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Identity for the
Downtown Design Studio.

An identity proposed for the Downtown
Design Studio affiliated with North Carolina
State University. While spending the
semester taking a studio class in the space,
I developed the concept of a ‘studio’ coming
together from many disparate parts.
After hand setting the ‘studio’ type, I used the
opportunity of having so many illustrations at
hand to experiment with pattern making, as
well as other applications such as a folders,
envelopes and letterheads.

In Favor of Girly Drinks

A society designed as a safe haven for
manly men to enjoy their girly drinks
without fear of ridicule. The society is
meant to be a social networking
opportunity, a way to make friends,
and a lighthearted way to celebrate
something that everyone, not just girly
girls, can love. The style guide was
designed to be a jumping off point for
future projects, as well as a way to
allow others to design products under
the ‘Manly Men’ umbrella, without
required extensive explanation
by the designer.

A Very Manly Game

MAN-UP is meant primarily as a means
for dispelling the awkward situation.
By loosening up the participants it is
promoting new relationships in a social
context. This game is for people who
appreciate a good girly drink and are in
a situation where they may not know
everyone within the group.
Conversely, it is also for the group of
friends who like to have a silly good time
would also be an appropriate audience
for this game. It is NOT intended for:
•Those who don’t like to have fun
•Children

pamphlet educating the greater
Raleigh area on available recycling
resources, as well as best practices
for recycling.

This includes information about what to recycle
with the city, as well as names and resources for
alternative recycling, such as composting. My
‘selfish agenda’ was the exploration of illustration
and patterning through repetition of one illustrated
object. In this case, it was the recyclable object
featured on each spread.

A group compilation

Over a semester, a group including myself and three other designers
periodically did experiments in form based on certain words/concepts.
At the end of the semester, we compiled our work into one book that
showed our efforts through mostly image. We tried to employ the
concepts we explored in the design of the book, and focused on the
handmade, using spray paint, laser cutting, and perfect binding to
create the final, unique output.

This is how you crip walk

Next door to the downtown studio where I
spent my fall semester of my senior year,
2009, was Hip Hop Haven. The downtown
studio students decided to put on an
exhibition combining our own design skills
as well as the skills of the children who
come to Hip Hop Haven.
My personal project was a diagrammatic
poster teaching the viewer how to crip walk.
The function of this project was to
take something that was movement based
and most easily described through a
movement based medium (ie video), and
translating it effectively to a 2d, static format.
Although I was primarily responsible for this
poster, the exhibition itself was truly a group
effort, with all hands on deck both through the
design process, and during set-up and the
actual exhibition, which took place during
downtown Raleigh’s First Friday, in
November, 2009.

A permananent exhibition

This project was completed while working for A. Brothers design firm.
Many groups pass through the Andrew Johnson house during tours
of the Mordecai estate, and the client decided that a wall display
was necessary to convey the pertinent information. The design
needed to be serious enough to appeal to adults, however I wanted
it to also be playful for the many schoolchildren who tour the Andrew
Johnson house.

A student initiative

PackPulse is a campus-wide initiative,
to monitor and lower NC State students’
energy consumption.
Current energy usage is projected, in
real-time, on LCD screens in two NCSU
Residence Halls. Students can compare
their consumption per day to NCSU
landmarks and other Residence Halls.
I worked as part of the design team
responsible for all slide graphics and
website design. Individual responsibilities
included design of icons used in slides,
and work on information graphics. Later
in the semester I became head of the
website development group, working
with two other designers (and a computer
scientist) to finalize the website function
and layout. Featured is an example of my
individually designed layout option.

An information diagram

This information map is for anyone who
wants to read about the customer experience
in a restaurant in both an informative and
humorous context. It was designed with the
intent to inform and amuse. The average
restaurant customer may not know about
what goes into creating their experience in
the restaurant would be interested to know
what exactly happens, and how many people
are involved. It is meant for contemplation,
not for a quick glance. I drew up a timeline
of a restaurant experience of two fictional
characters. After visiting a restuarant and
observing to check my facts, I began
designing the information map.

Design of the form typeface Line_Robot

I began this project with the goal to take the premise of
the project–tool malfunction–as far as I possibly could.
I wanted as many disparate, visually interesting pieces
of the system as I could generate, and I when the pieces
combined, it needed to be as variable as possible.
I had two possible uses in mind for the typeface before I
had begun: a tool to create refined and delicate patterns,
or explosive combinations. Since the name of the project
was ‘tool malfunction’, I wanted an aesthetic that the
computer was breaking, producing lines that were
the opposite of ordered, but still looked very computer-
generated. I also went for a malfunctioning line quality,
as if the printer that spat out the form had been having
major difficulties, skipping lines and producing ink blots
where previously there were none.
Because I had such a clear goal in mind, actually
generating the first system of form was easy.
At this point it became clear that a third factor would be
present in the system: that of layering and visibility. Almost
all of the glyphs in the typeface have white space that
allows other form to be layered over or under them, and
still show through.

A Poem of Tabloid Murder

How to design a banner around a space? When
choosing my site, I wanted something that would
work from many angles. Four separate posters that
could work individually as well as together seemed
the best solution. The play being advertised in the
posters is based on a movie, which is based off a
book, which is based on a true story. The fact that
this adaptation is so far removed from the reality of
the situation made an unrealistic poster seem almost
necessary. Moreover, each panel is meant to be
visually engaging enough to grab the causal viewer,
and slowly draw them into the entire banner.