logos

Logo and branding development I would definitely consider to be a strength of mine. Its one of those elements of design that is always in high demand. Which allows for plenty of opportunity to explore and experiment. Its nice when I can have the luxury to invest a little research on the client and the clients target market before starting. Really try and get to the core of whats going on and see how we can facilitate something that will stand strong.

Its not always that easy though. Sometimes its just a matter of going with what you know. Make it look as good as we can with whatever resources and time we have available.

collateral

Most of the pieces showcased in my portfolio required complete creative development, from concept to completion. The collateral gallery features a hodge podge of business material posters, in-store displays, POP, sales kits, campaign pieces, club cards and all other misc die-cut hand held items.

Half of which, if not most of which, had to be created on a days notice. Maybe 48 hours if I was lucky. Not all of the time, but with a few of our clients, it was pretty much a given. We'd get a call at 4:00 to have materials ready to present by noon the following day. But hey, that's what it's all about right.

magazine

Usually our clients that require magazine advertising depend on fairly high concept
ad development. Often time setting the tone for what would later develop into a campaign that would translate into other print collateral, TV and radio.

What it usually takes is.... hours of brainstorming. Hours of research. And hours of creative development as sometimes those big ideas would require additional resources beyond what might be available on the world wide web.

Note: The Eye Candy, AstaReal ad won an ADDY in 2007.

newspaper

The challenge with newspaper is... what you tend to send to the publisher, isn't always what ends up getting published. Since the newspaper printing process can jeopardize the work (with off-register & blotchy printing), we have to make some adjustments to how we approach the design. Not compromise the design, but keeping in mind the technical. Adding some stroke thickness here, knocking out some rasterized leftovers there, and so on.

direct mail

Needless to say... everyone does direct mail. Often in high demand and in need of a quick turnaround, Ive belted out my fair share. Heres some examples of how we boosted sales through direct mail.

Some of the food concepts reported as much as a 20% increase in same store sales. Most all of them would show positive responses, showing an increase in sales of one or another. And not always driven by redemption values. Some where all about making a really good looking mailer and proving that customers were willing to pay. If it looks good, tastes good and has good customer service to back it... theres usually no problem generating some
additional revenue through cost effective advertising mediums.

packaging

I do enjoy the occasional package design. We don't get a whole lot of that around here, but its always a great opportunity to be creative when we do.

The ice cream packaging was fun (Kulfi Bars). I picked that one up on freelance, and worked some trade into the deal. I'm sure I did it justice, but dang thats some tasty, thick and creamy ethnic flavored ice cream. Absolutely the best pistachio ice cream you'll ever have.

outdoor & vehicle

Billboards are another scenario where one creative idea spawned a whole campaign of mixed media creative. Heres some examples of how I approached this challenge.

Note: The Billboards by the way, were deal closers. I pitched these to the client myself and we walked away with a signed contract. Not to mention the pressure. There was such a stigma behind this account as the VP of Marketing was known for being a seven foot tall, says whats on his mind, intimidating, crush you in a second if you look at me wrong kind of guy.

Weve since become very good friends.

illustration

web

I would have to say that technically speaking, the site we developed for the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino is not only one of the better looking sites aesthetically, but also the most intuitive, complex and interactive behind the code. With a fully functional, custom written back end, it allowed for self administrable elements like a Calendar of Events, Bingo Calendar, Press Releases, Career Opportunities and more. All dynamically generated data that is accessed, edited & posted from a user interface that connects with a database. Then set up in such away that a five year old could administer it.

Though I do know some php, java & ajax, and I can usually make sense of purchased or open source scripts enough to customize them and make them our own, this one was way beyond me. So I facilitated the use of a freelance developer (who we later hired) and further managed the development of the project that way.

I have recently fallen in love with Joomla, and its proven to be a great resource that allows for a ton of flexibility. No rocket science needed.

commercial & magazine

Images taken for advertising, HiS Magazine, ESPN 1430, MotoBomb.com, and stock image sites.