Working with Erin Lucero, Senior Director of Development Communications at the School of Medicine on the MCV Campus, I helped to create the 12th & Marshall magazine from the ground up – a biannual publication dedicated to telling the ever-fascinating story of the MCV alumni, faculty and current students.
The core challenge working with VCUarts was always the same – how to engage their very visually educated audience with a design piece that was both conceptually provocative, visually restrained and, of course, perfectly functional.
Striving to meet this challenge, we produced a variety of postcards, posters, event calendars, invitations, brochures, websites and logos. Over the course of 15 years, I helped steer the various promotional efforts for 8 (!) different areas of study, including the Departments of Dance & Choreography, Sculpture + Extended Media, Crafts & Material Studies, Painting + Printmaking, Interior Design, Photography + Film, Art Education and Art History.
Art Forum Magazine Ad
Collegiate is an independent, JK-12, college preparatory, coeducational school founded in 1915, located just west of Richmond in Henrico County.
Over the course of more than a decade, I worked closely with the Development and Alumni offices to produce marketing materials – conceiving and designing everything from viewbooks, alumni magazines, brochures, ads, web work, presentations and annual reports.
When Amy Hauft, the former Chair of VCUarts Sculpture + Extended Media, found herself heading a new program in Texas, I was lucky to get another chance to work with her.
The New Austinist plays on the typical function of a newspaper – showcasing the current work of their MFA students and interesting tidbits related to UT campus life – while also serving as an Admissions-focused promotional piece.
“Austin First, Then The World”
Venture Richmond wanted to celebrate the excitement and new, creative energy happening within the borders of the city’s downtown.
Along with the team at Scout Design, I helped to conceive and pitch an alphabetic set of banners inspired by those working, studying, making and living in Richmond everyday.
Saint Gertrude High School is an independent Catholic college preparatory school for young women grades 9–12 in Richmond.
Over the span of 13 years, I worked closely with staff in the Development and Alumni staff on various branding projects, including viewbooks, alumni magazines, brochures, ads, web work and annual reports.
The Virginia League of Planned Parenthood has long led efforts to improve the quality and availability of healthcare in the Richmond area.
Looking to expand their capacity in the east end of the city, I worked with the VLPP staff to produce a brochure laying out the facts of Richmond’s under-resourced healthcare system and soliciting funds to meet those needs ( while, of course, staying within Planned Parenthood‘s national brand guidelines! )
PlanG’s mission is to make giving to non-profits easier and more rewarding for regular people. Along with the Scout team, I started first with their visual identity and boiled down their ethos into the tagline "Your Giving Matters".
With the core brand established, we worked closely with the founders to design their website, oversaw the execution of the front-end HTML programming and continured to develop UX as new functionality was rolled out.
In addition, I co-art directed and story-boarded their animated video – working directly with the video production house SpangTV to develop the script and illustrative style.
Identity, photography and collateral materials promoting Richmond AIGA’s biennial design competition.
Drawing inspiration from Helmet Krone’s early ’60s art direction –and all the mythology that came with it – this four panel storyboard follows the trials of presenting creative work, having it judged and dealing with that sexy beast of competition.
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A Couple of Ideas
Design Retrospective at VCUarts’ MOB + Storefront, Richmond, VA
March 2015
To pursue the kind of projects and clients we cared about, Scout Design started in the back room of our first apartment. We had total control of our office environment and objects we surrounded ourselves with. Each day we’ve been able to see how a well-designed object, piece of furniture or tool could influence the way we behaved or felt.
We believe in design has the ability to improve the quality of ones daily life, that helps to connect us on a human level and makes all events, large or small, matter. With the help of our friends and collaborators at HINGE Furniture, we’ve assembled a collection of favorite projects and personal objects from our work and home office.
Dating back to the Ancient Egyptians’ use of hieroglyphics, the concept of the logo has been used to differentiate, identify and communicate possessions.
In line with that tradition, I’ve had the honor of helping clients understand their position in the marketplace, its value and create a unique visual identity to match.
Clients include VCUarts, Collegiate School, Saint Gertrude High School, Signature Wealth Management, Briaud Financial Advisors, Page Bond Gallery, 1708 Gallery, Plugless Power and 3North Architects.
Books are special. They fulfill our deep-seated desire for “something to hold” and can contribute greatly to the experience of reading. I’ve been lucky to contribute creative direction and design of hard bound books for organizations and individuals alike.
Past clients have included VCUarts, Anderson Gallery, the photography imprint Candela Books, 1708 Art Gallery, gallerist Jay Barrows and artist Nancy Blum.
Posters have long been used to promote political parties, recruit soldiers, advertise products and spread ideas to the general public. Even with the popularity of the internet, posters are still being created every single day for all sorts of reasons.
I’ve had had a chance to design and print posters for clients including VCUarts, Venture Richmond, Saint Gertrude High School, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, 1708 Art Gallery and 17th Street Farmers Market.
