MELANZANA
Year
2024
Deliverables
Identity Refresh, Ad Lobs, P.R. Strategy
Background
Melanzana is an outdoor wear brand from Leadville, Colorado. Founded in 1994, "Melly" is rooted in its local community and has established a strong brand identity without relying on traditional advertising methods. They reside in Leadville, manufacture in Leadville, and sell their items--exclusively in person--in Leadville. It's been that way since '94, and that's how they like it.
The Challenge
Melly has developed a reputation for being "exclusive" primarily due to the process of in-person shopping by appointments (that are often months out). After conversations with Fritz at Melanzana, we learned that this is far from the approachable and friendly brand image they're trying to promote. Melly should be synonymous with the friendly and competent "dirtbags" of Colorado: the wake-up at 2 am to climb crowd, not the brand-new-Arc'Teryx-wearing-tech-bro section of the market.
The Solution
Melanzana has not reevaluated its logo since it was hand-drawn in the 1990s, and it has no established brand conventions. We created new brand conventions and a few ad lobs and generated ideas for brand outreach. All our choices remind the local community why they love the brand and seek to move public perception away from notions of exclusivity.
BOULDER FURNITURE
ARTS
Year
2022/23
Deliverables
Identity Refresh, Web Design, Signage, Photography, Videography, Social Media Management
Background
Boulder Furniture Arts (BFA) is a Boulder-based family-owned business founded in 1985. They make Made-to-Order furniture, but what distinguishes BFA is their fully custom furniture, lifetime repairs, and sustainable practices. Boulder Furniture Arts is a luxury company that relies on a customer willing to invest time and money in hand-built heirloom furniture.
The Challenge
While searching for a job in Boulder, I walked past BFA. I grew up in a family that did woodworking, and I have a soft spot for well-constructed objects. After looking at their website and social media, I noticed that BFA seldom paid for media, web design, copywriting, or advertising. They were making undeniably gorgeous pieces, but the documentation didn't highlight the beauty of their work. The website was a struggle to navigate and was verbose and bit flowery. However, BFA has a nearly perfect rating on every website that offered online reviews. The challenge was bringing the branding, copy, and media up to the high quality of the service itself.
The Solution
For months, I set myself on revamping the Boulder Furniture Arts website and establishing a new brand kit (we landed on Black and White Helvetica with occasional Slate Gray and Off-White Accents). I photographed nearly every piece of furniture that left for delivery or sat in the showroom. I acted as a webmaster, copywriter, photographer, videographer, brand designer, and delivery guy.
When I left BFA, they had new brand conventions, a new website (still in use and updated by the owners now), and hundreds of new photographs and videos. We achieved 323% growth on social media (by follower count) without bosting a single post. By showing folks what BFA was doing behind the scenes, I positively impacted the short-term profits and the brand's long-term stability.
BRÖT
Year
2022
Deliverables
Brand Creation, Logo Design, Merch and Packaging
Background
This project centers an imagined brand: Bröt, a company specializing in baked goods with a seasonal menu of internationally inspired breads and pastries. Bröt aims to serve a demographic interested in multicultural food and is positioned as a modest upgrade (and occasional splurge) for the bakery connoisseur.
The Challenge
Our task was to imagine a brand and create a logo, brand colors, and brand conventions. We were then asked to apply those conventions to a suite of branded swag that represents the brand persona and connects with the target audience.
The Solution
Warm colors were selected for this project to reinforce the idea of baked goods, the name for its international appeal (and because it is a cognate for bread). The visual style should reflect a forward-thinking yet familiar and comfortable brand persona. The logo also features a loaf of bread in the negative space of the "Ö."
MOONDIAL
Year
2023/24
Deliverables
Posters and Signage, Album Artwork, Animation, Social Media Management, Press Kit
Background
moondial is my musical project and a shared design and media project with Ilias Hosain and Evan Stephans (our guitarist). We're an indie rock band with a sound that ranges from Shoegaze Bossa-Nova to Punk.
The Challenge
As a fledgling band with few resources, we are responsible for contacting venues and marketing our concerts. We want to appeal visually to the types of listeners who might enjoy our music and make graphics that suit the tone of the songs. moondial is a creative sandbox in more ways than one; the project is all about the joy of creation and isn't relegated to any one design style or convention. (Generally we lean towards bold type and distressed media). We've needed everything from silly Instagram reels to polished electronic press kits, and the ability to do that media work "in-house" has been integral to our growth.
The Solution
Graphics and media play a role in our success as a band; we aren't looking to headline stadiums, but we want to share our art with the local scene. We've grown our online audience from ~90 to 1,900 followers, headlined the Fox twice, and (most importantly to us) made a bit of a name for ourselves in the local music scene. As the project grows, we've been finding more opportunities--which goes hand-in-hand with posters and social media posts to promote events.
FIRSTHAND
MARKETS
Year
2023
Deliverables
Photography, Videography
Background
Firsthand Markets is a family-owned Colorado LLC that organizes many of Colorado's open-air markets. They are involved in the Blackhawk Hard District revitalization project and assemble artists, musicians, and vendors of hand-made goods all over Colorado during the summer and fall seasons.
The Challenge
Firsthand is operated by a small and talented team, but it is both a passion project and a second job for the owners. With so many logistics to cover, Firsthand was looking to have an independent contractor come to events and take photos and occasional videos to be used on their (and the Blackhawk Hard District) website and social media accounts.
The Solution
Firsthand was a straightforward project: mostly, they needed photos (and lots of them). This endeavor was a rewarding application of my street photography experience; it's rare for a brand to want so many candid photos, but it made perfect sense for Firsthand. Rain or shine, my job was to look for unique moments, and the folks having the best time and document them. I developed an editing style that fits their brand: color and texture were prioritized, and shooting in such busy spaces nearly always drew me to a shallow depth of field. I shot on vintage Pentax lenses for an ethereal, dreamlike look.
HOOCH
BOOCH
Year
2023
Deliverables
Ad Lobs, P.R. Strategy & Activations, Marketing Strategy, Macro and Micro Research
Background
Hooch Booch is a Denver-based beverage company focused on Hard Kombucha. They started during Denver's brief prohibition (due to COVID-19) and took inspiration from Art-Deco and "prohibition era" design. Much of the branding in the Hard Kombucha category focuses on health and the outdoors, so Hooch Booch aims to appeal to a more metropolitan audience. Classic cocktails inspire their Hard Kombucha flavors.
The Challenge
Hooch Booch is trying to enter a fast-growing segment in the alcohol-beverages market. To do this, they need to increase interest among those unfamiliar with Hard Kombucha and spread awareness about the brand to those who may already drink Hard Kombucha. We chose to target fans of classic cocktails who may be looking for a low-ABV alternative specifically.
The Solution
For this project, I worked on a team with five others. Most of the project was dedicated to industry and market macro and micro research. Mateo Perez Lara and I developed mock-up graphics to illustrate the campaign direction, but the meat of this project was found in the strategy and approach we used to position Hooch Booch. Above, you'll see part of this effort: SWOT analysis, buyer personas, out-of-home and earned media strategies, and more. At the end of the semester, we pitched the plan to the owners and media team at Hooch Booch, and they have since adopted aspects of our campaign and findings.
CARALINE SKINCARE
Year
2024
Deliverables
Videography
Background
Caraline Skincare is a brand devoted to safe and natural formulas for older women and changing the messaging used to reach this demographic. In their words: "We're not out to repair you, fix you, or anti-age you. At Caraline, we're here to celebrate you."
The Challenge
Caraline is a newer brand in a saturated market. To introduce themselves, as well as their mission and products, Caraline needed videos for social media and their website.
The Solution
We shot video in the Founder's living room. Above all else, Caraline wants to come across as approachable, genuine, and friendly, so keeping the tone and the location modest was the way to go. After about an hour of shooting footage based on a script, I recommended that we pivot to Laura (the Founder) having a conversation with her friend about the products. This choice made the delivery feel more natural and provided an audience surrogate for the viewer.
