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"What About You?" features 20 different surveys for tween girls to take and share with friends. Subjects range from food to fashion to friendship. The book itself is a functional three-ring binder, with a notepad of response forms mounted on the inside back cover and a fabulous translucent, glittery, bendy pencil attached to the book's cover. I designed the book package and interior pages, and art directed the fantastic illustrators whose work appears inside. Published by Klutz.Graphic Design, Print Design, Product Design2012 -
The Portland Montessori School has a fifty-year history of educating children aged three to eight using the tenets of Maria Montessori, a well-respected physician and educator. After almost five decades under the umbrella of Providence Health Services, the school chose to continue its mission under independent leadership beginning January 2013. With this transition, they sought a new identity– one that would not only communicate the school's fresh start but also its abundant history.
I presented several options to the school board, some of which were inspired by the other names parents and staff had suggested for the school. The chosen direction prominently features four leaves-- each of which represents an area of Montessori study-- and a modern, friendly logotype that will serve the venerable school for years to come.Branding, Graphic Design2013 -
"Flummox and Friends" is an off-beat, live-action comedy that helps kids on the autism spectrum navigate the social and emotional world. The show's creator and executive producer teamed up with bonafide experts in the field of social communication to create two 10-page educational guides that are both thoughtful and relevent. Families and educators use the guides after viewing the Pilot episode with their children and students.
It was important to make the guides look fun and approachable so that families would be encouraged to read and use the material. I took design cues from the materials in Professor Flummox's laboratory and from the illustrations peppered throughout the show's web site.Art Direction, Graphic Design2013 -
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Chicken Socks publishes activity books that are designed to challenge the developing skills of kids aged four to eight. Chicken Socks' seasonal wholesale product catalogs successfully communicate the playfulness of their unique product line, and feature perhaps the cutest publishing mascot of all time: a yellow chicken with slouchy, mis-matched foot coverings.Graphic Design, Print Design2012 -
Kids and adults alike have a blast with "Boom Splat Kablooey!", a package containing all the equipment needed for several explosive (yet non-destructive) science experiments and a book divided into three tabbed sections. I designed the book's 64 interior pages, with topics as far-reaching as D.I.Y. cola geysers and the creation of the universe. Published by the mad scientists at Klutz.Graphic Design, Print Design2012 -
"Twisted Critters" is a new take on the age-old pastime of sculpting pipe cleaner animals. Children's book publisher Klutz sourced some sweet custom pipe cleaners and packaged them with instructions for hand-twisting 20 fuzzy creations. My favorite: the Mighty Moose finger puppet. I designed the cover title treatment, interior pages and mastered Photoshop's "find edges" tool during the course of this project. Winner of an Award of Excellence from Noise on Toys.Graphic Design, Print Design, Toy Design2013 -
With its super-clear instructions and friendly hints, "Stencil Art" makes it easy for children to master all kinds of impressive-looking stencil techniques. It includes all the right tools, inspirational tips and artwork, and space right inside the book to compose their own original creations. I designed and illustrated the book's interior pages. Winner of an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award.Graphic Design, Illustration, Print Design2012 -
Klutz's Build-a-Book workshop is a magical place where young authors use craft materials and plenty of imagination to make one-of-a-kind books. The Build-a-Book concept has grown from a awe-inspiring warehouse "factory" in Palo Alto (and an enviable field trip destination for local kids) to a hands-on program offered to schoolchildren nationwide in conjunction with Scholastic Book Fairs.
My logo concepts were inspired by the vibrant colors and punch-out foam shapes common in children's handmade Build-a-Book creations. In the three-color logo treatment (image below), simple single-color shapes can be swapped out to add variety and whimsy to packaging and collateral pieces.Branding, Graphic Design2013 -
Icky Poo is Klutz's name for a substance that scientists prefer to call “an elastomeric gelatinous compound". This package includes two irresistible Icky Poo ropes and a book of 36 challenging games, such as "Frog Tongue Darts" and, my personal favorite, "Hold It and Scream". I designed the book and it was illustrated by the incomparable Hal Mayforth, whom I briefly considered hiring to illustrate my wedding invitation.Graphic Design, Print Design2013 -
Klutz, a division of Scholastic, is a publisher of activity books for children. With more than 180 books in print at any given time, putting together their twice-yearly wholesale product catalog can be a humbling experience for any designer. However, a cover photo shoot involving two adorable kids and a 5-foot-long scarf (closer to 30-feet-long after some of Photoshop wizadry) made this whole project worthwhile.Print Design2013 -
This backseat-friendly "Books-in-a-Cup" package is jam-packed with four unique 40-page activity books, two sheets of stickers, a pencil, and a cool doggie pencil topper. I designed the book pages and the logo for the "Klutz To Go" product series. This product was the winner of a Parents' Choice Silver Award.Packaging, Print Design, Toy Design2013