I put print in quotes because while I still design in print-ready format, many pieces end up as PDFs and never touch paper. My print experience includes creating posters, postcards, business cards, product info sheets, booklets, ebooks, trade show booth graphics, greeting cards, manuals, letterhead, CD art, food labels, magazine ads, flags, and promotional items like t-shirts, mugs, stickers, embroidered patches, and more.
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Business Collateral
The Project:
Visual design for a 40-page, data-heavy report.
My role:
I received a Word doc and a pile of data and was given free reign to do whatever I wanted to bring what might have been a dull document to life. I chose a cell theme to show how software is interconnected to every aspect of the financial services industry.
The Project:
Create a graphic novel detailing a CISO’s (Chief Information Security Officer) very bad day wherein his newly-launched app gets hacked.
My role:
Art director, photographer, designer, writer. I was given a rough draft script, and worked with subject matter experts to develop a plot and dialog. (I’m a published fiction writer). I recruited coworkers to “act” in the story, photographed them, applied a comic-book style filter to the images, simplified and stylized the backgrounds, and added the speech bubbles.
The resulting piece was a big success, and had the unexpected benefit of building team spirit, as everyone wanted to be in it and loved seeing themselves in comic book style.
The Project:
Design an ad for our software composition analysis product for the print edition of the June 2020 Fortune magazine.
My Role:
Wrangle copywriters (who always want to write a novel), design (based on the facet brand system we’d recently launched), get edits and approvals from many people, and finally, prepare print-ready files.
The Project:
Design of an ebook on API security.
My Role:
I used a combination of stock art, original illustrations, as well as charts to bring this ebook to life.
The Project:
Design and produce auction catalogs
My Role:
Producing these catalogs was as much a technical challenge as a design challenge. The list of items to be auctioned wasn't finalized until the week before the auction, and was sent to us as an XML file for import into InDesign. There were always changes and issues, and late nights getting it to the printer by the deadline.
The Project:
Apply a re-branding to a tri-fold sales brochure (and every other piece of collateral)
My Role:
IronPlanet hired a branding firm to freshen the company's look. The branding firm provided a new company logo, new color palette and a very basic style guide. It was up to our small design team to figure out how to implement the new look across all print and web. It was a big job as every single piece of collateral had to be redone.
The old sales brochure was pretty bare bones, so I added more photos and graphic elements.
The Project:
Design a brochure to explain the main features of the OQO model 02 computer and show off its small size.
My Role:
I retouched the product and lifestyle photos and did the design and layout in InDesign. The challenge was that since this was tabbed, each page had to be a different size, and I also had to take into account the thickness of the paper.
The Project:
Create product spec sheets with the technical details of the OQO model 02 for use by the sales staff.
My Role:
I acted as art director and designer. In addition, I proofread and did the photo retouching.
The Project:
Create a "year at a glance" overview of Dow's businesses for investors and the general public, for use in print and as a PDF.
My role:
I did the design, layout, picked out the stock photos, created icons and charts, and also proofread. The main challenge in a piece like this is using color to bring the piece to life without detracting from the seriousness of the information. Another challenge was working remotely with two sets of bosses (Teneo and Dow) and incorporating the feedback in a way that made everyone happy.
Book Design
The Project:
Design the cover and interior layout for a paperback book.
My role:
I wrote this book as well as doing the book design. It was very satisfying to have total creative control on this project.
Events
The Project:
Create an event brand and all materials for sales training events held in Bangkok, Lisbon, and Miami.
My Role:
I acted as art director and designer. What made this extra challenging was that I worked with three different event planners (local to each country) and though I could reuse the theme, each event had different needs for signage, stage backdrops, agendas, and more. Added to that was the fact that the events were only a little more than a week apart, with overlapping print deadlines. It was a very busy time.
The colored facets are part of the business unit’s branding, and using them kept the events tied in to the established look and feel.
The Project:
Booth, signage, and staff shirt design for the RSA Conference.
My Role:
The existing booth structure needed to be totally “re-skinned” due a a brand update. The lighted pillars were fairly straightforward, but the curving ceiling was a challenge as it’s like a giant pillow case and the edges had to be sewn together and the design had to line up perfectly. The design for the tall tower also had to wrap and line up accurately. This design utilized the business unit’s facet theme.
In addition, I designed a shirt for the staff, pull-up signs, and a gobo.
Postcards & Posters
The Project:
Create a series of recruiting posters with little time and no budget.
My role:
As a designer in the marketing department, paid from that budget, I’m often put in the tough position of dealing with requests from other departments who need help and don’t have a designer. I almost always say yes but have to make it quick–in this case by using stock illustrations. I tweaked elements, changed to brand colors, added the text and everyone loved them.
The Project:
Create a poster and postcard detailing a joint promotion between a restaurant and an upscale kitchen design firm.
My Role:
The client gave me the text, logos, and a number of kitchen images to choose from. I did the design and layout. This project was a lot of fun for me as I'd never done work for an interior design firm before.
CDs and Records
The Project:
Create art for the Groove Salad promotional CD for Soma FM.
My Role:
I did the design, layout, and photography. I reshot the turntable photo that is the primary component of the Groove Salad logo, as the original photo was taken years ago and wasn't high enough resolution for print. In addition, I shot the photo of the record that is printed on the CD itself as well as the "lone DJ," a key component of the Soma FM logo. The mixer photo was taken from the Soma FM archive.
Finally, I worked with the CD manufacturer to get this produced.
The Project:
Create artwork for The Real Sippin' Whiskeys' CD.
My Role:
I acted as art director and designer. The band wanted the CD to have a vintage feel, so I sepia-toned the larger photos gave the snapshots "old-timey" borders.
The Project:
Soma FM gathered new and classic indie rock titles for a CD to promote Indie Pop Rocks (internet radio station).
My Role:
Art director, designer, production. A local cartoonist drew the indie pop chick in pencil on paper, but I needed her to be in vector format for scaling and color. I scanned the sketch, brought it into Illustrator, traced it, added color and the guitar.
Other work included retouching the band photos.
The Project:
Design label and jacket for a promotion 45rmp record for SomaFM.
My Role:
I did the design and layout. I took the photo of the microphone (in the SomaFM studio) and retouched the band photos (which were taken by another photographer.)
Promotional items
The Project:
Design an oversized blotter calendar for IronPlanet to send out as a gift to customers.
My Role:
I did the design and layout. I selected and retouched appropriate equipment images from a stock photo library.
The Project:
Design promotional items.
My Role:
Creating and formatting art for use on promotional items and working with the vendors to get the pieces produced. I've made hats, pens, t-shirts, water bottles, coffee mugs, stickers, posters, buttons, magnets, booklets, keychains and more.
The most difficult part isn't doing the art, but finding good vendors and getting consistent quality.