This internal design team at Gap Inc. wanted a special award to recognize talent in its ranks—since they are a group committed to unusual and progressive ideas, the standard letter-sized paper certificate with a gold seal held little interest for them as a symbol of achievement. Using vintage circus posters as a source of inspiration, I incorporated the brand colors of the parent company (Gap) and of the Innovation Acrobat team, avoiding the muted tones and rough textures of aged paper or wood typically associated with antique circus themes. Eventually this extravagantly-shaped plaque was expertly die-cut out of thick brushed aluminum, which allowed for particular luminosity and vibrancy of color. The award can easily be hung on the wall or propped in a frame stand.

Thinking about animals and their well-being takes up about 85% of my time, and while looking at cat videos on the internet is obviously pretty rewarding, volunteering with the San Francisco SPCA is actually a lot more fun—although I definitely make time to do both. I’m lucky to be able to help many animals in my own community, frequently in person (the best!!) by traveling with tireless SPCA staff and volunteers to provide free and low-cost care for pets in neighborhoods across San Francisco; occasionally, my contribution is less adorably overrun with puppies, and comes from behind my desk, where I build design collateral for various events and shelter needs.

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I compose all illustrations for each piece, which is a challenge, privilege, and delight. The adoption folder (stuffed with helpful information and resources, and given to new adopters when they bring home their pet from the SPCA) was a particularly enjoyable project: for this 149th year of the institution, my theme and inspiration was “love for pets and love for San Francisco, and love for pets in San Francisco.” Check, check, and check please!

Soap, lotion, and lip balm packaging, designed for Blue Q. I developed the logo for this line and made all decisions regarding typography across the packaging set. Pieces were produced in conjunction with the illustrator, Oksana Badrak; the animal illustrations and specifically the deer are based on pieces I commissioned from Oksana for our college magazine, Fishwrap, which we worked on for two years together at Art Center.

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Matte silver ink on the lotion and lip balm packaging.