Art Direction & Graphic Design

I lead creative projects from concept through execution, spanning campaigns, donor recognition, promotions, and environmental design – always grounded in strategic thinking and human-centered design. My approach centers on this belief: 80% of great design happens in the conceptual phase – understanding audience, exploring motivations, sketching possibilities, and building consensus before pixels hit the page. I empower creative teams to bring their expertise and vision to every project, creating space for shared ideas and collaborative thinking that elevates the final work.

CAM's Club Wine Labels, OBC Wine Project partnership with Colorado State University Alumni Association

2022-present

Award submission

Challenge

Launch a new partnership between CSU Alumni Association and OBC Wine Project (Odell Brewing Co.), creating a premium wine label concept that would appeal to alumni donors while aligning with both brands. Required buy-in from internal stakeholders and external partners with established brand guidelines.

Role

Art director and conceptual designer. Collaborated extensively with illustrator Christy Schuster on final execution.

Approach

Developed concept through extensive sketching and iteration, landing on a “dapper CAM” woodcut aesthetic that could flex across wine varieties while maintaining brand consistency. Added a hidden easter egg: the first three labels’ copy blocks contained an encoded message revealing the CSU fight song (inspired by “A Christmas Story’s” Ovaltine decoder). Partnered and pitched concept to both internal and external stakeholders with Schuster to translate the proof-of-concept into illustrations that honored OBC Wine Project’s branding guidelines.

Impact

CAM’s Club continues four years later with three unique labels released annually. Success led to a spin-off partnership with Ironton Whiskey for a custom 1870 blend using a similar approach.

Recognition: Silver Circle of Excellence Award, Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), 2024 – Design, Specialty Pieces

OBC Wine Project CAM's Club Malbec.
CAM's Club on the Oval.
CAM's Club launch party at OBC Wine Project.
CAM's Club sketch explorations.
CAM's Club promotion.

Colorado State University International Colloquium poster

2016

Challenge

Design a striking promotional poster for the sixth annual colloquium, themed Global Food Security & Sustainability, that catches attention and emphasizes the event's focus.

Role

Graphic designer and maker. Collaborated with photographer Joe Mendoza.

Approach

Took a hands-on, analog approach: physically assembled the poster’s world graphic from beans and legumes on a flat surface, then photographed the three-dimensional artwork. This tactile method added genuine authenticity to the concept, telling the story of global food security using real food as the medium.

Impact

The poster became memorable beyond the event itself. Years later, colleagues still refer to it. The project demonstrated how analog, hands-on design can make a lasting impact and forge an emotional connection with audiences.

2016 Global Food Security & Sustainability Colloquium poster.
Various legumes, grains, and lentils.
Prototyping for legume assembly, spelling “FOOD.”
The paint of my pallet: split peas, red lentils, grain, and wild rice.