Umpqua Home Lending Video Illustrations

Here are four illustration panels I had fun creating for a little holiday video for Umpqua Bank’s home lending team in Bellingham. Who are a crack team at making your financing and savings dreams come true, even if it’s a duplex space station. I worked with Juliet Zulu who put together the video which was sent out privately to the Bellingham team’s clients.

A levitating tudor above Bellingham bay.
A levitating tudor above Bellingham bay.
A space station duplex.
A space station duplex.
A home on the north pole.
A home on the north pole.
A new stable for your private unicorn collection.
A new stable for your private unicorn collection.

Well Vegan Breakfast Bowl

Fall is here and that means layering…your breakfast bowl. There’s nothing better than sitting down to a steaming dish of gruel, Oliver, than feeling like it was put together by the best bed and breakfast in town. While it might not quite trump Sweedeedee’s breakfast bowls, following these instructions will get you mighty close.

Breakfast Bowl: 1. FRUIT: blueberry, banana, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, raisins, figs, apple slices, dried cherry, dates, pear, currants, dried cranberry, dried apricot, peaches. 2. NUTS: almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, pecans. 3. EXTRAS: hemp seeds, flax meal, chia seeds, dried coconut, lemon zest, oat bran, coconut oil, vanilla, flax, nutmeg, syrup oil, brown sugar, dairy-free yogur. 4. GRAINS: quinoa, rolled oats, buckwheat, wheatberries, groat, farina, muesli, amaranth, millet, kasha, farro, couscous, pearled barley, brown rice.

For more details on how to make a perfect morning meal, check out Well Vegan’s breakfast bowl post. Or see others in this series, including how to make a salad in a jar, mix and match ingredients for a perfect smoothie or expertly stack a sandwich.

Even More Icebreakers Illustrations

Here is the final batch of illustrations for the Icebreakers book I’ve posted about previously here and here and here. This set includes more examples of creating vocal symbols for a global audience that aren’t language specific. The entire book is focused on using collaboration, games, movement and music to aid in icebreaker activities for groups. To learn more about the book directly from the authors, check it out at www.breaktheice.dk.

Rap battle of voices and sounds until the best team wins.
Rap battle of voices and sounds until the best team wins.
School games use rhythm and sound to create a "composition".
School games use rhythm and sound to create a “composition”.
The pirate ship, where the captain decides what the rules are and any naysayers must walk the plank.
The pirate ship, where the captain decides what the rules are and any naysayers must walk the plank.

Aalborg Akvavit Label Illustration

In my younger days I lived and went to school for a year in Aalborg, Denmark. There you can find a street called Jomfru Ane Gade where liquor flows freely from the plethora of bars and raucous ‘cheers!’ can be heard up and down the famous street the city of Aalborg is known for.

So when Line Krüger contacted me to commission an illustration for the schnapps company of the same name I had just a few flashbacks before promptly accepting the job. Basically anytime someone calls you up and asks “can you draw some meat on a stick?” you have to say yes.

aalborg-akvavit-grill-bottles

If there is something the Danes like more than getting a tax cut or drinking schnapps, it’s consuming pork and other meat products. So combining the latter two activities seems like a surefire bet for Aalborg Akvavit, who created this new product for pairing with summer grill food. The label itself was designed by Line who also creative directed the illustration process.

Meat on a stick.
Meat on a stick.

Usually associated with the popular and omnipresent event of December, the julefrokost, schnapps (or akvavit) is consumed in large quantities even though the glasses that carry the liquid from bottle to mouth are minute. I’m convinced this small beverage vessel was created with the hidden agenda of giving the Danes the maximum number of opportunities to shout SKÅL before reaching full inebriation.

Enjoying summer with many tiny glasses of akvavit.
Enjoying summer with many tiny glasses of akvavit.

Photo credit: Kristine Hansen

Umpqua Bank Bella Voce Collateral

A client I have always enjoyed working for is Umpqua Bank, which was the case again in my latest project with them to create branding for an event series duo. The two part branding was for a book event series (Bella Voce) and follow-up educational talks on wealth management and planning (Wise Women Conversations). The collateral needed to be upscale and feminine for an audience of women aged 40-60 with money to manage.

Taking cues from Umpqua’s Private Bank branding, the new collateral uses a woodgrain pattern paired with intricate but modern flourishes to adorn the range of 16 pieces created for the two event series. This simple structure is combined with a brand color palette – the gray + chocolate (or brown, as most people call it) used for UPB is shifted to a gray + teal combo while still staying on brand.

The two logotypes were hand-lettered by Mary Snow, and Kate Zimmerman art directed the project. To learn more about the events, visit Bella Voce’s page or the Wise Women page on Umpqua Bank’s website.

Wise Women Conversations brochure and event card.
Wise Women Conversations brochure and event card.
Bella Voce brochure and guest card, two of thirteen deliverables in the collateral series.
Bella Voce brochure and guest card, two of thirteen deliverables in the Bella Voce collateral series.
Bella Voce illustration library.
Bella Voce illustration library.