WORK EXHIBITION: PATCHES PROJECT
Every graphic design student at Central Michigan University is required to attend a class known as Capstone, which is where the student independently constructs a package and exhibits it at the University Gallery. In addition, the class must work together to develop a logo, theme and title for the exhibition itself. Under the advisory of CMU instructor Jonathon Russell, our exhibition was titled Work and our theme showed retro and distressed imagery and props of the Industrial Revolution in an attempt to demonstrate our own need to find "work" now that we were soon to be graduates. Thanks to teamwork and a motivated, talented class, the exhibition was very successful and was said to be one of the best CMU has had in several years.

As a class, we chose to do packages based on a cause we believed in, or were interested in. I chose to create a fabricated veterinary clinic that provided care for low-income pet owners. I did an extended amount of research and found that owning a pet was as beneficial to your health as brushing your teeth or exercising. Pets bring stress levels down and can comfort those undergoing difficult times. By providing low-income heath care for pets, not only are more homes open to rescuing animals, but they offer their loving services in return. This organization would also provide monthly classes on how to care for pets. This would provide education for families who have never owned a pet and wanted to learn. The classes would be open to the public in hopes the community would be brought together.

The entire CMYK package included: an 8.5" by 5.5" spiral-bound booklet containing information about the program, 3" by 2" tent-fold business cards printed on cream-colored 80 lb. cardstock, 5.5" by 4" set of four postcards with check-up reminders and upcoming classes, 1" buttons with the Patches logo, size medium dog t-shirt with screen-printed Patches logo, 1" by 3" Patches leash dog tag, 11" by 24" set of two posters to be placed in both vet clinics and doctor offices, 7" by 11" donation box with a 5" by 3" info card urging help from others to keep Patches going for years to come. This set was complete with a 36" wall decal for display. Logo was drawn and scanned in and color was added digitally. Fonts used are JosefinSlab and Garamond (and variations). Photography was altered to look vintage to compliment the classic look of the logo. Visitors enjoyed the work by saying it looked "upbeat" and "family friendly."
CAFE CLICHE IDENTITY GUIDE AND LOGO
8.5" by 5" 26 page CMYK French-fold identity guide covered in canvas material and trimmed with gold fabric. Package also includes a logo and three double-sided promo coupon postcards (6" by 4") advertising their grand opening in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The color scheme consists of white, black, olive and a gold that matches the trim of the booklet. The chosen primary typeface is Garamond (and variations) with a secondary typeface, Century Gothic (and variations). There are five sections under the table of contents: Introduction, Signature, Proper Logo Usage, Color Usage and Typography. They give clear descriptions on how to effectively use the Cafe Cliche logo.

I chose to create a fabricated business in which a British hobby painter by the name of Alec Clapp starts a coffee house based on the stereotype of artists and coffee enthusiasts. It is a place full of personality and humor. Inspiring artists not only can rent easels, but they also can participate in classes and events. The layout is clean and modern, but also takes on a classical approach that delights those of finer senses. This is why both a serif and a sans serif font are used, so that the owner of this organization could play with these variations and use whatever seems to fit. Many different styles of the logo are accepted, and white space is encouraged as it gives the viewer a feeling of an "empty canvas full of possibilities."
CAFE CLICHE WEBSITE
Café Cliché is a fabricated art studio/coffee shoppe for whom I previously designed a logo, identity guide and postcards. To further the package I chose to create a website where seeking customers could contact owners, find locations, print coupons, view the menu, and read more information about this unusual establishment. The interesting part about this site however, is that the website layout adjusts as you shrink and enlarge the browser window. This is not only compatible with various computer resolutions, but also works beautifully for smart phones. Adapting to the growing technology around us and considering customers needs are what help a business thrive.
ART AND DESIGN BOOKLET
8.5" by 5" 24 page 3 color saddle-stitched mailer booklet with a 5.5" by 11" threefold brochure. The color scheme is made up of black, white, teal and red. Typefaces used are Helvetica (Regular and Bold) and Cheltenham Bold Italic. There are 12 classes listed under the Table of Contents: Art Education, Art History, Graphic Design, Drawing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Ceramics, Fibers, Sculpture, Drawing in Florence and Scholarships. These provide full descriptions and photos of Central Michigan University's classes within the Department of Art and Design. Study Abroad programs and financial assistance are also included for interested students.

This was a group project that included myself along with three other students. My responsibility was the layout and design of the booklet. The objective was to create a promo mailer package that could be sent to high school students who are interested in attending CMU's Art and Design program. Although several groups competed, ours was selected by The Department of Art and Design. Board members were attracted to the, "creatures" that would appeal to young high school students, as well as the pricing consideration of using only 3 colors. The pieces also received honorable mention at the 2010 Student Art Show at CMU.
MMI IDENTITY GUIDE AND LOGO
8.5" by 5.5" 20 page CMYK spiral-bound calendar-fold logo identity guide with a printed chipboard cover and 80 lb. cardstock pages inside. Package includes a logo. The color scheme is made up of mainly black, white, gray and orange. Primary typefaces used are Myriad Pro (and variations) as well as the secondary typeface, Minion Pro (and variations). There are five chapters in the guide: Introduction, Signature, Proper Logo Usage, Color Usage and Typography. Each section includes subsections such as History, Mission Statement, Symbol and Wordmark, Appropriate and Inappropriate Usage, Primary/Secondary Colors, Primary/Secondary Typefaces and others. This breaks the logo down and describes in detail how it should be used accordingly.

MMI stands for the Michigan Molecular Institute and their headquarters are based in Midland, Michigan. To name a few, they work on projects such as cancer research, blood substitutes for those in life-threatening situations, surface coatings used to protect helicopters and marine vessels in extreme conditions, and more. I adopted this non-profit organization because they had no true logo, and I felt they deserved some proper recognition. The logo's font was created by myself, as was the symbol. It appears to us as a geometric DNA strand, or a hexagon broken in half to show research and discovery.
MOLECULAR TYPEFACE
This font was inspired by the MMI (Michigan Molecular Institute) logo I created for an identity guide package (see above). It is intended for use as a display font - its rounded curves and elongated shape can be seen in any science and technology media. It can also be used in sports packages and automotive sales. Many hours of consideration and measurement are needed to design a successful font, although the reward and new knowledge gained from such an activity is priceless.
HAIDA EMAIL FLIERS
The Haida Heritage Centre offers classes and tours year-round to inspire, teach and preserve the history and traditions of the Haida Gwaii Island. In the summer of 2009, they hosted their first annual celebration where attendees were encouraged to partake in arts and crafts, music and speeches from honored members of the Haida Heritage Centre. Our assignment was to choose a festival from a number of options and create an email flier that could be sent to possible interested patrons. I chose this particular event because I was fascinated by the unusual shapes and colors seen popular in Haida art. I wanted to utilize their style and learn from it as much as possible.

The first email flier consists of a man wearing traditional Haida attire in red, white and black. He holds a flaming torch and is dancing. If you roll your mouse over his body, he blows smoke that spells out "Timeless Voices, Living Culture" which is the slogan of the Haida Heritage Centre. The second flier displays a flaming traditional Haida mask. He too activates when you mouse over him with the same slogan shown in his open mouth, as teeth. The third flier shows a fish, the primary source of food for the Haida people. He splashes in the tribal flame-water as you mouse over him. The font was entirely hand-crafted to create a "primal" feel that was desired for this piece.
ORIGAMI STOP MOTION VIDEO
This 30 second piece took about 30 hours to complete and required over 50 handmade origami cranes. They were suspended by fishing wire, but the wire was made obvious to give it a likeable "amateur" quality. 50 cranes may seem a lot, but how about 1,000? An ancient Japanese legend suggests that if you fold 1,000 cranes it will grant you a wish. Even today, Japan sells origami paper in sets of 1,000.It is because of this fascinating legend, I chose to create a video celebrating these Japanese traditions. Japanese traditional music further sets the atmosphere to feed the viewers imagination and interest.
CCFA IDENTITY GUIDE
8" by 10" 42 page CMYK spiral-bound French-fold identity guide. Package includes a logo, poster, tote bag and stationery with a matching envelope. Colors are various, including: black, white, tan, teal, orange, purple, light green, dusty blue and a reddish-brown. The colors listed are used to separate sections of the identity guide into 7 categories: Introduction, Signature, Proper Logo Usage, Proper Background Placement, Color Usage, Typography and Apparel. The viewer can seek each section by consulting the contents page and flipping to the matching color that brands the edges of each page. Each section gives a clear understanding of how to properly use the logo.

This was a group project that included myself along with three other students. My responsibility was the layout and design of the booklet. The objective was to create a logo with an identity guide, along with company stationery such as a letterhead and envelope for the College of Communications and Fine Art (CCFA). A tote bag was later added to show an example of possible apparel options to raise further funding if necessary. The logo suggests a cityscape or an urban area, which is where many professional students aim to find themselves once finished with school. Each color represents a different major in the fine art field. The layout is professional and well organized, yet the colors make it fun, modern, and easy to use in an innovative manner.
UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY WEBSITE
Anne Gochenour, the gallery director of the University Art Gallery at Central Michigan University, was seeking an update to her current website. She approached our class, sharing her desires for this new look and what information she needed it to contain. I wanted to create a website that had the clean and modern feel of a gallery website, with a little splash of color. The dusty green pattern makes this site look inviting, yet the simplicity of the text and photography avoids too much conflict between the events and works that are advertised here. I used Lightbox, a javascript program used for photos, because it separated the gallery images from the website, isolating them so the viewer could concentrate on the artists' pieces.

Visitors have access to the floor plan, upcoming exhibitions, work study, internships, volunteer applications and contact information. The hours, address and contact numbers are displayed at the bottom of every page because in most cases, those who are interested in visiting are seeking this information. Although my website was not chosen by Anne, many features were complimented such as the easy navigation and slideshow feature on the main page.
GRAPHIC DESIGN WEBSITE
This would be a new and improved website layout and design for the graphic design program at Central Michigan University. This would of replaced the former-current website which was much less organized and professional. My goal was to make navigation a priority, while giving viewers a sense of not only the work that students output, but also the friendly atmosphere and passionate community seen at CMU. It offers updates to current events, admission information, a gallery and possible job opportunities in the career of graphic design. Within it, patrons can discover the many reasons CMU is a top choice for creative-seeking students every year. The main page plays a beautiful slideshow of images I captured in the fall. The gallery uses Lightbox which gives seeking students a sense of the work that comes out of the graphic design program. Applications and scholarship opportunities can be downloaded and printed directly from the site.
ACCORDION-FOLD STORYBOARD
7.5" by 6.5" 10 page CMYK accordion-fold storyboard mounted on black bristle board. Colors used are various: black, white, red, bright green, bright blue, violet, yellow-green, aqua and green. All text was handcrafted. Each page suggests a different part in the story, "It was Donald's Day," a narrative written for an art history course at CMU. The project asked us to include a work of art, and I chose to create a colorful storyboard to give visuals throughout the reading.

The tale introduces a depressed artist by the name of Donald who decides to end his life off the side of the San Francisco bridge because he cannot sell his artwork. He blames post-modern art and how his works do not fit into a rapidly changing society. As he falls, he runs into many shock artists and theorists such as Plato, Marcel Duchamp, Leo N. Tolstoy and Guillermo Vergas Habacus. They eventually convince him that ending his life was not the way, and as he's about to hit the water, he wakes up in his bed; a bottle of alcohol resides next to him. Each of the characters in the storyboard are hand-drawn and the background consists of photography that is heavily altered to give the viewer a feeling of a "dream-like state."
RAIN OR SHINE BUTTONS
Flash can be used to bring an artist's illustrations to life. You can create movies, buttons, games... whatever suits your needs for the event. Here is a simple example of what flash buttons can do. Press "rain" and the colorful umbrella becomes a shield from the storm (momentarily anyway); press "shine" and the umbrella brings shade from a sunny day and gives the birds and butterflies a place to rest. Sounds and movie effects are easily applied to the story, and the possibilities to play with a viewer's senses and interests? Limitless.
GRAPHIC DESIGN VIDEO
An introduction to my work using stop motion animation. I used woodblock letters to narrate the video. Once used on the press machines, woodblock letters are now commonly sought after for their aesthetic and symbolic qualities. I used them specifically because of my interests in book and layout designs, and because I treasure traditional styles of typography and design. Learning and utilizing ideas and techniques from the masters of yesterday and modifying them for a modern and open-minded today is what I strive for.
GRADUATION INVITATIONS
6" by 3" black and white graduation invitations (set of 3) printed on 80 lb. cardstock paper. These invitations demonstrate a variety of ways to display text. Fonts used are Glypha and Frutiger (with variations of each). One might prefer a traditional, classical look - this style celebrates legibility and beauty, or maybe you'd rather go with the clean, modern look. Here I show text breaking the bounds of the standard horizontal and vertical rules. Design is truly limitless, and I enjoy bringing a client's aesthetic tastes to life!
GOVERNEMENT DOCUMENT BOOKLET
5.5" by 8.5" 32 page black and white saddle-stitched government document with an 80 lb. CMYK cardstock cover. The document is titled, "The National Security Strategy of the United States of America" and has 9 sections such as, "Overview of America's International Strategy" and, "Work with Others to Defuse Regional Conflicts." Fonts used are Smaragd LT for the cover and simple Times New Roman (and variations) for the inside. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate that, although simple in this case, typography is used for many purposes and can be beautiful in every instance. Each sentence and word must be properly considered to provide excellent legibility for the readers.