Persefoni is the leading Climate Management & Accounting Platform (CMAP). The company's solutions enable clients to meet climate disclosure requirements with the highest degree of trust, transparency, and ease.

Persefoni measures companies’ carbon emissions, as well as other contributors to climate change. We not only help clients measure and track their emissions, but we also help them model a future with decreasing emissions over time, with a net zero outcome as the ultimate goal. Climate risk is financial risk, and it’s become clear that over time, forging a path to net zero is a financial benefit for any company.

Clients choose Persefoni for multiple reasons. Most are seeking one of two things: to meet a goal they have voluntarily set for their own environmental impact, or to meet an emissions cap, due to governmental regulations in the countries where they operate. Sometimes, companies fall into a mix of the two categories. Whatever the reason, they are seeking an easy and thorough way to meet their goals, and the Persefoni product is both these things.

Our brand takes a scientific approach to the urgent risk of climate change, bringing experimental compositions to data-backed content. The yellow pixel glyphs used throughout the brand illustrate the way that industry and nature can be broken down into data points, but that data can be both empowering and beautiful. The brand, which at its inception used high contrast images and a saturated yellow, has since grown to include additional shades of manila and a heat-map inspired gradient for versatility. Throughout its evolution, the Persefoni brand has been an industry leader in a relatively new field, and has heavily influenced brand directions in its peers.

It’s no secret that climate change threatens the well-being and survival of humans on this planet, and other species too. I have breathed smoke from the relentless wildfires in my home state of California and watched as floods, droughts, and violent storms ravage communities around the world.

As corporations are far and away the most profound contributors to climate change, the work Persefoni does to help them reduce their emissions is incredibly important to me. I am honored to be able to use my skillset to further this vital work.

With a background in machine learning, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, business intelligence and computer vision, the Simpliciti Ai team has developed a tool that creates paths for your gen AI implementation journey.

The team was seeking a modern, intuitive brand with a strong inspiration from systems, neural networks and nature. I worked on an agency team of three to provide ad and social media layouts and logo iteration as well as digital brand assets and type treatments. In addition to these deliverables, I contributed a brand guidelines document to this project.

Learn more about this project and view more brand assets on the Simpliciti Ai website.

Compass is building the first modern real estate platform, aiming to make the search and sell experience intelligent and seamless.

The brand ethos is simple, beautiful and human. It is refined, thoughtful and modern. We are humble in the way we communicate. From day 1 the entire brand was built from the ground up with agents in mind. Everything is considered for how it can help improve our agents experience and increase their business.

Using minimal color, stunning photography, pattern, illustration and typography we allow brands to stand out through a considered minimal approach that is as simple as it is complex.

Prohibition Ice Cream is a Carmel-based ice cream company celebrating the city’s peculiar history with this classic dessert. In the roaring twenties, Carmel placed a ban on eating ice cream in public, along with wearing high heels and some other “sinful” activities. This ban held until the 1980’s, when Clint Eastwood, mayor of Carmel, struck the ban down.

Prohibition Ice Cream wanted to create a playful brand that made a nod to this history, while also embodying a speakeasy feel, as if the ice cream shop was an illicit destination that could only be found by word of mouth. The two directions shown here were the final two options from a process that involved research, mood boards and ongoing dialogue.

The first direction dives into creative flavor combinations in its palette, and explores the option of a modular logo grid that can use different illustrations for each flavor in a flexible 3x3 square format. The second direction speaks to the thrill of the elegant 1920’s, when staying out all night dancing was a new freedom for young people, along with the picturesque coastline of Carmel.

Artifact Cider Project is an innovative Cambridge, MA based craft cider company. Using local apples, they create ciders that are as authentic, eclectic, and forward-looking as the region they come from.

Artifact’s cider makers had an existing logotype, but wanted to expand their brand identity to include one or more pictograms that could be paired as a logo lockup with the logotype, or used independently. One of their explorations just needed a few tweaks to make it pixel perfect, and they wanted to see some additional explorations as well.

They were inspired by the form of the IBC tote, a fermenting vessel for cider, as well as the geometric patterns formed by rows of trees in an orchard, though they wanted to stay away from clichéd apple and tree imagery that they felt was overdone.

The client requested two of the presented directions for the final logo, to give some flexibility to their brand applications. The first direction that they began, a geometric abstraction of tree rows enclosed in a circle, provides a nice all-purpose solution, and the additional option that I developed references the IBC more closely, while also giving a nod to archaeological symbology. The founders of Artifact both have a passion for archaeology, which inspired the company name.

After working with the team on the logo pictograms, I developed can art for a new cider. Last Light is a light and golden cider to enjoy on a gorgeous summer evening. The Artifact team wanted the can art for Last Light to feel dreamy and lo-fi, evoking a Massachusetts sunset with lights twinkling in the distance. We explored New England sunset palettes as well as bokeh light patterns created by blurry lights in film and photography.

For the Firefighter Whiskey logo, there were several guiding parameters to work within. The mark needed to clearly identify as a whiskey logo, and also reference firefighting, as well as woodworking, all passions of the client. We wanted to create a classic, masculine logo using elegant forms that work the various elements seamlessly in with each other.

The form of the branches within the bottle shape could be interpreted as rising fire, or as a fine whiskey mixing into another beverage to create a delicious cocktail. The crossed axes at the bottom of the bottle are also a classic firefighting symbol.

Nadine and Norma is an independent record label run by musician and producer Kevin Kenkel. He came to me with a great concept for his record label inspired by the David Lynch series Twin Peaks.

In his words, “The idea is that Nadine and Norma are both in love with the same man, but polar opposites as people. However I think it’s human nature to sometimes be a Nadine, wearing an eye patch and being crazy, and sometimes you’re a Norma, beautiful and put together and breezy. So that’s the guiding psychology behind the name.”

From a number of presented solutions, Kevin chose a type-driven logo using a retro display font that references the typeface used on the Double R Diner signage in the series, with a color also used heavily by Lynch. He also mentioned that he wanted a circular form that could fit around the hole in the center of a vinyl LP, and the looping, slightly wobbly, slightly elegant interaction of the oval with the circular motion of the record made a nod to the two namesake characters’ personalities. I also created the custom black and white photomontage that overlays the two women’s faces over each other, showing each depending on the way the image is viewed.

Firefly Marketing is a concierge all-in-one marketing company founded by the very talented Jiana Bowie. She brings expertise in digital ads, brand amplification, and marketing strategy. She helps businesses connect with their target audience efficiently and memorably, to create resonant connections.

For her logo, she wanted to create a mark that evoked the magic and elegance of a glowing firefly illuminating the way through the darkness.

The True Footage app is reinventing the experience of homeownership and home valuation. Their product seeks to provide a way for home sellers to connect remotely with appraisers, providing a safe and easy inspection process. The app will empower homeowners to understand the link between home improvement and the value of their home.

This critical step prior to finalizing the sale of a home can often be an overwhelming process that can make sellers feel that their private space is being scrutinized.

Using empathy and user research, the challenge of this consultant project was to solve the pain points in this process by developing an interface that was clean, informative and easy to navigate, while providing clarity around expectations. We wanted users to understand when their space would be viewed, recorded, and screen captured for documentation purposes, and eliminate any surprises from the process.

Sustainable Succulent and Florist Design is a California-based nursery and design shop focusing on environmentally friendly practices. The founder, Elise Bowie, leans toward a timeless, elegant aesthetic to match the gorgeous arrangements she creates.

I presented her with a range of type and logo forms, and together we honed in on a logo that is both romantic and geometric, pulling shapes from local flora that she works with.

One Haight is a contemporary urban oasis with all the modern conveniences. Located in trendy Hayes Valley steps away from shops, restaurants and Market Street, these brand new residences feature high-end, condo quality finishes throughout.

Three different directions for property branding were presented to the client, tailored to several target personas based on user research.

The first, a mark tied visually to a vintage key, alludes to the idea of this residence being the key to leveling up one’s life and taking the step of moving into a high end space. Textures from nature and stylish greenery reinforce the theme of new growth. This options tests the inference that within the target demographic, appealing to the older and more sophisticated end of the range would provide aspirational appeal to all.

The second mark, targeting the younger end of the age range market, represents the intersection of two streets, the form of the 1 representing Market Street and its vibrant flow. With expanded bike lanes and sections of Market Street closed to car traffic, this direction emphasizes the development’s ease of use for those living an active lifestyle and commuting by bicycle to downtown.

The third option appeals to a middle ground in terms of age, and also focuses on the finer things — local farmer’s markets, cooking in the units’ ample kitchens, fine food and drink, spiritual curiosity, and the great outdoors. In short, many of the draws that bring young people to the city of San Francisco. The form, simple and clean, feels adjacent to a high end gym or spa, branding that would feel familiar to this persona.

The client selected the second direction, and I worked with them to develop exterior signage as well as other brand applications.

This social media campaign was created by a team of women in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Boulder, San Francisco and Boston. Our team was inspired by the Fibonacci sequence, which adds the two numbers before it in the sequence to create exponential growth. The visual expression of this is a golden ratio containing a spiral, which can be found repeated in nature in pinecones, seashells, and even the human body.

When we were thinking about Women’s History, we wanted to explore the progress women have made in the past and envision a future where that progress is compounded. We thought about the curve as a visual metaphor for exponential growth and unlimited potential. We also liked the idea of the spiral to symbolize history coming back to the same place in new and bigger ways, rather than being a linear path.

This project was a true collaboration, and my role was to propose the concept of Fibonacci curve to the team, as well as to design the historical figures squares. The campaign also included generic social squares and those that featured contemporary female-led teams.

Academia is an online platform that allows scholars to share papers with millions of people across the world for free. Its premium feature allows users to track the impact of their work by collating data on papers that mention their work. It also allows optimized searches that gather packages of relevant scholarship to be dowloaded effortlessly.

Academia requested a consultant proposal to redesign their Premium call to action page to increase conversion rate for paid subscribers.

Competitive Analysis

For a competitive analysis, I reviewed a number of organizations and I chose ResearchGate, Scribd, JSTOR and TED. ResearchGate is a true peer, offering academic networking and author metrics and focuses its marketing on B2B with potential advertisers. I also included Scribd since it is subscription-based, they market to individual users, and it has an extensive library of academic papers. And since Academia is moving into the audio content space, it’s important to look at what Scribd is doing there as well. I included JSTOR as a platform that markets subscriptions to institutions, as a peer that integrates its research content into its design in an interesting way, and lastly I chose TED because it is membership based and sits successfully between entertainment and the academic world, making it a major influence on Academia’s target audience, since it is a showcase for academic celebrity.

ResearchGate uses two different illustration systems that read as approachable and organized, while also demonstrating concepts well. On the left, we see this system that uses a semi-flat style that feels very specific to the tech world. There are really graphic, sharp feeling shadows to add a layer of depth. The icons are grouped with a gray circle, and they break the edge just barely which is quite elegant.

On the right we see another illustration style that uses some of the same colors but introduces this saffron color. The style is different though, you see they’ve departed from the sharp shadows on the left, this illustration feels very whimsical and playful, and it’s meant to show information as these building blocks that are getting arranged or vaccumed up. It makes the work of research look manageable and gratifying using the tool.

These two systems work well independently but they are not cohesive enough to work together. If I were going to consult with them I would recommend tying the two systems together by using similar shadows and either the same palette throughout or scale back one system to only use one or two colors so they don’t compete as much.

They use lifestyle photos sparingly and well, but they’re not very conscious of the color used in the photographs, so the photos do detract from the color used on the rest of the website.

Scribd solves for the issue of color in lifestyle photography by using color overlays like this image of the camera, and by being really thoughtful about the photos they’re choosing like matching the black in the photo on the left to the background color. This really allows the design to sing, by pulling back on the color variations it allows the one color pop of the button to stand out.

The types of photos they choose is important too, as you can see the color schemes feel cohesive and personal, and very natural and not stock photo feeling.

Their use of icons is extremely restrained, they keep the graphics minimal which again allows the focus to be pulled elsewhere. They don’t compete against the more visual graphics even though they clearly communicate what they need to.

JSTOR pulls header backgrounds directly from its archives, which is a very elegant solution. They were even able to find images for the banners that all work in the same palette with each other. This is super successful because it creates visual excitement to explore what is in the collection. Also noteworthy is JSTOR’s iconic monogram logo, which is timeless and beautiful, and offers a different approach than the more tech feeling aesthetics on some of the other sites we reviewed.

TED uses a single color really effectively, that red is recognizable but for such a dominant color it does balance well with the rest of the secondary jewel tone palette. They use these photomontage graphics to show speakers in a way that feels cohesive and animated and almost feels like a movie poster. This definitely plays into the aspirational marketing, the membership CTA proposes that you’re joining a sort of club, and that by doing so you’ll become adjacent to this type of academic notoriety and celebrity. These hand drawn illustrations do a nice job of feeling very nonprofit and contemporary. They feel a bit childlike, in that they emphasize curiosity and possibility, almost referencing Reading Rainbow. It’s never a bad thing to appeal to a user’s inner child, as long as it’s balanced with a legitimate product that feels polished. Because they use a single illustration style and use it sparingly, it works really well.

Opportunities

Illustration communicates concepts and sets the tone and feeling of the brand. When it’s successful, it simplifies information clearly. When it feels disjointed, it can distract from flow of information and decrease legitimacy.

Regarding palette, ResearchGate and Scribd use very similar brand colors. These colors feel corporate and might not appeal to younger audiences. The hues of these colors are varied but the shade feels consistent. Because of this, the colors feel muted without feeling soothing. The palette should feel exciting but reassuring since this is a tool they are using to reduce the stress of research. They need to see the product as calming.

An advantage is that Academia’s brand blue is very soothing while being bright enough to capture visual interest. This can be elevated with additional color pops and use of gradients.

I also think there’s an opportunity to use some well placed lifestyle photography to help users envision themselves succeeding by using Premium. Of course Academia needs to make a strong case for its value proposition, but it also needs to resonate with users on an emotional level and sell an optimized lifestyle, and photography can certainly help there. Adding color overlays and gradients can help make photography more cohesive and visually interesting.

Opportunites: Current Page

The Premium button stands out well in the hierarchy, since that blue is really eye catching and feels powerful. I would recommend revisiting the gold color here, since it feels very neutral and a bit financial or conservative. This is an opportunity to energize the page with a more vibrant and soothing color. It’s possible to reduce the number of items here to four, so that the information is easier to digest. I would overall try to make this page more visual to increase click-through. I think the title messaging is really resonant, and I like that it’s very distinct in the hierarchy of the page.

Direction One

This direction uses an illustration system that feels playful and aspirational but also stylish, and uses a line art style for icons. The illustration on the left shows a relatable user who is in a flow state, using Premium, picking up her mentions, tracking metrics of her impact, adding relevant papers to her bibliography using PDF packages, working efficiently and feeling the magic. I’ve reduced the number of icons here to allow for easier intake of information, and tweaked some of the copy to be more user facing and understandable for someone who’s looking at it for the first time. You’ll see that these items each have a “learn more” prompt at the bottom, which would push the content down to open a window with more information about that item. By having this, Academia can also track what is clicked on to gain additional insights into buyer motivations.

Clicking on the Upgrade to Premium will take you to the purchase interface, which I believe should be stacked below in its own space, because it’s important to reduce distractions when users are making a purchase. Bringing in testimonials at this point adds the final push of credibility to enter payment info.

Direction 2

Direction 2 uses an expanded color palette, more geometric and minimal graphics, and gradient and color overlays to emphasize lifestyle photography more intently. By showing testimonials higher in the hierarchy of this page, we are supposing that users would relate to the experiences and would be motivated by the vision of an optimized life created by using Premium. The features information is still clearly shown, but the icons are simpler to pull focus where we want, in this case the testimonials.

The color pops for each testimonial photo moves the eye to each one at a time, so they are all emphasized but do not compete or become uniform. The gradient at the top is also a simple way to guide focus from left to right, and the eye naturally follows it from the header over to the upgrade button.

The payment window also uses a gradient over lifestyle photography, keeping the layout clean but energizing to allow the payment to be the primary focus.

Testing

In testing color we want to learn what’s more effective: a scaled back palette that lets icons and illustration do the heavy lifting or a more varied palette that highlights lifestyle photography, using simpler graphics.

The second test we’re looking at here is product features versus aspirational storytelling. We want to know: do users connect more with marketing that shows the desired outcome of a life made simple by Premium, or do they want to see engaging visualizations about the product features?

For the payment portal, we are also testing what background builds trust and guides attention toward completing the payment. On one option we have a subtle illustration, and on the other, a photo with a gradient.

Efficacy can be tracked by click through rates, time spent on a page, and for the latter question, the rate at which people enter their credit card info and sign up for Premium.

InsideSource is much more than a furniture dealership — they are architects of workplace experience. They listen to each client and absorb the values of the company, and then build custom spaces to inspire and make productivity part of the space’s natural flow.

Their brand, a bright and colorful take on geometric shapes found in the blueprint process, is full of energy and playfulness. InsideSource’s corporate sponsorship of the San Jose Sharks allowed for a great opportunity to create digital and print environmental assets for game time display in the stadium rings and digital displays at the SAP Center.

Blue Beautifly creates natural, organic health and beauty products that I suspect may have magical powers. Their creams, serums and masques leave skin radiantly glowing. Sold at upscale boutiques around the country, their packaging is clean and timeless. These are unpretentious luxury goods, and the illustrations I created for their boxes show the elegant personality of each ingredient.

Unlike private carrier companies, the United States Postal Service is legally obligated to serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at uniform price and quality.

Prior to the 2020 US election, the USPS came under threat of being defunded and dismantled for purported fiscal reasons. However, mail-in voting was an absolutely essential tool in ensuring a safe and fair election during a pandemic. Many Americans supported the postal service by buying stamps.

While phone banking in Pennsylvania prior to the election, I came to learn that many people’s understanding of mail-in voting was minimal or nonexistent. This got me thinking about other ways to raise awareness and support the USPS.

The letterforms of this typeface take inspiration from the stamps purchased in solidarity and used to cast what would become historic votes.

From spending several hours with an owl to exploring the flora of Golden Gate park to a portrait sitting with a friend, I enjoy moments of connection with people and the natural world. I work in a number of media ranging from brush and acrylic ink to colored pencil to digital art and animation.

Solo Show, March-April 2017 @ Mary Weather, 333 15th St, Oakland

On February 15, 2017, Donald Trump Tweeted:

“This Russian connection non-sense is merely an attempt to cover-up the many mistakes made in Hillary Clinton's losing campaign.”

At a time when it felt like reality was being defined by delusional narcissists, personally and politically, sometimes solace had to be found in moments of humor. The creative grammar Trump used here, “non-sense” stood out to me as, in a way, telling of how he viewed language. He interrupted himself mid-sentence to imply finished statements he would never need to own up to, because he never really said it. Men in power were inventing their own fictions and calling it truth.

This print series used the language of infographic maps to disorient our relationship with data-driven design. Instead of representing real demographics, these maps take fictionalizing liberties, creating in effect "fake news" in the form of visual design. The generalizations they fabricate are nonexistent, yet the landforms and regions depicted assert themselves convincingly as fact.