with their own theme and personality. Ultimately, the client chose the option that packed the most punch: The Doughminator—a pizza-pounding, dough-wrestling mixer, complete with a custom-designed championship belt and a shiny, red ringside bell.
Prepare to be mixed, battered, and mashed. In a class all on its own, there is only one heavyweight champ in the kitchen worth mentioning—The Doughminator. This fierce 60-quart delivers a powerful punch with its durable body finish and quick-release agitator. There is no match for its tasty uppercuts and buffet of knuckle sandwiches. Just try to knock The Doughminator, we dare you. But be prepared to be whipped and beaten for a clean and easy TKO.
2018 AAF-Dayton Hermes Award:
Silver, Out-of-Home & Ambient Media
Designed at Real Art.
Old Scratch is a pizza and beer restaurant located in Dayton, Ohio. They serve traditional made-from-scratch Neopolitan-style pizzas and craft beer.
While in the process of renovating an old appliance warehouse for its future pizza hall, the client provided inspiration for a logo—lots of vintage beer labels. And although Old Scratch is a name for the devil, the client originally asked for the logo to not include any other devilish references. With these things considered, I designed these three logo options, squeezed in a few risky elements, and presented them to the client.
Designed at Real Art
CPG Building Products wanted to redefine the vision and style for their TimberTech and Azek lines of composite decking. Each line needed to target different audiences, so pushing the two looks apart was necessary.
I helped define the new tone of voice for TimberTech: tough, durable, and family-focused. Based on these characteristics, I lead the design of a 48-page catalog that included products, charts, and lots of technical information. The catalog also contained large amounts of custom imagery that required specific photoshoots and editing.
The catalog was printed on an off-white, uncoated eggshell paper to give a warm feeling and natural texture to the deck imagery.
I also designed two coin-style plaques for each CPG deck line. The coins will be adhered to any newly constructed deck as a seal of authenticity and medal of excellence. The embossed, tone-on-tone brushed metal finish keeps it simple and less invasive for the customer.
Designed at Real Art
Miami University recently renovated the Shriver Center, a place where current students can study and prospective students can learn about the school. During the renovation, MU asked for installation concepts for the space that coincided with the architect’s vision. I presented a theme, See Yourself Here, that targeted those prospective students to envision their future at Miami University.
The theme included inspirational mirrored words that hang above the front desk. The oversized letters face visitors so they can see their own reflection as they walk through the door.
I also wanted the welcome area to include an audio element, so I chose large red sound domes to hang overhead. The domes provide a directional audio experience and play sound clips when a visitor steps underneath. The directional audio keeps the sound from traveling throughout the room. Once a visitor steps away from the dome, the sound can no longer be heard. The domed speakers can play anything from interviews to school songs and runs on a looped cycle.
Behind the welcome desk are thoughtfully curated shelves full of historical school artifacts—a small educational museum for visitors. I also selected, edited, arranged, framed, and hung over 70 photographs in the counseling rooms and common lounge areas. In addition, I selected even more images to loop on digital picture frames throughout the area.
Designed at Real Art
A local family-owned financial company needed help consolidating their three separate brands—all using the James name with different identities—into one umbrella brand that could be used with each product. The client has a strong history of honesty and loyalty, so it was necessary to keep their warm and inviting aesthetic in order to appeal to their established clients, but also welcome new ones and expand their business.
I designed a simple and classic logo with strong type, fitting for James. I gave each branch its own color palette and tag lockup with the main logo to identify those specific products. If James should ever expand to offer more, they could easily do so using this adaptable system.
I also designed a very extensive, 20-page brand guide including: mission and vision statements, personality summary, voice and messaging samples, carefully chosen photography style, typography, color, and logo usage.
Designed at Real Art
Ali Industries, parent company to Gator Finishing Products, needed to update the current packaging for their entire line of over 10 power sanding products. Using preestablished typefaces, colors, and textures, I designed a new look and system for each product’s front side. The back side of each product would eventually be designed by the client based on the style system I supplied.
Designed at Real Art
Ali Industries needed a packaging design overhaul for their Gator Zip line of sanding kits. They wanted to stay tough and true to their current market in home improvement stores, but also expand their target audience to the crafting industry in stores such as Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and Jo-Ann Fabrics. Their main goal was to feel modern and stand out among the competition on a shelf full of other sanding tools, kits, and craft supplies.
While another designer refreshed their outdated orange and yellow Zip logo, I was simultaneously designing the packaging using preexisting dies per the client’s request. In the end, our collaboration created a solution that just made sense: keep it simple and own that bright yellow.
Designed at Real Art
Victoria’s Secret needed a series of gift cards for the holiday season. Utilizing the brand standards, I designed numerous concepts across several different requested categories: Stripe, Bow, Ornament, Holiday, and Love You. I used my fine art skills, a brush pen, and watercolors to produce custom hand lettering and illustrations for each gift card. My designs also included special finishing techniques, such as dull and glossy varnishes and foil stamping.
Designed at Real Art
L’Oréal needed a poster to reintroduce their School of Excellence Learning for Transformation program to their employees. The specialized academy included a range of courses dedicated to empowering their employees by providing the tools and driving the individuals to continue their education in leadership, marketing, and other business and personal developments.
The client wanted the design to focus on change and reach out to all employees no matter their path. It needed to be approachable, empowering, and encourage all aspects of evolution—be it company-wide, individual teams, or an employee’s personal career.
Change is essential to L’Oreal. It’s key to our culture and allows us to grow. Whether you want to excel in marketing, advance in leadership, or explore new areas, L’Oreal’s Learning Team will help foster your professional transformation through specialized courses. Your skills will become stronger as you make the change.
Designed at Real Art
Dayton Children’s Hospital was in the process of building a new, 8-story patient tower to expand their capabilities and accommodate emerging medical technologies. This logo was designed as part of their Reaching New Heights capital campaign to raise awareness and funding for the new addition.
The tower-shaped logo encompasses bright, colorful building blocks to reflect a childlike nature. The upward movement drives progression and growth while hinting at Dayton’s history of flight innovation—an inspiration for the new building’s features.
Designed at Real Art
This is a logo concept for a Dayton, Ohio beverage distributor who wanted to expand their services by purchasing a newly available beverage distributor in Erie, Pennsylvania. In order to purchase the company, the client wanted to go above and beyond by presenting a new name and identity with strong meaning and connections to both companies. The color palette and bottle cap shape reflect the client’s current look, while the name Gem City pays homage to both Dayton and Erie.
Designed at Real Art
ooVoo, a video chat company, wanted a unique way to share information about their software development kit at AnDevCon, the Android Development Conference for professional software developers. Developers on my team created an interactive in-booth challenge that defined ooVoo’s brand message to Open Up Life. The contestants were tasked with debugging the broken demo app. Once successful, the top of the crated kiosk opened up to reveal a prize: a Moto360 Android watch or a Raspberry Pi B+ with a demo of the ooVoo SDK.
Fabricators on my team built and wired the crate while I designed the outside Dev Challenge graphics including custom oversized stickers. The graphics were spray painted on using friskets.
Designed at Real Art
This is a logo concept design for Hello U, a company that specializes in adaptive marketing for higher education—personalizing and tailoring the marketing content to fit the individual. The client wanted a memorable and approachable logo that conveyed positivity. It also needed to have a high tech feel to reflect the product’s robust capabilities.
Designed at Real Art
