Kahuna Gift Company Logo

In September I landed one of the larger projects I’ve tackled since going solo – branding and packaging for a start-up Hawaiian gift company. I love to work on packaging, especially if it is food related, so this was a great gig. Unfortunately, due to a macadamia drought, the packaging component was put on hold midway through the project. Major bummer! Designers get used to strange things derailing projects, but I never imagined a nut shortage would be one of those things.

Nuts or no nuts, the client still needed a logo and website, so I finished up those elements while we waited for the macadamias to make a comeback (still waiting).

Kahuna Gift Company logotype

I created a straightforward logotype with tone-on-tone sky and surf colors, intentionally steering clear of the clichéd palm trees and hula girls that adorn many a Hawaiian logo. The logo needed to be used in various situations, so a few options were created to accommodate different uses. Continue reading “Kahuna Gift Company Logo” →

Proverbs Revisited Poster

As part of a letterpress print exchange centered around Poor Richard’s Almanack, I made this poster to trade with other printers in Portland. “Opposites Attract” takes some of the Almanack’s most commonly recognized proverbs and reinterprets them with math symbols, drawing inspiration from Franklin’s interest in both the literary and scientific fields. Proverbs revisited…

Proverbs Revisited: love and be loved / two wrongs don't make a right / do as I say, not as I do / birds of a feather, flock together / the pen is mightier than the sword / six of one, half a dozen of the other

Proverbs: love and be loved • two wrongs don’t make a right • do as I say; not as I do • birds of a feather flock together • the pen is mightier than the sword • six of one…half dozen of the other.

An edition of 10 is available for sale – if you’d like one send me 40 bucks and I’ll put it in the mail. Printed on Cougar 80# cover, size is 12×18 with an image area of 8.5×15.5 so you can either trim to the print area or hang as is with a white paper border.

Denmark, Country of Smiles and Peace

While visiting Denmark this summer I went to Den Gamle By in Arhus where there was a travel poster display. “Genkendelsens Glæde” is a collection of classic Danish posters from the 20s-90s. When we walked unknowingly into the exhibition hall I heard my sister say “Uh, oh, we’re going to be here forever…”. I only wish. Below is one of the better pictures I could take, and also a good summation of my childhood memories of this tiny country.

Danish Tourism Poster: Denmark, Country of Smiles and Peace - a young girl riding on the front of a woman's bicycle

The Danish Poster Museum has a partial digital archive of the collection, as well as some reproductions of various posters in large format postcards that are for sale.

Fly Like an Eagle, New Guitar Logo, Fly!

Sometimes a client knows exactly what they want, and we can get right down to business! When I recently worked with Pro Guitar Shop to create some merchandising logos, the direction from the client was wings, wings, and more wings! It’s the same thing I chant when I go out to dinner with Jen, so it wasn’t hard to get into the mindset. Plus, drawing lots of wings is a nice illustrator workout for designers.

Drawing inspiration from retro signage, hotrods, and vintage cars and of course guitar parts (all things the main audience would dig), I created a few winged logos for Pro Guitar Shop to use on their wares. Below are the two final logos.

It's a neckless guitar...at least it has wings to get around.

The Guitar Pick Grill, where guitars and cars mingle over shakes and curly fries.

Adidas Mega

MEGA Diner, Mega Fresh, Adidas Mega shoes, Fresh Laces Typography, Super Fresh, Tasty, Adidas Logo

Last month I had the opportunity to work with the team at Liquid on an Adidas project. MEGA is a new product line-up, and Liquid was tasked with creating a range of in-store displays to sell the new shoes. Photography, which was based on the commercial, included celebrity appearances by B.O.B and Paul Iacono. The campaign was centered around a diner theme, and I worked with the team to expand the MEGA print and in-store branding with typography, graphics and 3D ideas for the displays.

Above are a few of my contributions and digital sketches from the project (not all of it made the cut). Thanks for having me Liquid!

How to Make a Pocket-Size Bird Guide

My Dad sure liked his digital bird guide that I made him for Father’s Day, so a few days later I repurposed it into a paper version for my officemate’s 6-year-old daughter. I used a form factor that I learned at Em Space that allows you to create an 8-page pamphlet out of one 8.5×11 sheet of paper printed on one side.

To make a small guide for scouting fowl, download and print a PDF of my Pocket Size Bird Guide. Or you can make any kind of miniature booklet using this template for reference. Heck, make a whole library!

Also, here is a quick video tutorial on how to fold the booklet. I use a bone folder to crease the edges of the paper, but you can use the back of a spoon if you don’t have one. Likewise, a scissors will suffice instead of an exacto blade. I recommend you put on some nice background music while watching this.

The Original: Mr. Rankin’s Foolproof Bird Guide to Central Oregon

Mr. Rankin's Foolproof Bird Guide to Central Oregon: Bluejay, American Gold Finch, Mountain Chickadee, Red-Winged Blackbird, California Quail, Woodpecker, Rufous Hummingbird. Use Year Round - Rain or Shine - Mark Proof. Add all-purpose bird seed for best results.

Mr. Rankin's Foolproof Bird Guide

Since you now know about my friend Mark’s wily ways, you’ll understand the motivation behind my Father’s Day present this year. Like every other dutiful 7-year-old daughter, I drew my Dad a picture.

My Dad is retired and one of his joys is to watch birds from our Central Oregon home. A bird book and binoculars are always perched at the living room bay windows which look out on no less than 3 bird feeders and a bird bath.

When Mark discovered Mr. Rankin’s love of bird watching, it took him about .00017 seconds to find a way to torment him with the very thing he enjoyed. While standing at the window Mark would shout “Wow, check out those birds!” to the effect of Mr. Rankin scrambling to the window to see whatever winged creatures were available. Of course, there was never a bird in sight as Mark stood by and took pleasure in my Dad’s gutted reaction to the bleak, birdless landscape.

So, for Father’s Day this year I made my Dad a foolproof digital bird guide, so no matter what Mark does, my Dad can always have some birds to watch. Happy Father’s Day Dad!

Mr. Rankin's Foolproof Bird Guide to Central Oregon: Bluejay, American Gold Finch, Mountain Chickadee, Red-Winged Blackbird, California Quail, Woodpecker, Rufous Hummingbird. Use Year Round - Rain or Shine - Mark Proof. Add all-purpose bird seed for best results.

Mr. Rankin’s Foolproof Bird Guide

Since you now know about my friend Mark’s wily ways, you’ll understand the motivation behind my Father’s Day present this year. Like every other dutiful 7-year-old daughter, I drew my Dad a picture.

My Dad is retired and one of his joys is to watch birds from our Central Oregon home. A bird book and binoculars are always perched at the living room bay windows which look out on no less than 3 bird feeders and a bird bath.

When Mark discovered Mr. Rankin’s love of bird watching, it took him about .00017 seconds to find a way to torment him with the very thing he enjoyed. While standing at the window Mark would shout “Wow, check out those birds!” to the effect of Mr. Rankin scrambling to the window to see whatever winged creatures were available. Of course, there was never a bird in sight as Mark stood by and took pleasure in my Dad’s gutted reaction to the bleak, birdless landscape.

So, for Father’s Day this year I made my Dad a foolproof digital bird guide, so no matter what Mark does, my Dad can always have some birds to watch. Happy Father’s Day Dad!

Mr. Rankin's Foolproof Bird Guide to Central Oregon: Bluejay, American Gold Finch, Mountain Chickadee, Red-Winged Blackbird, California Quail, Woodpecker, Rufous Hummingbird. Use Year Round - Rain or Shine - Mark Proof. Add all-purpose bird seed for best results.