my portfolio

Welcome! Here is a place for you to view some of my work, get a sense of my style, and see if there is something I might be able to help with in regard to your own ideas, plans and vision. If you are looking for someone with :

• years of marketable advertising and graphic design experience
• a recent integrated media college education
• creative energy, product ideas and marketing strategies
• mac and multimedia skills

:  let’s talk.

Please click here to view my portfolio, then take a look at my resumé posted below. Feel free to contact me for your next project or position.

Comments on this blog (a final class project) are most welcome — I look forward to hearing from you!

my resumé

Now here is a rewarding accomplishment for me. The resumé. My resumé. A summarized documentation; a journal in its shortest form of where I have been, what I have done and who I have done it for. There are a lot of memories, skill building experiences and accomplishments here that were extrememely hard to squeeze into this tiny nutshell of a one-page resumé. But it’s here that I must try to convey just what I can offer someone who may benefit from my skills, experience and particular talents. And, it’s this kind of work — the creative environment, the day2day ideating, maneuvering, coaxing, strategizing and timing that I love. It’s what gets me to and through the next project. And I’ve gotten to and through many. So this resumé is a snapshot of my history. When you read it know that much passion, learning, time and experience went into all that I have listed. And that which I haven’t. Because it is only one small, single-sided piece of paper. I look forward to meeting the next person who reads it and sees something of interest. I am for hire!

Note that I also have my resumé and a sampler portfolio on krop, coroflot and issuu for your review. You can also find me on linkedin and aiga.

corporate identity | transportland

It’s always a relief when the gathering of images and information can finally unite as one entity of work. Here is the list of products I created for my new client, Transportland (spring 2008):

• Logo design and corporate identity
• Stationary :  letterhead, business cards, envelopes
• Billboards : city, industrial and rural
• Ad series of 3 : magazine, newspaper, web
• Brochure, folded, 2-sides, full color
• Promotional pieces : lanyard with name badge, tyvek key fob, magnets, removeable decals
• Style guide for logo use
• Website : 3 pages to start

This is a cohesive design style and direction I created for a new public works concept. A Portland-based community services group formed, calling themselves the PDX Think Tank.  Comprised of local leaders, biz execs and community members, this group has the potential to see very progressive ideas come to fruition.

It was my job to give my new client a logo identity, create a cohesive design strategy and advertising campaign while also enjoying the option of contributing my own ideas into their planning and processes. Dream come true project for me, I love this stuff!

The web pages (shown above) create continuity with the green side panel as the nav bar on all pages. Providing opportunities for the public to become more involved in the ideation and information gathering phases give Transportland an edge in making the city and its communities most desirable and efficient for commuting — be it by foot, bike, car, bus or light rail.

I really enjoyed working on the different aspects for the logo and its style sheet. As I work on several aspects of the project, bouncing from project A1 to A2, B1 to B2 to B3 — sounds like a game of Battleship — I like to move things around, reposition my pieces as strategies continue to evolve. Sometimes I get stuck on an idea that has a few more aspects to it than perhaps necessary. It’s tough to let those elements or concepts go, but at some point it has to be ok to just set them aside and see if there might be a better use for them down the road or for another project.

In this case, I had originally designed three icons that I intermixed within the heading, but with such a long name, it was decided that just one icon would work best. It was very hard for me to let go of the other two and I will use them at some point, however, it seemed best to stay with the icon of the walker. This universal symbol serves as a reminder that no matter which mode or path of transportation we take, we always start off by foot. Transportation — back to the basics while moving forward.

The brochure and window decals (which can also be printed as bumper stickers) were for public distribution. Handouts and freebies to educate, inform and remind us that how we travel is affecting our environment, our future and the future of many generations to come. Current data, a graph and a tagline play a significant role in keeping this topic top of mind.

Billboards placed strategically within industrial, city and rural areas keep Transportland in the minds of local citizens, no matter where they live. Addressing this topic in schools, churches and other public gatherings keep people talking, thinking…changing.

Finally, the ad campaign below demonstrates a consistent theme within which a variety of solutions will make a difference as we economize, decongest and repair our current state of travel.

product & identity development, branding and package design

Welcome to soklet! A company development, brand, product, package and marketing prototype that utilizes all general aspects of creating and selling a product. soklet, which means chocolate in melanesian pidgeon (a language spoken in the Solomon Islands) was designed to engage and employ the people of the Solomon Islands. soklet is a company that believes in supporting and giving back to the very culture from which it harvests its main ingredient for chocolate production — the cocoa bean.

Researching the island’s culture, people, art and political scenarios helped me associate my new company and its products within its place of origination. This also helped me make a connection, a story and a purpose for its development and design.

Here is a page out of my book that illustrates the ideation, creative and visual exploration from which my final designs grew.

Creating an inspiration board gave me a place to store my gathered images and information. In addition to cultural exploration, I also enjoyed working with colors, shapes, type, and lettering while blending images, ideas and information.

Using the culture’s language, I chose the word soklet to also help reduce language barriers. Looking for ways to establish soklet as top of mind, I switched out the english word chocolate for soklet within popular chocolate quotes to further help embed the word soklet as chocolate into people’s minds. This also created a fun, entertaining and emotional attachment to both the word and product.

For more information on soklet, its product line and marketing strategies, check out my portfolio or ask to see my 28-page book. In the meantime, try out this quick, easy and delicious recipe:

music visualization | GD120

One of my favorite first year assignments in GD150 was to explore the relationship between the senses.  Creating an image from a non-visual subject, using music as our source of inspiration, we chose a song (I chose two) to graphically represent in a black and white format. Using an idea web, we wrote down characteristics and emotions, examined the rhythm and melodies of the song then developed our image using lines, shapes, textures, patterns and theories to create balance and unity.

My piece quickly turned into a momento dedicated to my best friend, Denise Okino Etherington whom I’ve known since junior high.  The illustrations I created for this piece come from the memories of our good times together.  I refer to this as our “Japanese American Friendship Quilt” in honor of her Japanese heritage and both of our American-style upbringing.

The music inspiration was “China Latina” by Hiroshima. For me, the melody of this piece stirs up happiness, gratitude, honor, celebration, elegance and freedom — everything we experienced growing up in Sacramento, California.

My second song choice was “Kototsu-han (San Kyoku)”, also by Hiroshima.  It has a more reverent, historical layer to it which really underscores the depth of japanese culture, traditions, respect and discipline which I have always admired. I remember how proud the Okino family was when Roy Okino, age 73, was finally able to acquire his high school diploma. He and his wife Marie were in internment camps during their high school years, so Roy never had the opportunity to finish his education. This illustration was completed during the family’s celebration of Roy and Marie’s 50th wedding anniversary. Roy passed just 6 months later.

oregon humane society | logo design and poster

 

I finally found a few minutes to revisit one of my ‘pet’ projects thru GD151. Orginally, the assignment was to research and design a logo and a poster for an existing company using past design styles to promote a company in the present marketplace. From a select list, I chose the Oregon Humane Society and the De Stijl genre using Piet Mondrian, the prime mover of the De Stijl movement as my inspiration for this emulation. His radically abstract paintings executed sole use of primary colors within an effective use of a black and white grid. I love (tables and) grids!

This piece needed to be intriguing while emphasizing the company’s motive. I took photos of our family pets to create the feel of reality, tangibility and endearment. I grabbed information off the web and through the Oregon Humane Society to establish the main points of my message. I spent many hours trying to come up with a logo that could cross all genres/styles, represent OHS in both a historic and futuristic manor since they have been around since 1868 and will be here, hopefully, to the end of times.

Now that the project has ended, I wanted to create another version by removing the color restrictions and replace both photos with the original photographs. Kitten photo credit goes to Lenny Pichette, soon to be a senior at UO. One of his passions is photography and he has graciously shared some of his most impressive works with me…so, now these precious little pets look warm, vibrant and alive…just the way our dedicated families and OHS want to keep them!

magazine cover for craigslist

If craigslist were to ever go to print, here is a cover idea I have for them. After choosing a few stories that have been published/posted to this particular online community in the past, I selected the titles above to create pages of interest for this magazine prospectus. My ideation was based on a Martha Stewart meets Craigslist scenario — combining the refined and finessed with the rough and rugged. My prototype included eight pages with headers, footers, table of contents, etc…plus the cover story as an inside spread. Might this magazine cover catch people’s attention at the checkstand?

direct mailer : zappos.com

Designing a direct mail piece for Zappos.com advertising only eight items was a big challenge for me. It was tough deciding on just one category from within their rotating inventory of thousands of shoes. Once I narrowed it down to just tennis shoes, it was even harder choosing from within that. So, I picked one shoe/style for each member of an entire family. This way I could put more brands up. Even then, tho’ — hard to pick just one. Did you know that Zappos.com has a TON of tennis shoes?

Another component to the project was to include the use of tables within InDesign. This, I really enjoyed and would love to do/learn more.

The purpose of this four panel, three-fold mailer was to encourage and promote online shoe purchasing from Zappos.com. Would you rush to your computer and begin shopping for tennis shoes after receiving this in the mail?

special olympics : LETR t-shirt design

In IM291 Integrated Media Practicum, we work with real clients.  Our clients are either staff, school or non-profit based.  As they deliver their presentation to us describing their purpose, needs and goals, we, in turn, come up with design and/or project solutions that will meet their needs and represent them in a professional manner.

One of our clients, Special Olympics needed a t-shirt design for their annual Law Enforcement Torch Run fundraiser.  It was interesting to learn about this now global event, which includes all 50 states and more than 30 foreign countries…and that in Oregon, more than 1,000 law enforcement personnel from federal, military, state, county and local agencies participate in this year-round campaign. Herewith are the 3 designs I submitted.  My inspiration and focus are described under each t-shirt.

posters : babies o’ mine

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Announcing the arrival of a few posters o’ mine using design, typography, illustration and color skills. Each has its own set of characteristics, personality and features. Each had its own unique labor and delivery schedule and was excitedly received.  And, certainly each was a labor of must. I must use logos, disclaimers, certain colors, appropriate type. I must have it signed off by so-and-so and done by such-and-such time. It must be a certain size, hang in a certain place for a certain period of time. Designing posters is fun and challenging; can be somewhat painful at times, yet is exciting all the way through to the final delivery

I am very proud and happy to present to you my diverse little poster family! I enjoyed watching where they went, who saw them, how people responded to them. And, I always keep (at least) one of each — never to part, these babies o’ mine.