blog
Shackleton Exhibit
End of the World: An Antarctic Museum Adventure is a hypothetical immersive museum experience meant to educate and inspire families with the incredible story of Ernest Shackleton’s daring explorations of Antarctica. What could be depicted as a frigid story of survival is instead depicted as a colorful adventure, meant to inspire scientific curiosity in children even as it avoids the colonialism which tragically so often casts a shadow over the kinds of adventure stories traditionally aimed at children (Antarctica has never had a native people).
'Fight for Family Movie Night'
I've designed several covers for Angelus Magazine over the years, but my favorite to date is actually this one, which accompanied a cover story entitled, "The Fight for Family Movie Night". The topic of the piece appealed to my psych background, as it argued that family movie night can not only be a fun source of entertainment, but a valuable and equalizing bonding activity.
Known by Name Counseling
One of my favorite logos I've ever designed was for Known by Name Counseling, a private counseling practice based in Wheeling, West Virginia. I was inspired by founder (and my good friend) Tyler Kilbane’s mission to honor the addicts he serves as a name rather than a number, and also his personal old-world-aesthetic.
BanaSun Character Design
To increase their business and refine their brand, the owners of BanaSun Smoothie Bar tasked me with proposing a series of mascot characters. Designed both to appeal to children and to represent different components of what they hoped would someday constitute a lifestyle brand.
Logo: All Eyes on Isaac
My sister Rachael asked me to design a branding package for her nuptials as well. A sports psychologist and an app designer, she and her now-husband wanted a dynamic and edgy look that would match their personas.
Bircus Concept Art
Bircus Brewing Company is the brainchild of former Ringling Bros. clown Paul Miller and Flemish youth circus Circusplaneet’s Coördinator, Matthias Vermael. A circus/beer hall hybrid, it provides work and entertainment to the underserved area of Ludlow Kentucky, even while serving as a home to performers from 28 countries –Antigua to Australia, Ghana to Germany, Indonesia to Israel, and Suriname to Sudan.
The George Ghost Sign
In November of 2020, I was hired to design and install a mural of sorts at The George, a new combination music venue/recording studio in my childhood hometown. Venue creator Bob Rice commissioned a “ghost sign” (that is, a faux distressed vintage sign) on a brick wall on the stage.
OSV Kids Illustration
For the premier issue of OSV Kids - a children's magazine designed by America's oldest Catholic publisher, Our Sunday Visitor - I was asked to illustrate a scene depicting Christ’s calling of the disciples.
My Wedding Logo
Why brand our wedding? It’s a question I’ve been asked by more than a few of my non-designer friends (the graphic artists I know, on the other hand, totally get it). For my now-wife Jessica and me, it’s because our wedding represented more than just our union. For us, it represented our aspiring to a higher set of values, a collection of charisms larger than ourselves.
Aquinas 101
Aquinas 101 is the title of a video series created by the Thomistic Institute in order to promote thomistic philosophy to a wider audience. These videos in their first season featured several visually complex animated illustrations per episode. As the Institute entered their second season, though, they sought out a new creative team who could help them diversify the visuals while remaining flexible and financially competitive.
Save Local Waters Project
Each year, the Regional Storm Water Collaborative of South West Ohio and Northern Kentucky partners with the Cincinnati Zoo to raise money and awareness for the care of watersheds in the Ohio River Valley. In 2020, I contributed a custom-designed rain barrel to support this project.
Campfire Theatre
Campfire: Theatre in the Round began as a hypothetical solution to the lack of nighttime entertainment at a Midwestern amusement park inspired by the theme of the great outdoors. The question that inspired the project was this: if the campfire is where the community gathers at night, then how many more could gather if we made the fire larger?
God the Father and the Best Day Ever
God the Father and the Best Day Ever was authored to help children develop a personal relationship with the first person of the Christian Trinity. When the oldest Catholic publisher in the country asked me to illustrate the book, I jumped at the chance to bring the text to life and portray God in a new way.
Catholic Counselors Brand
Over five years, I spearheaded all multimedia and promotional design initiatives for the Pastoral Solutions Institute, an international telephone-counseling practice providing over 10,000 hours of mental health services per year to a global and diverse client network.
Mermay 2020
Each year the grassroots creative challenge known as “MerMay” invites artists around the world to creatively respond to a mermaid-related prompt each day in May. I use the opportunity to stretch myself creatively and keep my skills sharp for client work.
Pabst Blue Ribbon
In 2020 I participated in Pabst Blue Ribbon’s annual Art Can Contest inviting artists to reimagine Pabst’s classic beer can design.
Bohoho Holiday Parade
Inspired by annual creative challenges such as Inktober and MerMay, I challenged myself to develop a unique piece of concept art each day in December through parade floats, animated figures, and even costume design.
Inktober 2019
Each year the grassroots creative challenge known as “Inktober” invites artists around the world to creatively respond to a different prompt each day in October. I use the opportunity to stretch myself creatively and keep my skills sharp for client work.
Angelus Magazine: California Missions
Inspired by the response to our first collaboration, Angelus commissioned me to design another cover, this one for an issue exploring the complex legacy of Saint Junípero Serra.
Catholic Family Life Symposium Brand
The Catholic Family Life Symposium was looking for a mark which would feel equal parts traditional and modern, clean and symbolic. I chose to combine modern vector line art with traditional stained glass art to depict a family as forming the Church itself.