Janel S.

This is a poster series design idea promoting  the cultural and musical arts.  The photo was taken at the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Chicago (courtesy of my photographically-gifted boyfriend Jon.) Work in progress.

I wanted to do something different for my new business cards, so I changed up the standard dimensions  and gave it a landscape orientation for a "postcard mailer" feel. There are two designs for the front, to show off both illustration and photo manipulation skills. And of course, the back demonstrates some complementary typography. I'm pretty proud of these – they printed out super slick.

This is one of several logos I created for a custom-tailored suit company. Simple but eye catching it makes use of contrasting fonts. Work done while at Grip Agency.

Home page design for Christina J Music. The interface features a slideout email subscription panel and sliding background image. Work done while at Grip Agency.

This is a home page design I did for a great little web firm.  The goal was to create a moodscape with the page, something dark and intriguing.  It was a fun opportunity to play with cool illustration effects and experimental typography.

Home page design for Mountain Gear™, a major-brand line of hiking and mountain boots. Work done while at Grip Agency.

This piece (as well as a few others) is derived from a dream I had. Some of my favorite personal artworks have roots in a dream or waking vision I experienced at one time or another. My theory is that the unconscious creates from the soul with purity - free of inhibition and external or material influence ... i.e., as is often in the case of a designer, the need to get paid. As I feverishly scrawled out everything I could scrape from my hazy, half-awake brain, what stuck out was the composition, negative space, and the palette. (Proves that we can dream in color? Hmm ... ) The flamboyant little owl was a little more crude - like a gummy bear - in my dream; but I went for a more affectionate character through richer gradations, flatter dimensions, and an expressive but zen-like disposition. The fat pink owl is overcoming gravity and its effect on his own portly mass without effort. He seems expressively exalted, joyously astral, and simultaneously humble and serene.

A photoillustration and portrait of Jon, the love of my life, who took one of the photos I used to create the effect.

One of several logos I designed for an up-and-coming sports news site. Work done while at Grip Agency.

In order to promote the new Lunch & Learn workshops and to accompany the launch of the redesigned website, Direct Response Web Solutions needed an email template that would simultaneously provide the latest news and workshop announcements while generating awareness of the new site in an organized and cohesive format. In order to underscore the new identity, the template mimicked the website's look and feel and accentuated the Lunch & Learn branding visuals. Work done while at DRWS.

Talented and savvy hula-hoop performers, Hoop Troop wanted to put their skills to use and leverage their fan base to expand their local market. As a member and hooping enthusiast, I decided to take a swing at an initial logo concept. A fresh and energetic group of vibrant individuals, I pulled from the personality of the troop with a graffiti-inspired concept that emits color and energy.

One of the most exciting things about my gig as a designer is the sporadic opportunity to collaborate with other artists. For the design of the album Tanager, All These Quiet Hours had a distinctive vision and needed to accurately translate the concept into layout. Slick and striking, the final product was a success - and one of my favorite projects to date. Check out the album here.

With a new website in hand and a fresh new business perspective Direct Response Web Solutions needed to infuse their capabilities brochure with some of their new personality and showcase their latest and greatest services. DRWS wanted to grab attention and leave an imprint with a fun and quirky approach and some large-scale snazzy imagery.
Work done while at DRWS.

One of the biggest challenges facing nonprofit organizations is the ongoing need to generate and maintain loyal and reliable donors, volunteers, and contributors. Outdated and difficult to update, IAC's website was doing nothing to communicate with these critical audiences. In order to appeal to donors and sponsors and compel them to help, the design focuses on the mission of IAC and demonstrates the impact of their initiatives through strong imagery and individual case studies. Portraying the hopeful and uplifting spirit of IAC and its staff and clients, the design leverages a vivid and optimistic color palette and bright, eye-catching graphics to encourage their key audiences to take action. Work done while at DRWS. Go to site →

With the commencement of my portfolio website and to kickoff a self-branding initiative, I needed to whip up some simple business cards that worked with my existing print materials and tied in with my online presence. The goal here was to strike a balance between being minimalist and designed; but mostly I needed something that I wouldn't easily get sick of. The palette is based off of a series of grays with varying undertones that, when adjacent, showcase their surprising contrast and disparate subtle hues. In its entirety, the palette's grays are accented with a crisp grayish-aqua and punchier, vivacious, hot pink. Infusing the palette with branding elements from my site and strong typographic components, the business card also ties in great with the layout of my resume and really polishes up the presentation.