This is a poster I designed for a student project at Colorado State University. The goal of this design was to create a call to action. I am passionate about mental health awareness and treatment options for those who have experienced similar obstacles as me. So, my call to action was breathing exercises for people who struggle with anxiety and depression. This was actually one of my earliest designs in art school, but the typography and layout have kept it in my portfolio. The photo was found online on a royalty free website. I enjoyed the intensity and emotion that the man in the image was conveying through the sweat and facial expressions he's making. So, I thought the image paired well with my overall message.
Fishing on the Fly is an example of how I would create a publication. To me, a publication or a magazine has to be about something with layers to it. Fishing is a sport with many layers and complexities but can simplified for beginners like me. I wanted to make a guide that would help more people engage in the sport. I wanted to showcase the places and experiences you have while doing it to help get my community excited for fishing season. The purpose of this concept was to create page spreads that used visual language and high-resolution photography for quality results.
The Intergalactic Robot House Music posters I have created are a passion project. On my 2D animation page you will see a work titled "Robot DJ." This project is just the beginning of an entire world I wish to create throughout my animation career. The basic idea is that in the future human population is so dense that music festivals are a thing of the past. As such people desire the musical connection and community that their ancestors had in the 2020's. A team of highly talented digital artists, coders, and engineers work together to make a series of robots whose primary purpose is to create music similar to EDM of the past decades. Because of limited space, the DJs perform virtually in fully digital 3D stages. Humans log on and join the crowd via virtual reality glasses that bring them directly into the world as a virtual character of their choosing. This particular robot, Steve is special because he was the first robot DJ ever created and paved the way for future 3D digital DJs.
This poster and logo design was for the ACT Human Rights Film Festival. For my design I wanted to create something connecting humanity to filmmaking. In order to do this, I started by deciding the silhouette was going to look like a person. Then, I sketched some conceptual logos, but I didn't think they matched the ACT Human Rights Film Festival. For a while I was puzzled. Then I took some photographs of my cameras at home for inspiration and uploaded them digitally. I made the realization that the cameras could be a part of the logo design, so I took this idea and ran with it. As a motion graphics designer and videographer, I believe people have a special connection to cameras. They help capture moments in time we otherwise wouldn't get to see again and help tell narratives. It's this direct involvement in the process of movie making that make cameras so magical. I wanted to showcase how humanity and cameras work together to create film. To me, film inspires me to be a better human being and get more involved in my community. I put "Film inspires change." on the poster to convey this message in my poster and merchandise proposal.
I am a reader of ancient philosophy, and I take a lot of inspiration from the ancient Stoics. Specifically, the emperor Marcus Aurelius is interesting to me because of his story and unrelenting commitment to internal and external tranquility. After reading his journal that was made into a book, "Meditations" it was clear to me that he had a unique and clear perspective of the world around him. He was writing to himself reminders of the lessons and experiences he had during his life. To help him remember the importance of joy and gratitude. After all he began as an orphan, so he was thankful to be in such a position of influence because his desires were not of physical form. This made him a good leader and philosophical thinker likely due in part to his lack of emphasis on power and care for those around him. This poster is a reminder for me to be more thankful for family, friends, relationships and the experience that life has to offer. As well as to tell me I can change a little bit every day for the better, even if it is difficult or challenging.
The university I attend, Colorado State has a very unique art building because it was built fifty years ago on a small chicken farm. This is not the only fascinating part of its history; it was made in a Brutalist architecture style which is quite the contrast to the other buildings on campus. Less modern and more minimalistic this one-story building is a hub for artists of a wide range of different mediums. From metalsmithing to fibers to graphic designers this art building is the home of many talented individuals. So, as graphic designers we were asked to create a design system that was both a tribute to the history of the building and a celebration for many years to come. I created vector versions of real pictures in our school archives to show the classic look of the school with a modern technique. In addition, I decided to use bold typefaces to stand out on the posters and get viewers to engage with them and get excited about the 50th anniversary of the art building. For the logo, I went simple with the geometry doing most of the talking because I wanted to emulate the combination of linear and curved shapes the building is made up of.
