Each year, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Cincinnati provides a group of local youth what they need to overcome broken homes, broken neighborhoods and disruption in their lives that we take for granted. They couldn’t do that without generous donations from the community and one of the ways they engage the their neighbors is through yearly fundraisers. I was given the opportunity to create a system of marks they could use for several of those fundraisers. By creating a system, it began to create recognition for the non-profit in regards to promoting these events.

Worked in conjunction with Envoi Design to develop an internal logo for Mattel toys. We wanted to maintain the strong heritage of the Mattel badge and reinforce that with the circular elements. The color choices were developed to move things from the primary that is usually seen on shelf but still be lively, fun and interactive.

A local not-for-profit agency recently overhauled their brand image and assets. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the early phases. Their entire look, even the name was changing so I wanted to maintain the childlike qualities in order to not depart entirely from their history. However, I didn’t want to do it in the traditional sense of kid-written type and poorly drawn illustrations. So what else do kids do? They build. A lot. Not only that, but the way they learn is much akin the building of blocks. So that’s where I started. I roughly “built” the brand mark.

Ross Van Pelt is a phenomenal Cincinnati-based photographer with a long list of clients. Hard-working, efficient and extremely versatile, it was tough to nail down just one style that he relies on. So I approached the idea of “layers” with this typographic solution. I was also looking for a unique alternative to the oftentimes predictable world of photography branding. Oh and he’s got a great sense of humor. Otherwise, I would’ve never shown him the Ross (Bob Ross’s head) Van (mini-van) Pelt (beaver). Luckily, he got a kick out of it as much as I did.

Fairway Capital Recovery (FCR) is a Cincinnati-based asset recovery firm. In a market dominated by red, black and chrome, FCR wanted to soften its image in order to stand out but not its approach to recovering funds. Initially, the idea was to show, iconically, how FCR helps to put the pieces back together. The concept of the “missing piece” was very prevalent in the early goings. But much like everything else, it evolved and became the three-dimensional box present in the final art. The colors, while strong, offer an openness not often found in the industry. The same can be said for the choice of type in the mark, as the slightly rounded corners of the serif face achieve that same effect. FCR’s belief in their branding has also helped to develop their look in the form of print collateral, online experience and in-office environment.

Fairway Capital Recovery’s new identity is a strong presence in the asset recovery market and will be for years to come.

These pages are for those (mostly) who gave it their all but came up just a little short (in the client’s eyes) at the end of the meeting.