Coloring isn't just for kids!

UK HealthCare recently distributed nearly 500 oversized, adhesive-backed coloring sheets to hospital units in order to help ease the stress of our frontline workers. I chose one of my favorite places in Kentucky for the illustration: Cumberland Falls, in hopes that one of the Commonwealth’s most beautiful views would offer a calming effect to our hospital staff.

These coloring sheets were printed on uncoated adhesive wall vinyl, which is easily removable without damaging the wall surface, and prevents the markers from bleeding through as well.

Rebrand

Over a decade ago I designed the first logo for a small business named Kentuckiana Coin & Jewelry, and recently the owners contacted me to help with their rebrand as they move the business into a larger space in a new location. I worked with them to create a primary logo for the coin, gold, and silver wing of the business and a secondary logo for the jewelry division.

I’m so happy with the result, and honored that the owners enjoyed their first experience with me enough to become repeat customers.

Bloom Magazine August/September 2023

It was so nice jumping back in the saddle to design the two feature stories and the cover for the August/September 2023 issue of my favorite city magazine: Bloom. I learned a lot of fun facts about the town, as well as getting an overview on how ChatGPT is effecting the classroom. I got very nostalgic for my Bloomington days and I’m in the process of planning a weekend trip to enjoy all of the amazing restaurants and shops that sweet little town has to offer! You can read the full issue here.

Team Kentucky Gallery

I was honored to be included among 38 artists selected out of 150 submissions for inclusion in the Team Kentucky Gallery photography exhibit within the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort. You can read more about the honor in this story from the Richmond Register. Thanks to Sierra Marling for interviewing me.

Motion Graphics

Over the past few years I’ve been diving into the world of motion graphics. Many of these short videos have been displayed as digital signage throughout the hospitals and clinics at UK HealthCare, while others were used on social media or the employee intranet. You can view a small sampling of some of my favorites here.

Merch

Over the past two years I’ve designed so many t-shirts for Beshear Gear and UK, I thought it might be fun to make some of my own. The first batch is inspired by my current city of residence: Richmond, Kentucky. I did a lot of research on the town, and drew all of the illustrations on my iPad.

I’m setting up shop through Spring (formerly TeeSpring), which is the same online vendor I used for Beshear Gear back in 2020. These shirts are super-soft! (I still wear my Beshear Gear shirts even though the pandemic is over because they are so comfortable!)

I am hoping to add designs as I get inspired. All shirts (and some coffee mugs) can be ordered here, with several styles and colors available per design: https://aesopdesignstudio.creator-spring.com.

Richmond, Kentucky shirts

Happy 60th Anniversary, Albert B. Chandler Hospital!

In honor of this very special anniversary, I created this selfie-wall installation on the ground floor of Albert B. Chandler Hospital, where employees and visitors can “Be the ‘Y’” and pose for a photo with UK HealthCare’s vision statement. I thought it would be a fun way for people to engage with the anniversary celebrations. I, personally, love a good selfie wall!

This vinyl decal is removable, non-damaging, and was installed by one of my favorite vendors, Southland Printing. #UKChandler60th

Surge Small Batch

A few weeks ago I was asked by Surge Screenprinting and Embroidery to partner on a special line of shirts the company was unveiling: Surge Small Batch. The Surge Small Batch line features premium, limited run t-shirts highlighting iconic businesses, events and people from Madison County, KY. Each drop is hand-crafted in batches of 100 or less, using premium materials and printing processes.

I was thrilled to be asked to design the very first shirt, which features Ma Kelly’s Restaurant. Collaborating with Surge was so much fun, and the final product turned out beautifully. As an added bonus, they even let me screen print my own!

For more information on Surge Small Batch and Ma Kelly’s Restaurant, check out the Richmond Register article here.

Global Interact Excellence Awards 2021

My department’s work on UK HealthCare’s intranet site, The Loop, has been recognized for outstanding Best Launch and Best Use of Digital Media in the 11th annual Interact Excellence Awards 2021, alongside nominees such as the NBA, Checkmarx, Your Housing Group and the Institute for International Education.

The Interact Excellence Awards celebrates organizations and individuals at the forefront of digital workplace strategy, employee engagement and innovative internal communications. You can learn more about the Interact Excellence awards here.

I was heavily involved with this project, designing the layout of the site as well as all of the icons and imagery for applications and posts, and all of the promotional materials used at launch to encourage UK HealthCare employees to check out The Loop. I am very proud of our team and this international recognition of all our hard work.

The Best in Indiana Journalism Awards

I am honored that the Indiana Pro Society for Professional Journalists has chosen to recognize my 2019 work for Bloom Magazine in the following categories for their Best in Indiana Journalism Awards:

FIRST PLACE for Magazine Cover Design (all magazines or periodicals)

SECOND PLACE for Design Other Than Cover (all print media) for the story "Bloomington's Black Leaders of Tomorrow."

The full list of winners can be found at http://www.indyprospj.org/awards. And you can see the award-winning work at www.magbloom.com.

Beshear Gear

UPDATE: WE’VE RAISED OVER $100,000 AS OF MAY 28, 2020

In spite of social distancing, exciting things have been happening around here. At the beginning of April, a friend and I launched www.besheargear.com, and have been donating 100% of the profits to the Team Kentucky fund for Covid-19 relief. In less than a month, we have been able to donate over $85,000 to benefit those who have been financially impacted by the current pandemic! You can read more about the story here.

Too busy to be blogging....

Things have a been a little quiet here since I started working full-time as a Senior Graphic Designer for UK HealthCare in April. I’m still taking on freelance work, I just don’t have as much time to post it here. But I’m really enjoying my work at UK, and I’ve started learning to create motion graphics and videos in After Effects, so hopefully I’ll have some time in the future to post some of that work. In the meantime, hit the contact link up top if you need some design help.

Best of the Best in Indiana Journalism

I am thrilled to announce that for the second year in a row, I was awarded two Best of the Best in Indiana Journalism awards for my work in Bloom Magazine. I won second and third place prizes for Design Other Than Cover for all print media. I'd like to thank the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and my co-contributors at Bloom Magazine. You can read more about the awards here. The winning layouts can be seen here and here.

Logo First Aid

I always love the opportunity to help my friends pursue their professional dreams, so I was excited when my friend Terri contacted me asking for help with a logo for her new real estate business. She had created an image in the Over app that was close to what she wanted, but wisely sought professional help in making a versatile mark that would display well across different mediums. As you can see below her original logo (on the left) would lose readability at smaller sizes, and printing it in one color or all white would be a problem. Also, she had no usage rights to the feather image. So I created a custom feather illustration for her and moved it out of the way so it would no longer obstruct the text. And now she has a clean, easily scale-able and printable logo that should serve her business well. So, if you live in the New Albany, IN area, you should contact Terri to help with your house-hunting or staging, because she’s awesome. And you should always seek professional help when you need a logo.

Bloom February/March 2019 issue drops today!

The February/March 2019 issue of Bloom drops today! I really loved working on the cover story about Bloomington’s Black Leaders of Tomorrow. I was inspired by comicbook movies with black superheroes like Black Panther and Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse to present these awesome kids as the heroes that they are.

Also in this issue, an interesting glimpse of Bloomington’s history via the headstones in Rose Hill Cemetery; and the annual Wedding Guide, featuring a gorgeous, snowy, winter wedding and a really fun Scottish-themed one as well.

Visit magbloom.com to see more from this issue!

2018 Fahe Annual Report

The 2018 Fahe Annual Report is out. This is one of the biggest projects I get to work on with Fahe every year, and It’s always interesting to get to see the positive impact that this wonderful organization makes on the Central Appalachian region each year. You can read all about it here.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

I am happy to announce that I was awarded two Best of the Best Indiana Journalism awards for my work in Bloom Magazine in 2017. I won first place in Magazine Cover Design, all magazines and periodicals, and a second place prize for Design Other Than Cover for all print media. I'd like to thank the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, my coworkers at Bloom Magazine, and all of the mentors that have helped shaped my career thus far. You can read more about the awards here and here.

So In Sew

When a client contacts me about designing a logo, I usually like to work up at least three initial design concepts to present. Since I just finished a logo for So In Sew, LLC, a small quilting business, I thought it might be fun to share not only the finished product, but also the three initial concepts. The client is from Southern Indiana, and she wanted the logo to reflect that. She also mentioned a love for mid-century modern design, so I was able to draw inspiration from the textiles and graphic design of that era as well.

#RLMB

When the Real Life Mom Bloggers needed a logo and header for their site, they wanted something that not only reflected the tone of their writing, but also stood out from the typical "Mommy Blog."

You can follow the adventures of these funny ladies over at http://www.reallifemomblog.com/.

Pinning!

I recently had the pleasure of working on a logo for a very talented textile artist and one of the specifications for the logo was that it needed to work well on a 1" round pin. Apparently attendees at a quilt convention named "Quilt Con" exchange custom pins, sort of like visitors do at Disney World. Here are Ph.D. Stitchery's pins in all their glory:

If you're on Instagram and interested in seeing some of the other artist's pin designs, search #quiltconpinswap.