For my senior thesis project, I decided to explore the ways in which design and ceramics interact; I wanted to combine the two things I studied heavily during my undergraduate schooling in order to present my knowledge and love of both adequately.

Project Abstract:

“As humans, we have a natural inclination to enhance our quality of life, a trait that often manifests through consumerism. However, rapidly changing trends have caused consumers to be trapped in a cycle of desire and disappointment, experiencing the fleeting embraces of poorly designed objects in our modern world. There is a need now, more than ever, for well-designed, timeless objects. People long to create meaningful relationships with the things they own: mementos to be loved forever.

Rubble is a ceramic shop & consultancy specializing in tiles and wheel-thrown objects. Inspired by Dieter Rams’ philosophy of ‘less, but better,’ Rubble will work with you to craft objects that are perfect for your life and your home. Rubble reinvents the intentionality of consumerism. By focusing on the craft and the emotional durability of hand-made ceramics, Rubble ensures that you walk away with a product that satisfies you for years to come.”

UX/UI design for All Nippon Airways Experience Class travel campaign: Wake Up from the Dream, Wake Up in Japan, On the Ground. See campaign here. (From article “ANA Makes Travel a Dream” down to “Plan a Perfect First Day on the Ground in Japan”).

Created while working at Hill+Knowlton Strategies. Design Direction by David Johnson, Development by Simplistics Web Design.

Product design for Jobs to Know app: Jobs to Know is an app that will help young people find careers they’ll enjoy. This app is currently in the development process, but you can view the prototype here.

Work done during my time at Robo Retail.

Informational packet for Ford’s electric loan vehicles.

Designed while working at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, design direction by David Johnson.

Digital collage diptych using a mix of film photos shot by me.

“I have to survive, I have to sell fucking prints online”

A reflection on being an artist in the modern digital age.

Branding and save-the-date concept for the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s 2020 Gala.

Botanique is a high-end alcohol for people who want to try something different. It was born from a task to create packaging for a cylindrical container. I chose gin, because its production allows for a wide breadth of creativity in its packaging thanks to the variety of plants that can be used. Because of this, the packaging for Botanique came together very naturally: I used the botanicals from which gin is created and the tagline “A Spiritual Experience” playing on alcoholic spirits and the spiritual experience of nature. Its simple and unique design reflects the type of gin while helping it stand out from others on the shelf.

UI/UX design for interactive module on Cotton Today website. See live module here.

Executed while working at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, design direction by David Johnson, development by Simplistics Web Design.

Emails I have created while working as a freelancer at Alltrue. Assets and creative direction provided by Alltrue.

UI/UX design for Mettler’s American Mercantile: a high-end, Americana-inspired boutique in Northern Michigan. I had the pleasure of working on this project with my creative director and two other designers during my time at Robo Retail.

The live website can be viewed at https://mettlersamerica.com/

Cradle is a comforting and warm magazine that was created to sharpen my editorial skills, specifically layout and typesetting. The magazine varies enough to keep readers engaged and excited, while the consistent color palette and type instills in readers a sense of calm. Cradle is an exercise in making magazine readers feel at home.

For this project, we were asked to create an app using UX/UI design and prototyping to solve some sort of problem. Painterly is an app that digitally samples potential paint colors in a home. The intention is to accurately reflect these colors in various stages of light.

A series of moments on the coast of Lake Michigan simplified by using only color gradients and shapes.

Creating the Winter 2020 edition of Now at GRAM was one of the main projects I worked on during my internship at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. All of the copy and photography was provided, my job was to piece together all of the various elements within the number of pages given, while also following GRAM’s brand guidelines. This project involved an immense amount of organization and problem solving, which is what ended up making the publication successful.

When tasked with making a fake bow tie company, I created SERV: an ethical, sustainable, and inclusive bow tie company. With at-home-try on and cheap prices, SERV makes bow ties accessible to anyone who cares about both fashion and the environment. This project involved the creation of packaging and other print elements, UX/UI design for a desktop and mobile friendly website, posts for various social media, and an experiential pop-up event.

The name of this brand was derived from the word “conserve,” which acts as a playful nod to the sustainability of the company. The logotype, inspired by the colors of the pride flag and the classiness of bow-ties, uses the combination of CaslonCP and a muted color palette to be distinguished yet amicable.

In this project, we were asked to create a calendar based on how we personally see time. I see time through a seasonal and horticultural lens; I was raised with my dad working in produce and my mother being an avid gardener. This calendar intertwines vector drawn plant forms and large letterforms to reflect the month that certain plants are in season in Michigan.

A collection of varying logo work I’ve done. The ask of these projects was for just a logo, not a whole branding suite.

Pastelli is a fictional art supply company whose goal is to simplify user experience for artists and shoppers alike. The idea behind Pastelli is to provide a straightforward and inspiring shopping experience to help spawn creativity. I created the gift cards, bag, and box, along with a sample website to synthesize the shopping experience online and in stores.

The layout design for The Guild of Book Workers 100th Anniversary Exhibition booklet is intentionally simple, to let the work and words inside speak for themselves. This booklet celebrates the 100th anniversary by focusing on the art and language of the exhibition, instead of relying on heavy design elements to emphasize the event.