The owners of the Redwing Cafe asked me to come up with an identity, signage and website for their new cafe located in Rainier Beach. They were looking for something warm and inviting, with a somewhat eccentric quality, and also wanted something that could be painted onto the side of the building.

I came up with several potential identity solutions, quickly settling with the owners on the iconic coffee cup, a red wing rising above it like steam, and the quirky red-winged bird character crowing the playful cafe slogan. 

Following the identity development, I created scale elevation views and helped execute the final signage solution, which started as hand drawn typography, and ended up laser cut out of 1/2” thick steel, before being mounted to a steel structure arcing across the front of the cafe (see time-lapse video). 

After trying to find someone to paint the mural, I eventually became the inevitable choice and spent a few beautiful, late summer days painting the 11 foot tall bird onto the side of the cafe via an old ladder on a makeshift platform (see time-lapse video).

The bird has since become a South Seattle landmark of sorts and the cafe, a neighborhood hub. Visit the website for directions and head on down for a cup of coffee or tasty vegetarian treat.

Station Grey Records / Jesse Sykes

This marks the third time Jesse Sykes has asked me to work on the design of her latest record, designing both the CD and double gatefold LP. Marble Son finds Jesse and the band heavier, more complex and mystical, and I tried to reflect that via the shadowy outer cover which features a dramatically treated cloud photo with the luster of champagne gold metallic ink, while the interior exposes a raw red, ethereal environment.

The cover, roses and water photos are by me. Photo of Jesse on the back cover by Christine Taylor. Gatefold band photo and inner sleeve photo of Phil Wandscher by Maoya Bassiouni.

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Related work: Marble Son Poster

Heckler Associates / PF Flyers
9 x 12 in. / 56 p. with price insert

A catalog I designed and saw through production and printing, intended for retail buyers, with the dual purpose of defining the PF Flyers brand and showcasing the upcoming season’s collection.

The cover features a unique, Soft-Touch aqueous coating, giving it a feel reminiscent of vulcanized rubber, a key component in many PF sneakers.
 

Heckler Associates / PF Flyers

A few of the print ads I had a hand in for PF Flyers while employed at Heckler Associates.
 

Heckler Associates / PF Flyers
9 x 12 in. / 52 p. with price insert

Another catalog showcasing the season’s collection, that I designed, and saw through production and printing. 

These models seem pretty serious about their shoes. Maybe they just need a hug.

BIGSMACK / Oprah Winfrey Network

Featured here is just a sampling of my identity exploration work for The Oprah Winfrey Network using the original network color palette, before they settled on the final OWN logotype by Bruce Mau Design.

I’m proud to say that some of my identity work was in the running until ultimately not making it past Oprah herself—I think she may have suspect design taste.
 

A sampling of logos and identities developed for various clients and projects — some made the cut, some didn’t.

TIBCO Software Inc.

Exploration of ideas for a unifying set of icons to brand a wide variety of data analytics software apps.

Heckler Associates / PF Flyers
7.75 x 11 in. / 56 p. with inserts

A catalog I designed and saw through printing and production, intended for retail buyers, with the dual purpose of defining the PF Flyers brand and showcasing the upcoming season’s collection.

It features gatefold catalog sections, as well as a curated selection of artwork by various artists to help convey the New England Modern vibe.
 

The Mews

My cover collage artwork and CD package design for Seattle art rock band The Mews’ eponymous debut album featuring an eclectic lineup of atmospheric, sweetly melodic, funky, energetic, and emotional art-pop originals. Give them a listen.

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Related work: The Mews Poster

Fan Fiction

My cover collage artwork and decidedly Swiss style CD package design for Seattle indie pop rockers, Fan Fiction.

Barsuk Records / Jesse Sykes

It was great to be asked by Jesse to work with her again after designing her previous record, Oh My Girl. It was pretty obvious from the start that this one would likely involve a heavy typographic solution due to the combination of lengthy title and band name. The rabbits were introduced as an allusion to notions of lust and the soul.
 

Barsuk Records / Jesse Sykes

A friend referred me to Jesse for design work, and we hit it off from the start. After listening to the rough cut of the album, I came up with a design that I felt reflects the music, and a format that includes a folded CD cover insert that doubles as a poster for her fans. The artwork includes personal items from Jesse, including a flower from a favorite thrift store painting and an image of her cherished dog, Ruby.

Photo of Jesse by Butch Hogan. Band photo by Stanford Wilson. All other photos by Jesse and myself.
 

Heckler Associates / PF Flyers
4.25 in. square / laser-cut brushed aluminum or walnut

This was an interesting project in collaboration with Creative Director, Doug Brody, in which we applied the PF brand to a point-of-purchase display object for retail environments, using a variety of materials.
 

Süperfad

A type treatment and t-shirt designs I created for Süperfad employees and client gifts.

Heckler Associates / PF Flyers

An illustrated type treatment and t-shirt design created for PF Flyers promotional use.