The initial scope of this project called for a guidebook to both promote the USENIX 09 technical conference and give attendees information about the lectures, workshops, and other events the conference would encompass. Mid-project the scope was abruptly changed to accommodate changes to the conference budget.

From this point on, my role changed to adapt the visual style and content already in progress from a multi-page book to a 4-fold brochure. As the project progressed, a web banner and variable-sized print ads were added to the project scope as well.

In order to accommodate the shifting needs and evolving content while staying within the client deadlines, I developed all files based around a flexible and clear template. I was able to quickly adapt the visual language to the various medium products the client required and my template allowed the client to add and change content as it was finalized. The project was completed on time and on budget.

Companies are often faced with the choice of modernizing a brand at the risk of losing recognition, or preserving a brand and risk becoming outdated in the eyes on consumers.

For this project I explored a possible opportunity for Sylvania to expand it’s product line and market position while retaining its existing brand presence. Taking cues from competing products, I chose to create a premium line of light bulbs to allow me to experiment with a new direction without sacrificing brand integrity.

I chose to explore a branding system for a new, environmentally friendly line of light bulbs. These bulbs would last longer, use more energy, be cleaner to manufacture and dispose of than other bulbs. I developed the Vision line to suggest a product committed to environmental responsibility and pleasing light. The packaging would be made from biodegradable plastics and use soy based inks.

Niche markets can present an exciting challenge. While some niche markets value premium products directed at their demographic, other niche markets are more cautious. For example, Fire Arts communities like Interpretive Arson tend to value a “do-it-yourself” attitude. Communities like this often either reject branding perceived to be too commercial or find ways to “hack” existing products to meet their specific needs.

For Brand X fire fuels I set out to understand how a commercial product like fuel might be directed at a fire artists specific needs while retaining the do-it-yourself feel of fire art. I also wanted to address the dichotomy between the elements of grace, strength and beauty associated with this form of expression and the sense of danger associated with the act of playing with fire.

My design suggests strength and gracefulness through a simplified flame logo and bold colors. This design also plays up the sense of danger by devoting significant back and side panel real estate to extensive warning labels about both the fuel type and general fire arts safety. I also addressed the product’s “hackability” by creating a design for empty contains that would be made available for artists to create their own custom mixes.

When Airstream Inc began looking to expand their brand of travel from the showroom to a retail environment, my team created a proposal booklet to aid Airstream in this task.

This proposal included the history of the Airstream brand, information on Airstream’s target audiences, details on current and potential partners, as well as sample sketches and renderings of possible retail interiors.

To update the look of the Sheraton Gateway Hotel at Los Angeles International Airport, my team developed a modern visual story that incorporated the graceful curves of the Sheraton “S” logo as well as a bold new color scheme.

The process included creation of a message schedule, construction plan, demolition plan; original artwork for restaurant areas, directory signs, evacuation maps, and CPR instructions; as well the preparation of all bid packages and construction documents.

This branding system, designed for a television lounge in the Bank One corporate headquarters, combines the iconography of the old and new television test patterns to create a dynamic graphic. The intense colors of the modern test patter were muted to complement the color scheme set by the interior design team at Perkins and Will.

For the exterior wall of the lounge, the color pattern is used as a running border.

The idea of using constellation for navigation became the inspiration for this colorful and entertaining branding system implemented in the Bank One Corporate Headquarters’ “North End” food court.

A banner displaying a constellation or celestial body related to the food served identified each food station. To add additional color to the space, a gradient pattern based on the aurora borealis was applied to brushed aluminum overhangs above the food stations and in the main walkways.

I also designed wall-hanging placards, freestanding placards, and single sheet identifiers to allow service staff to display daily menus and call attention to special food items.

This early project was an experiment to develop a beverage packaging that approaches the product in a new way. Where traditional tea branding tends to focus on themes describing relation, natural healing, and exotic locations, my take on the product examined the experience of interacting with a tea bag and the swirling color of the tea as it steeps.

I developed a product concept that likened the distribution of the tea’s color to that of tie-dying. My product would feature naturally tinted teas that fill the cup with color as the tea is brewed.

The tea bag would come packaged in paper packet that unfolded to reveal a small t-shirt shape. After the tea was steeped, the drinker would be able to blot the tea bag on their packet and create a mini tie-dyed t-shirt while they sip.

The Carnegie Mellon Department of Psychology Children’s School serves as both a school for children ages 2-6 ands as a research facility for university students studying child development. As a result, researchers and guest often interrupt classes and set off security alarms attempting to navigate the complicated space.

As part of an independent study, I worked with teachers and child psychologists to analyze the space, identify the needs of both children and adults, and develop an accessible navigation system.

Using simple shapes and colors correlated to stages in child development, I designed a wayfinding system to direct parents and guests to the student classrooms. The classroom for the youngest children was represented by a circle, next oldest a triangle, a square and so on, increasing in complexity up to a pentagon to represent the kindergarten class room.

I was presented with the additional challenge of conforming to existing university sign styles. I was able to mesh the very adult-centric university style with the more child appropriate color/shape style. I created prototypes for the school staff to test over the course of the school year.

Design Note: From a child development perspective, the “single-story” lowercase a is considered more appropriate for children than the “double-story” lowercase a the university sign style required.