Comprised of both real and dream clients, this section showcases the “real-world,” experiential projects I had the opportunity to work on while in the Visual Communications program at Northwestern Michigan College. While deepening my passion for working with others, these projects have also provided me with the opportunity to strengthen my problem-solving and collaboration skills, creating design solutions that connect brand and client visions and voices to their audiences.
Northwestern Michigan College: nEXt endorsement
This logo for Northwestern Michigan College Experiential Learning Institute’s NMC EXperiential Learning Transcript (nEXt) endorsement reflects the Institute’s mission. The staff at the Institute consider themselves to be ‘navigators,’ with the goal of helping students find and navigate through their life and education goals, and have even adapted NMC’s tagline ‘Find it here’ into their own: ‘Find you here.’ The compass represents navigation and finding, reflecting the Institute's role in guiding students. The tree from NMC’s existing logo serves as the northern point of the compass, connecting back to the ‘Find you here’ concept while reinforcing the connection to NMC. The waves symbolize the Great Lakes, grounding the design in the college's location. While the colors and typeface are directly drawn from NMC’s branding guidelines, ensuring the logo stays consistent with the college's overall identity.
Northwestern Michigan Fair
The Northwestern Michigan Fair (NWMF) is a non-profit organization that promotes local agriculture, horticulture, and youth education — holding an annual event that celebrates their heritage with livestock shows, and brings the community together with carnival rides and food vendors. Each year, the fair puts out a Premium Book, containing registration information, and a pamphlet with the event schedule. These two designs use similar elements, creating a cohesive visual identity. The colors throughout are pulled directly from the NWMF logo, which has a muted palette, giving the design a grounded and rustic feel that aligns with the fair’s agricultural focus. Both designs include the fair animals to highlight the agricultural theme, while the Premium Book cover shows the food booth, amusements, and concessions. Inside the pamphlet, a redesigned vector map replaces the previous years’ satellite image, making it easier to see and interpret.
Taliesin Preservation
Adobe Illustrator 2024
The Taliesin Preservation, once Frank Lloyd Wright’s estate, now houses several entities, like the Riverview Terrace Cafe, Gift Shop, Field School, and Tours Department. The brand identity was updated by designing a logo that unifies the various parts of the Taliesin Preservation and can be used as a whole or individually with its respective entity. The Riverview Terrace Cafe logo is inspired by Wright’s signature red square, the Field School logo mimics the building’s roofline, the Gift Shop logo pays homage to the spire that crowns the building, and the Tours logo features a brick-like pattern with a red square that mimics Wright’s signature on the limestone building.
The collateral pieces reference the Driftless Area of southwest Wisconsin, a region untouched by glacial drift that boasts fertile soil, forested hills, deep river valleys, and spring-fed waterfalls, where the Taliesin Preservation is proudly located.
*spec work
Poppycocks Menu
Adobe InDesign 2024 — 17 in x 11 in
This updated menu for Poppycocks in Traverse City, Michigan, reimagines their menu into a 3-panel design that enhances usability while creating a fresh dining experience. By incorporating the vibrant green from the restaurant’s logo, it brings a fresh feeling and further reinforces the brand’s identity.
A serif font was chosen for the headers to tie to the logo and reinforce the restaurant's upscale atmosphere, while a sans-serif font is paired in the body copy for a clean look and readability. The typography choices strengthen the menu’s hierarchy and guide guests through each section with clarity, while ensuring prices remain prominently displayed. In addition, the menu features a story about the history of the local establishment, further personalizing the experience for diners.
*spec work