My work has been described as “retail typographic” and “minimal” but really, my core focus is developing effective communication. Design liberates content to transcend the boundaries of communication. When distilled into inspired typographic composition – aesthetic merges with voice.
The end result often seems “minimal”, but it’s never simple. There’s more to it than the surface reveals.
Graphic design is an area that I work in, but it’s not an all-encompassing term. In the quest for continual growth, I’ve branched out over the years. The list below covers every area that I have significant working experience in, arranged so that the highest experience level is first. I have comprehensive experience with all of these disciplines:
GRAPHIC DESIGN creation of graphic art for communication with an audience
ART DIRECTION origination of new aesthetics for brands or new campaigns that are brand-consistent, while ensuring that others involved stay on-brand in terms of decision-making
TYPOGRAPHY design focused on the composition of words in a space
RETAIL TYPOGRAPHY action-oriented design consisting of words composed in a way that created impact and visual interest, with minimal adornment
LAYOUT composition of typography, pixel and vector art
POST PRODUCTION processing raw digital photography for final output, including compositing, analog texturing, color grading, touchup, skin correction and product isolation
DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION vector / pixel drawing, compositing and related treatments
COPY development of brand-consistent content that elegantly supports message while engaging audiences (I think message is the most important aspect of commercial creative work)
WEB refinement of current websites / development of new sites
HTML coding for the purpose of styling web pages
CSS coding for the purpose of specific styling of typography for web pages
PHOTO STYLING preparation and arrangement of subject material in commercial photography
PHOTOGRAPHY product and cosmetics photography
VINYL GRAPHICS using cutting plotters to build up physical graphics of multiple colors to create signage, wearables, banners, vehicle graphics and screens for screen printing - this is where I started in commercial art in 1994.
SCREEN PRINTING working within physical media to produce analog graphics with substance by printing various pigments through screens onto substrates like paper, fabric, metal or glass (can be used as part of a digital workflow, where texturization is advantageous)
A wide range of skills go into creating inspired design. In order to create truly unique visuals, I work in a range of physical and digital mediums, even when the final output may be only in one medium. To give an idea of the range of possibilities I am capable of, let’s explore some workflows I typically employ in the creative process:
InDesign composition of layouts consisting of vector and pixel art
Photoshop image manipulation & adjustment > InDesign layout composition
Photoshop layout creation for integrated marketing & email
Adobe Illustrator > SVG export > HTML coded vector art for web
Pen & Ink Drawing > Adobe Capture > Adobe Illustrator / Indesign / Photoshop
Adobe Draw vector-based drawing > Adobe Illustrator > Indesign / Photoshop
CaptureOne fine adjustment of fashion & portrait imagery > Photoshop / Indesign
Sketchup creation of 3D forms > Adobe Dimension graphic treatment & lighting
Screen Printing > Adobe Capture > analog textured vector or pixel art
Source art can be produced by myself or another team, taken from existing libraries or pulled from stock imagery sources. Stock imagery is usually customized - often to a point where it’s no longer recognizable from the original. This is not to obscure - rather, it is to make every element I incorporate into a design as refined and appropriate as possible.
