Print Design

Citywide Poets Logo


In 2005 I created an illustration for a t-shirt design and a bunch of other merch we created for the Citywide poets. Lo and behold before I knew it, the thing had been adopted as the Citywide Poets "logo".

I never really thought of it as such, so I went about creating a more suitable logo for the group, with the line "from Page to Stage" as an inspiration. At its core, that is what the group involves, not necessarily taking written poems on the page to the stage in a linear sense, but that the group encompasses and nurtures both art forms.

I've learned in my time here that the two are quite different, that a brillant writer on paper doesn't always translate to a great performance poet and vice versa.

See the evolution of the logo

One of the most "neat-o" moments of this process was the fact that I had to draw my right hand. I'm right handed, so obviously, I had to use my left. I found that my left hand was much more fluid, albeit unsure of itself, while I feel as if my right tends to be much more symbolic and quick.

Truth to the whole Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain thing? Maybe...regardless, I'm going to draw with my left hand more often, so I have to consciously control it rather than be on autopilot.

ZerO Gravity CD Package



The ZerO Gravity Book was packaged with an audio CD, which I designed simultaneously. The cover graphic was kept the same, though it transitions to the back differently.

View as a PDF

Buy the book and CD

Just Add Amigos!



A promotional campaign for Amigos de SER, a sister organization to SER Metro Detroit. This six panel design was created with the idea that Amigos assistance the operation of SER Metro, through in-kind, financial and workforce support. In essence, what Amigos contributed helped SER Metro acheive its goals and therefore all of the clients of both organizations as well. The six panels illustrate the various ways in which Amigos helps SER Metro and SER Metro to its clients through association of familiar objects. The objects are shown in two states: active and inactive, with the active being in the foreground visually.

The active state shows the same object after something has been added; helium to a balloon to make it float, water to a seed to make it grow...the idea being, "Just Add Amigos!" and you will achieve your goals.

View the series

Trillium String business card



The Trillium Strings frequently played at weddings and attended wedding conventions to get clients. They approached me to create their business cards. I illustrated several version of the trillium flower and this is the one they liked the best.

GEODE Logo



This logo was designed for the GEODE : Geographic Data in Education Initiative. The client wanted a logo that used a visual allusion to a literal geode, using the globe an a signal for the use of map data.

You can see the logo in use on their website

Seed Packs



I created this promotional item for Marshal Ranger, a small independent marketing company in Detroit.

It was spring, and the idea was to have something to give potential clients to spark their interest and give them an idea of what was possible with the company.

Using photographs that I took in a local Frank's Nursery & Crafts, I used several packets to illustrate the various talents of the company on the front. The back of each packet had contact info. Packets of six were handed to potential clients - who loved them and actually planted the wildflower seeds we planted in each one.

See the series

Michigan Basic Property Insurance Association Newsletter



The MBPIA saw my InsideOut newsletter redesign and approached me wanting a newsletter redesign. They felt it was time to "take it up a notch". I worked with them to get the look they wanted - a serif face, a modern look and the use of organizational colors.

The newsletter currently goes out four times a year.

View the June newsletter
View the October newsletter

The Seed Thieves Postcard



Postcard designed for my friend Robert Fanning's book release in 2006. The artwork is his wife's sculpture (which is him).

View the postcard

WordPlay : The InsideOut Newsletter



The InsideOut newsletter, previously called The Performance got a makeover when I became Artistic Director. I gave it a new name and a new look that corresponded with the newly redesigned logo.

The newsletter has somewhat been superceded by the use of the Insideout website, but nonetheless continues to be produced at least once a year.

View the PDF of WordPlay.

Roger Bonair-Agard



Roger Bonair-Agard made a special appearance for the Citywide Poets. This poster was distributed to announce his performance.

Poetry Party



Schulze Elementary School was having a poetry party to celebrate the printing of their second book, Be Anything

I designed this 4-up flyer to distribute to the students.

Writers Reading Series Postcards



Used to announce the Reading Series for InsideOut Literary Arts Project

InsideOut Logo


The InsideOut logo has been through several stages of evolution over the last ten years. The original logo was a simple merging of type and the image of a pen. In 2002, the first revision occured, where the letters "I" and "O" (the typical acronym used for InsideOut) were used to form the logo along with the image of the pen. It was geometric, the lines clean and forms distinct. Her logo introduced many of core concepts that were present in the final.

In 2005, I looked at the previous logo and liked it, but through some doodling I saw the beginnings of a more vibrant approach, so I took on the task of redesigning the logo.

The organization had matured since its inception and to me, the previous logo lacked a certain degree of passion that was present in everyone that works there. Using a sable brush and lots of India Ink, I created a painterly swash that set the basis for revised shape. I retained the typefaces that were chosen for the last revision to contrast the existing shape and maintain a degree of "clean stability" in the mark.