Visual Design
Conceptual and strategic thinking always come into play in any visual communication, whether it’s a billboard or a book cover. I think the best ideas transform the familiar and invite the viewer to “get” the joke and enjoy the satisfaction in figuring it out.
Logo Design | Reloaded Mac
This tech company upgrades Macs to meet the demanding requirements of the professional creative community.
I started by writing a headline/tag line for their web site: “We put more into them so you can get more out of them,” and thought about visualizing that idea. I sketched oversized Macs, bulging Macs, Macs with huge angel wings, and so on, but they all felt obvious.
Then I looked at it another way: by the rigorous requirements of media production, factory-shipped Macs are incomplete. I also recognized that the famous Apple logo was incomplete, too. This gave me my solution: a hand (Reloaded Mac) placing the absent piece back into the apple. This was a bigger statement than just showing a specific machine and also reinforced the company’s name.
I found I had to flip the logo horizontally so that the action moved left to right in order to read as intended; when the hand was on the right side of the apple, it appeared to remove the piece. This modification had the added benefit of avoiding copyright infringement.
E‑Book Cover Designs | IAT Interactive
In this series of text and ebooks, students examine the impact humans have on the environment. They address specific land-use challenges, choose solutions, and defend their choices.
I was tasked to design the covers. I didn’t want them to be generic, or even all typography, but to illustrate each topic and engage the students in a unique, delightful way.
Urban. Students decide whether to preserve a nature trail or build an athletic field for the school.
Among my ideas was one lane of the running track still as an undeveloped trail, or a few flowers pushing through cracks in the track. But since the students must choose one or the other and defend their choice, my idea literally evolved into a fork in the road depicting their two options.
Sprawl. Students consider the proposed conversion of farmland to a suburban housing development.
My first ideas included an aerial view of a housing development that formed a giant question mark, or was shaped like an arrow pointing toward and encroaching on pristine land. Then I recognized that, in a way, these developments were farms themselves; instead of orchards or fields with evenly spaced crops, they contained evenly spaced homes. This insight led to the idea of a farmer planting houses instead of seeds.
Amazonia. Students must prepare a plan for a small region of Amazonia, juggling such land uses as soybean farming, cattle ranching, and forest preservation.
I thought about a pie chart to depict land usage, while also being mindful of the global concern over deforestation of the Amazon. Combining the two I came up with a pie chart carved into a tree slice, since each designated use would come from the elimination of trees.
Exhibition Design
Planetarium FAQ Wrap | Hudson River Museum
Astronomy is one of loves, and I am fortunate to be able to share it at the Hudson River Museum Planetarium. Audiences waiting for a show in the planetarium had little to do until I wrote and designed this graphic that wraps around the 40 foot dome. (The background image can be a stunning Hubble photograph or fanciful illustrations of the 88 constellations to keep younger kids engaged.) Since patrons often snap pictures and post them, the wrap also serves to publicize the museum and the planetarium.
Astronomy on the Hudson River | Hudson River Museum
I proposed, wrote, and designed this permanent exhibit celebrating the Hudson Valley’s role in the history of astronomy. Since visitors are primarily from the region, I conceived this map format to orient and engage them, then tell the stories of astronomers who may have lived nearby.
