With more than a decade of award-winning experience as an Art Director and Graphic Designer, I'm well-versed in my field, but never stop learning and refining my craft. I seek out inspiration and continue to be as excited by design - perhaps more currently than I was 15 years ago as a college freshman. I have worked with a diverse group of business categories, from large corporate entities to nonprofit organizations to startup companies of one.

My designs have appeared in identity packages, newspapers, magazines, annual reports... on product packaging, billboards, buses and vehicles, websites, trade show booths, model home displays... in design annuals, and the list goes on. Additionally, I am able to aid in project management, craft text and play a photographer when needed. I wear as many hats as needed to produce a quality piece.

The idea of "kismet" resonates in my work as I seek to convey power and emotion, without overworking the content. I am to create powerful, yet natural visual destinies for brands, products, concepts and services. With my marketing background, I fully understand the importance of crafting a strategy for consistent and cohesive messaging. Combining beautiful imagery with a solid marketing plan allows my designs to be animated with a sense of kismet... creating destiny in design.

When I'm not designing, I really enjoy exploring the outdoors while snowshoeing, biking, hiking, jogging and camping. I also enjoy yoga (I taught 4-year olds utilizing animal poses,) cooking, taking photos, managing my Netflix cue, discovering new music on Spotify and have recently rediscovered knitting. As I find myself back in WI, after a 10-year stint in Florida, I'm excited to craft warm, woolen mittens that I can actually wear! And yes, I love musicals! In addition to these hobbies, I also am highly involved with a nonprofit I co-founded, Mind Over Matter (M.O.M.) Inc., which is the presenter of the annual Get It Dunn 5k & Half Marathon.

To contact me, please send a message.

This was an exciting project, which I led the efforts in the design, execution and helped train staff and implement in the congregation. I worked with a development team in Sacramento, CA, to give the church a high-powered, yet user-friendly CMS engine. In addition, I worked with the church database software team to integrate the member profile data & event calendars to create interactive elements in the site.

This site replaces a static, outdated site that didn't allow user interaction tools, didn't have a real-time calendar or effective event registrations and visually didn't represent the vibrant, downtown Madison, WI campus. This project was a major factor in my coming onboard and I'm excited to see the new tool changing the way Bethel communicates to their members and the general public.

View bethelmadison.org

Every summer the Florida Theatre does a Summer Movie Classics series, showing matinee movies on Sunday afternoons. It’s a fun way to get out of the Florida sun for a couple hours and enjoy flicks from yesteryear.

My designs for the 2013 and 2012 campaigns includes a retro touch in graphics, but also a fresh, beachy feel in the color palette to brand the series. I also developed the copy theming. Materials included posters, flyers, print ads, web graphics and a movie punch card. The campaigns I created in 2012 & 2013 proved to be a great success for the theatre.

This tri-fold brochure was designed as a marketing tool to visually explain the organization's service areas and the circle of food distribution. It also offers the reader four pointed ways in which they can help the agency to fight hunger. The general aesthetic & info graphics were gleaned from the 2011 annual report. I also created a Prezi presentation which is used to further display the organization's operations & impact to larger audiences of people.

One reason I embarked on my Bethel position as Dir. of Communications was due of their desire to update their brand. My inspiration for the logo mark came from a design that is repeated in the woodwork in the sanctuary. I illustrated the shape, and then repeated it four times to represent the revised mission which designates four main areas of service in "living, loving, serving & thriving." The vibrant coloring and the slight tilt of the circle mark is meant to reflect the creative & slightly off-center nature of downtown Madison, where the Bethel campus is located.

Lent is a reflective time in the church. My aim with this project in 2014 was to visually show the 40 day journey that members embark upon. The bright photo element was (somewhat) influenced by the harsh winter of 2014, and to, in a small way, help us recognize the sunshine that is waiting for us on Easter Sunday. It's good to be hopeful, right?

I started at Bethel right before Lent in 2013. The bottom two images reflect the 2013 Holy Week branding, which centered around iconography of the particular days, with Easter Sunday reflecting a brightness that wasn't present in the earlier pieces. These were done prior to my rebranding effort of the church.

May 17, 2014 will mark the Third Annual Get It Dunn 5K & Half Marathon races, which I co-created and have orchestrated with love since inception. I maintain all print and web advertising, in addition to event management. This event is a creation of the 501c3 nonprofit I co-established, Mind Over Matter (M.O.M.) Inc. in 2009.

Consistency with the M.O.M. logo is maintained for association, but the animated “M.O.M Man” has become a fun way to inspire participants. In the second year, M.O.M. Man gave the peace sign; this year he flashes the "I Love You" hand to signify three years.

In terms of the success of the event, the first year brought in 425 registrants from 11 different states/territories and raised double the amount we had hoped for, and it has only grown from there.

FYI: “Dunn,” in the logo, refers to the event location in Menomonie (Dunn County) Wisconsin.

Visit getitdunnrun.com

While working with the Florida Theatre I designed direct mail pieces to announce the upcoming shows quarterly. We went with an oversized 11x17 quarter-fold self-mailer, to gain attention. I also created a 24x36 poster of this piece for the marquee cases outside of the theatre, a full-page newspaper ad and the graphic elements were also sent out in email form.

The purpose of this logo was to illustrate the peaceful, reflective prayer setting that this group offers. The use of the lotus flower, with the prayer hands in the negative space, is meant to be reflective of the tranquil, inner-focused experience this prayer group offers.

When I came onboard at Bethel Lutheran Church, I was happy to be apart of branding the long awaited capital campaign, "The Bethel Idea: God's Plan in Our Time." The ambitious $15 million campaign aims to expand and flourish the downtown Madison Bethel campus, to further accommodate the growing needs of a vibrant downtown church.

The branding for the campaign followed the rebranding of the church in late spring 2013. I incorporated the same four colors, which represent Bethel's mission in "Living, Loving, Serving & Thriving," which will stay intact as the realization of dreams over the past decades evolves through this building campaign. 

In addition to the branding, I created numerous mail brochures and booklets strategically sent out to help inform recipients of the project specifics, and to inspire giving decisions for the three-year giving commitment.

This mark offered an exciting challenge, melding modern and traditional approaches. The law firm revised their identity from The Law Offices of Eddie Farah to Farah & Farah. The ampersand made reference to the two brothers joining as partners, and helped energize the logo and provide a unique appeal while still remaining grounded in a traditional aesthetic. This mark won an American Graphic Design & Advertising 25 award in the Logos & Trademarks category. Following the rebrand, I created the brochure shown below, which was intended to give the firm an updated, fresher look, while still remaining relevant to their primarily blue-collar clientele. The clean, practical layout achieved the client’s goals for this marketing piece.

The 2011 Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida was themed "Hopeless to Hope" and spotlighted a success story from each of their five major programs. I was thankful to have met some amazing people in my photo shoots, who undoubtedly inspired my design.

Their main program, Second Harvest North Florida, is so large that it warranted a companion report, which was inserted into the LSS report, or mailed separately to a unique mail list. The theming had a consistent appeal, and in both reports I used info graphics to break up the content, as well as striking portraits of those served by LSS, and those serving.

Mind Over Matter (M.O.M.) Inc. was incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit in 2009 by myself and a dear childhood friend after losing her mother, Kathleen, to cancer. (She, thankfully, was a second mother to me.) The heart placed within the gear is meant to symbolize the need for passion in our work, as inspired by Kathleen’s vivacious attitude and energy.

The website represents the nonprofit’s happenings in fitness events and charitable giving. I design and maintain this site, with the goal of helping motivate people to get involved in the mission of personal wellness and community betterment. We mainly use this site to promote our giving efforts, as well as advertising our fitness events including the Get It Dunn 5K & Half Marathon which M.O.M. presents annually.

Visit mindovermatter4me.com

LISC Jacksonville celebrated their 10th anniversary in Jacksonville in 2008. During their year-long celebration of helping neighbors build sustainable communities, they sponsored a photo contest for 12-18 year olds who lived in the neighborhoods LISC helps support. With this annual report, the winning photos were highlighted and laid out in a scrapbook-like style to help tell the story of LISC Jacksonville. The photos were treated with a gloss varnish over a silk sheet which really made them jump off the page. This book won a local silver ADDY Award (Nonprofit).

This second annual report & folder shown were created in 2011 to introduce the client’s new “EPIC” initiative – Empowering People and Inspiring Change. I directed photo shoots around their neighborhoods and other efforts such as the KIPP school in Jacksonville. The book was positioned as a piece for donors and community members alike to help engage continued involvement in their undertakings.

I took on this project, pro-bono, to help advocate for the health of the St. Johns River, which runs through the city of Jacksonville, FL. Having lived there for nearly ten years, I am thankful to have encountered such passionate people, like Jim Alabiso, who is a major advocate for river health and healthy living. I was invited on one of their major practice excursions, and of course stormy weather ensued, but throughout it all I just amazed at the strength and determination of the swimmers. Their efforts have put a much needed spotlight on the need to preserve the health of the river.

Along with the logo, I developed print and web materials, along with supporting merchandise emblazoned with the brand.

For over a decade I have worked with the Democratic Party of WI, as well as the Senate and Assembly Democratic Campaign Committees of Wisconsin. I have designed campaign logos, signage, political season mailings and fundraiser event invitations. Most mailing projects were low-budget, but I enjoy the challenge of showing depth in one and two-color pieces.

This mark represents a direct-mail publication company, which delivered a tabloid-sized newspaper to new homeowners in the Twin Cities, MN area. In addition to establishing the identity, I created the publication designs from 2004-2007. I also created various marketing materials and Twin Cities home show guides.

Another example of combing passion with profession, I was delighted to work with Gabriel House of Care, which is an extended-stay house for caregivers and patients, located on the Mayo Clinic campus in Jacksonville, FL. I crafted their identity, print materials and website (which has since been sightly updated.) The initial site included subtle references in different background patterns, as you traversed the different "rooms," like wallpaper. I'm happy to see that my direction remains (mostly) intact today.

View gabrielhouseofcare.org

Ability Housing of NE Florida, located in Jacksonville, is a nonprofit I rebranded and continued to work with for five years, developing print materials. Their mission is to create provide permanent housing solutions for homeless families and individuals, as well as serving adults with disabilities in need of housing. My logo, with the heart emanating from the home, is meant to visually display their commitment to helping people be placed in a forever home.

For the 2010 Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida annual reports, I created two pieces, one for the parent organization and another for their largest initiative, Second Harvest of North Florida. In the past, the client had inserted the Second Harvest book in the center of the main report, but they accepted my recommendation to create a separate book, although complimentary in look in order to give each its own presence. Having redesigned their website months prior, these reports allowed the opportunity to carry through some of the online visual aesthetic. These books serve to be their primary marketing and donor print tool for the year.

This website redesign was initiated in 2010 to update the image of the organization, so a "web 2.0" feel was put in place. The organization has a lot of information to convey on its operations, but we wanted to create a more interesting user experience, utilizing imagery to tell the story along with the text. The donation operations are easy to access, which is an important feature for a non-profit. We used a Joomla CMS so the client could take reins of the site and update.

View lssjax.org

LISC Jacksonville is a nonprofit affiliated with the national LISC (Leadership Initiatives Support Corporation) organization. They are liaisons between community development corporations and funding sources to revitalize urban core neighborhoods, which can be challenging to convey to the public. By the use of community photos and storytelling, we created a site in 2009 to soften up their image and be inviting to potential donors. Because of their inside focus, we chose to create a rather simplistic site, to mostly showcase some of their completed projects.

Visit liscjacksonville.org

The idea behind the Dolphin Reef identity was to evoke a feeling of fresh, waterfront living, for a residential community in Florida. I also created some supplemental marketing pieces, but unfortunately, due to the real estate crash, the building project never got off the ground.

I've worked with the Sulzbacher Center for a few years, including branding their annual Beach Fest, which helps raise awareness and funds for their medical clinic. My concept centers around their logo colors, and the fun, fresh beach aesthetic. In addition to branding the event, I've created print materials for mailings, web graphics and signage.

This mark was developed for a boutique, in-home bakery. The background “M” eludes to the home foundation, with the italicized, negative space “M” giving hint to the posh nature of the edible creations.