Branding Projects
I created the designs in this section outside of my job at James Madison University. They're some of my favorites, and the most recent work on display here.
Center for Energy and Environmental Sustainability
The Center for Energy and Environmental Sustainability supports the advancement of renewable energy and environmental sustainability. The center needed a logo that reflected their main areas of research: solar, wind, and hydropower energy. The defining characteristic of the center’s identity system is a cloud-like shape that signifies clean air. It can also be interpreted as a thought bubble, an index to research.
Infrared Development and Thermal Systems Laboratory
The Infrared Development and Thermal Systems Laboratory supports research and development efforts that involve non-contact thermal and mechanical measurement techniques. A series of red bands that gets progressively darker appears in the logo and on all IDTSL materials. This represents the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The font was chosen and customized to give a scientific feel.
Stephanie Williford - Bookmaker, Painter, Printmaker
Stephanie is a local artist who wanted a brand as unique and dynamic as her work. Hand lettering was used for her name in the logo. A color pallet was inspired by the distinctive colors used in her work. The main unifying element of Stephanie’s identity system is the use of x shapes formed by crossing threads. This shape appears on marketing materials and the center of the button in her logo. On a recent poster many of these shapes are used to form a cross-stitch style portrait of her.
JMU Projects
I'm currently employed as the lead designer at Creative Services, an in-house print and web design studio for James Madison University’s College of Health and Behavioral Studies and College of Integrated Science and Engineering. I designed the following projects as part of this job, working within the university's pre-existing identity system.
Recently Completed Projects
I designed this poster for a conference on the opioid epidemic. The target audience was health professionals and students. I chose to use expressive jagged lines in the graphic to highlight the serious and alarming nature of the topic. I also designed the Physician Assistant Program’s logo that appears in the bottom right corner of the poster.
This is a website I designed for the College of Health and Behavioral Studies. They wanted a fresh, modern looking, responsive site with room for a big photo on the homepage. The colors were chosen to match the college’s new building. I worked with a web programer who turned the design into a working website. Click the link below to view the full website:
This is a trade show display I created for the Center for Assessment & Research Studies and associated programs. They asked for a compelling design to attract new students to their programs. They wanted to use photos of current members and of James Madison University's campus. The display is 33 x 80 inches in size. Click the link below to view the full PDF version:
Logos
This logo was created for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at James Madison University. It is one of my personal favorites because of it's simplicity and the way it describes what STEM is all about. Shapes within the circle come together at a point near the top of the logo much like the STEM joins several disciplines within the university.
This logo was designed for the College of Integrated Science and Engineering at James Madison University. They asked for a symbol similar to a Möbius Strip and wanted their college's acronym front and center.
This was a particularly challenging project because of the wide range of disciplines that CHBS represents. As an artist I find swirling figures cliché but as a designer with experience working with the college’s leadership I knew it would be what they wanted. So, I set out to make an option that was the best swirling logo ever. One that almost didn’t look like figures at all. In the end this option was chosen. It's a great example of how to me the client’s wishes come first.
Illustrations
Each year the Student Nurses Association at James Madison University hosts a dance event for local senior citizens called the Senior Prom. The 2013 Senior Prom had a safari theme. They asked me to design a poster to promote it and this is what I came up with.
I created this cartoon for Dr. Lincoln Gray to illustrate his idea of Constructed Cartography which seeks to measure how closely related things are without regard to physical distances. This cartoon represents the fact that places throughout the body to which cancer cells metastasize likely have no relationship to physical distance between body organs.
I designed this banner for the David Kruger Scottish Rite Summer Speech and Language Program. The program is a summer camp supervised by students of the Communication Sciences and Disorders department at James Madison University. The characters I created for this poster were also used on T-Shirts and other materials for the program.
This is a brochure I designed for the USGIF Geospatial Intelligence Certificate Program at James Madison University. The design had to meet existing design standards set-forth by the university. It also had to fit in with the look and feel of other brochures I designed for the department previously. Click the link below to view the full PDF version:
This is a flyer for the School of Nursing at James Madison University. I was asked to create the infographic about their simulation program. They wanted something that was both eye-catching and informative to hand out at marketing events.
This research participant recruitment brochure was designed under a tight deadline. It was printed on a standard office printer so my challenge was to create a trifold design that looked good without full bleeds in a short timeframe. All text was provided by the client, who was quite happy with the results. Click the link below to view the full PDF version:
Murals
This is the second of six murals I designed for the main stairwell of the Health and Behavioral Studies building at James Madison University. It is located near the Communication Sciences and Disorders department’s main office. It depicts the cochlea of an inner ear, with sound waves in the background.
This is the third of six murals I designed for the main stairwell of the Health and Behavioral Studies building at James Madison University. It is located near the Social Work department’s main office and shows hands in various positions to represent people socializing and collaborating.
This is the forth of six murals I designed for the main stairwell of the Health and Behavioral Studies building at James Madison University. It is located near the Health Science department’s main office. It contains iconic graphics representing the many disciplines that make up the department.