Logos have always been one of my favorite projects to take on as a designer. I am being entrusted with an individual’s story, a company’s community, and essentially a brand’s legacy.
I take into inconsideration everything I can from a client and pin point their niche to call attention to their services and invite their target audience to explore the opportunities they can provide.
Showcased here are a few of the small businesses I helped jump start their branding.
Small Family owned company, based in Berkeley, was looking for a rebrand of their current logo that was made out of a clip art chef. This family had been baking for twelves years and felt that their current logo no longer fit their business. I was invited to try their menu and was inspired at how sophisticated yet simple their delicious items were. I felt they needed a logo that was versatile but yet simple.
Passionate home baker, based in Lodi, aspiring to launch her baking skills into a catering service did not know where to start. She knew she loved baking and her Pinterest was filled over hundreds of editable designs, but she could not decide what to call herself. Working as a freelance designers I found that many times clients are overwhelmed and really need someone who is trained in hearing out them out and pinpointing the business they have. “I’m just obsessed with sweets,” she said to me and I pointed out that is probably what her catering company should be called.
Personal Branding for yearly family holiday gift. As a tradition my family makes infused olive oil and gifts them to family and friends every holiday season since 2016. Since it became popular among my loved ones, I decided the practice needed some love in the form of a logo.
Community College Health Center, based in Glendale, was awarded a grant to launch a program for students to learn about healthy eating habits at no charge to them. They needed something simple and literal to screen print on a tote bag students would receive once they completed the six week program of workshops where they learned about smarter and affordable food choices.
Local Handcraft Soap Company, based in Sierra Madre, California. The company’s name ‘Lathyrinth’ combined the words lather and labyrinth, to describe self care as a retreat into one’s self with the goal of finding your center, much like a labyrinth. Taking that idea I used the simple silhouette of a water drop and created a labyrinth within it.
In 2022, the city of Pasadena opened their poster design to the public and launched a contest for individuals to take a stab at creating their 2023 poster for their theme ‘Turning the Corner’. Having grown up in SoCal the Rose Parade was always a yearly local event I looked forward to and even volunteered for during my high school years as an ambassador. I was one of the finalist selected to be features on printed postcards for the year.
Local event planners, based in Berkeley, wanted to take their side gig to the next level and turn it into a business. I wanted to express their fluidity yet dependable nature of management style. Highlighting their initials and their talent to turn any event into an invention of theirs, I wanted them to have an official seal they could stamp on any occasion they took on to manage.
Non Profit School Program, based in Lodi, teaches kids of all ages to code, build games, familiarize themselves with circuits and so much more. I work with from the start to create a brand that would be geared toward middle school children and even was invited to teach a workshop on design and its importance of considering their target audience.
As many artists and designers start, I have been doodling with anything that could be use to draw since I was a kid, crayons at a restaurant, stick in the sand, Bic Cristal Original Ballpoint Pens Medium Point 1.0mm taken from my dentist office.
It wasn’t until I took a drawing class in college that I learned about the different types of paper, graphite grading, and charcoals that I really understood the significances of deciding focal points and shading to print a drawing to life.
Now in the digital age I am exploring and learning to transition to digital illustration and personally it has been a challenge. It at times feels as though I am starting from square one as I awkwardly adjust my grip on an apple pencil, but others it feels like I am Harry Potter with a wand watching the brushes mimic art mediums without the physical mess.
Skulls & Flowers | Created in Procreate
Sacred Heart Postcard Illustration | Created in Procreate
Classic Automobile | Created in Adobe Illustrator
Since 2020 until I have been developing designs for Decor and Homeware products. Through product design I have learned more about functionality and how designs can compliment and translate to tell a story.
I have had the opportunity to work with License and showcase the brand’s uniqueness as well has preserve their integrity.
Developed for Harvest Tabletop Collection
Developed for Publix Valentine’s Collection
Development for Summer Season Tabletop Collection
Warner Brother’s Elf co-brand developed for Target Holiday Collection
Warner Brother’s Beetlejuice co-brand developed for Spirits Halloween Collection
Rae Dunn X Disney Princesses co-brand developed for TJX Everyday
Sketch of American actor and activist Cesar Romero. I was introduce to him through his icon role as the Joker on the 1960s live-action Batman series starring Adam West.
One of the most iconic princesses of video games, I remember being introduced to her in the early 1990s as the damsel in distress when my brother an I unboxed our Super Nintendo our father had worked so hard to get us. I always wondered, why the hell is lady never in the castle we’re infiltrating? It brings me so much excitement to how she has evolved into more than just ‘a princess’, and she still is my favorite character to play in Mariokart.
The Princess, the myth, and clearly the Legend of Zelda was one of my favorite games to play as a kid. Yes I do admit I spent more time chasing chickens (if you know you know), but what other game do you have the main character being called by the princess’s name? The beautiful imagery of installment had a great influence on my imagination and seeing a princess wield a sword is some of the most important representations I remember seeing as a young girl.
In fifth grade I convinced my fifth grade teacher to arrange a field trip to the local movie theater to see the 20th Anniversary release of A New Hope. My pitch was that it was an important part of modern day story telling and it embodied all the stages the Hero’s Journey. I am not sure if she bought my argument but perhaps she was a Star Wars fan herself. She agreed if we read the book and did weekly discussions on it we would go as a class. Needless to say it was one of the best movie experiences I remember.
I find drawing armor is a great exercise is lighting and shadowing. I am so impressed by other artists details to capture the light and make their compositions look so realistic you can touch it. This is one of my goals to keep developing and Mandalorian armor is one of my favorite things to use for this exercise.
Helmets and control panels seem to be easier for me to draw than faces or hands. (Don’t get me started on hands) But as I draw these iconic costume designs I am memorized by the design and inspiration used to create something so recognizable by the public. This is what good design is and the end goal I strive to achieve in every project I work on.
