Selected Case Studies
Selected
Case Studies
Five projects — each one a real business problem, a deliberate creative process, and a solution built to last.
Creative Log & Lumber
Building a brand-new identity for a sustainable urban lumber yard — logo, name recognition, and a website that could stand on its own.
Creative Log & Lumber — Gallery Page / WordPress Website · 2023
The Problem
Creative Log & Lumber was a new venture spun out of an existing landscaping company, Creative Edge. The business had real expertise — salvaging felled trees from homeowners and arborists, then milling them into hardwood flooring, live edge slabs, and architectural lumber. But it had no independent identity. It existed only in the shadow of its parent company, with no logo, no website, and no way for contractors or the public to find it or take it seriously as a standalone business.
The challenge wasn’t just design — it was legitimization. This business needed to look like it had always existed.
“A sustainable lumber yard that salvages local trees deserves a brand as distinctive as its materials. The story of where the wood comes from is the selling point.”
The Process
I started by understanding what made this business genuinely different: the wood has a story. Every plank came from a neighborhood tree — it wasn’t imported, it wasn’t mass-produced. That sense of local provenance and craft had to be the anchor of the brand.
Key Design Decisions
- Created a logo that communicated craft and nature without being generic — avoiding the overused “tree in a circle” tropes common to lumber brands
- Used typography with weight and texture to suggest the heft and quality of the material itself
- Built the website around the — how a tree becomes flooring — because that story was the brand’s strongest differentiator against big-box competitors
- Designed the site to serve two audiences simultaneously: homeowners wanting to sell felled trees, and contractors looking for unique hardwood
- Structured navigation around Services, Products, and Gallery so visitors could immediately self-identify what they needed
The Outcome
Creative Log & Lumber launched as a fully independent brand — complete with logo, brand guidelines, and a WordPress website — that bore no visual resemblance to its parent company. The business now had a professional digital presence capable of attracting both residential and commercial clients, positioning it as a credible, premium alternative to conventional lumber suppliers.
Deliverables
Studio 104
A salon and boutique moving upmarket needed a website that matched the new level — warm, sophisticated, and conversion-focused.
Studio 104 — Salon Spa Boutique · WordPress Website · 2022
The Problem
Studio 104 was relocating and simultaneously repositioning — moving from an everyday salon to a full luxury day spa offering massage, facials, nails, hair, and a boutique retail section. The old website no longer reflected who they were becoming. It felt ordinary at a moment when the business needed to signal premium.
The new location was beautiful — warm earth tones, natural textures, soft lighting. The website needed to bring that feeling to a screen before a client ever walked through the door.
“The space itself told me what the site needed to feel like. My job was to translate a physical environment — its warmth, its calm, its intention — into a digital experience.”
The Process
I collaborated with the client’s photographer to ensure the imagery captured the right mood — soft, natural light; clean surfaces; the texture of the space. The photography and the design had to speak the same language, so I was involved in shaping the visual direction before a single photo was taken.
From there, every design decision was made in service of one goal: make the visitor feel relaxed and confident enough to book an appointment.
Key Design Decisions
- Drew the color palette directly from the location’s interior — warm taupes, soft creams, and muted greens — so the site and the physical space felt continuous
- Used clean, generous layouts with intentional white space to signal luxury rather than crowding the page with promotions
- Prioritized the booking flow — making “Book Now” accessible from every page without being aggressive or transactional
- Separated spa services from the boutique clearly, so two distinct customer types could navigate without friction
- Chose typography that balanced elegance with legibility — readable on mobile at a glance, refined on desktop
The Outcome
Studio 104 launched its new location with a website that matched the ambition of the rebrand. The site unified the spa and boutique under one cohesive digital identity — sophisticated enough to attract a higher-end clientele, warm enough to feel welcoming rather than intimidating. The photography and design worked together as a single visual statement.
Deliverables
RH3 Consulting
A consultant outgrowing Wix needed a platform that could grow with him — and a site that conveyed the credibility his clients expected.
RH3 Consulting — WordPress Website · 2023
The Problem
RH3 Consulting helps non-profit organizations and businesses operate more efficiently. The client had been using Wix, which worked at first — but as his practice grew, the platform’s limitations became real problems. His blog, central to his thought leadership and client acquisition strategy, was constrained by Wix’s templated structure. He couldn’t present his ideas the way he wanted to, and the site’s design no longer matched the level of client he was targeting.
The ask wasn’t just a new website. It was a platform that could finally get out of his way.
“A consultant’s website is their most important business development tool. It has to communicate expertise instantly — and give them the freedom to keep proving it over time.”
The Process
The first decision was platform: WordPress, chosen specifically for its flexibility with custom blog layouts and long-term scalability. I worked closely with the client on content architecture — understanding not just what pages he needed, but what order of information best builds trust with a prospect visiting for the first time.
Key Design Decisions
- Migrated from Wix to WordPress to give the client full ownership and control over design, content, and future growth
- Redesigned the blog as a first-class section of the site — not an afterthought — with custom post layouts that let his writing breathe
- Built the homepage around trust signals: what he does, who he’s helped, and how to engage — in that order
- Structured the services section to speak directly to the two client types: non-profits and for-profit businesses
- Designed for credibility over flash — clean, confident, professional, with emphasis on expertise rather than visual noise
The Outcome
RH3 Consulting launched a WordPress site that finally matched the sophistication of the work the client was doing. The blog became a proper thought leadership platform he could update and customize freely. The overall site gave him the professional credibility to compete for larger non-profit and corporate clients — and the flexibility to grow the site alongside his practice.
Deliverables
BLET & Teamsters
Union Creative
Three years as the sole designer behind all visual communications for a major union insurance program — 100+ pieces across print, digital, and merchandise.
BLET Western Regional 2025 — Seattle Washington · Hat & Merchandise Design
The Situation
Union One administers short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance benefits for union members across the country — including members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and Teamsters affiliates. As the organization’s only graphic designer, I own the entire visual output: every piece of communication that reaches union members, every event branded, every piece of merchandise produced.
This isn’t project-based work. It’s a sustained creative operation that requires consistency, speed, accuracy, and the ability to switch between highly regulated insurance documents and event merchandise without missing a beat.
“Designing for a union audience means your work has to earn trust immediately. These are working people receiving important benefit information — clarity and credibility aren’t optional.”
What This Role Demands
- Benefit communications (BHIs, brochures, flyers): translating complex insurance language into clear, readable print materials that members can actually understand and act on
- Presentations: designing decks for account managers to use in front of union leadership — professional, credible, on-brand
- Social media content: creating platform-appropriate graphics for member outreach and enrollment campaigns
- Event merchandise: designing t-shirts, hats, and stickers for regional meetings — including the BLET Western Regional 2024 (Kansas City) and 2025 (Seattle) events, each requiring multiple logo concepts before approval
- Event signage: large-format display materials for union conferences and regional gatherings
- Brand consistency: maintaining a coherent visual identity across all touchpoints while adapting to the specific needs of each union group and event
The Outcome
Three years in, I remain the sole designer for a program serving tens of thousands of union members nationally. The volume and variety of work — from legally reviewed insurance documents to custom event hats — demonstrates an ability to operate at a professional production level across every category of graphic design output, consistently and independently.
Deliverables
Logo Design:
Three Approaches
Three very different clients. Three different briefs. One consistent methodology: start with what the client values, not what looks good.
Logo Design Portfolio — Multiple Clients & Industries
The Method
Before I open Illustrator on any logo project, I ask the same questions: What are your core values? What matters most to you? What do you want people to feel when they see this? The answers to those questions — not trends, not personal preference — are what the logo gets built from.
These three projects illustrate how the same process produces radically different results depending on who the client is.
Bold, Female, Unapologetic
Chingon BBQ is women-owned and wanted a logo that didn’t apologize for it. The brief was clear: badass female energy. Not cute. Not soft. Not the obvious pink-and-flowers direction that women-owned businesses are often pushed toward.
Design Reasoning
- The La Catrina figure — a Mexican cultural icon — gave the logo immediate cultural authenticity and a strong female presence without being a generic woman silhouette
- Kept the illustration style bold and graphic rather than detailed or delicate — it needed to read at small sizes on menus and merchandise
- Chose a restrained color palette to let the illustration carry the personality rather than using color as a crutch
- Set the wordmark in a strong, direct typeface — no scripts, no flourishes — so the name read with the same confidence the client projected
Result: A logo that looks like it came from a brand with years of history — confident, culturally grounded, and immediately recognizable on signage, merch, and social media.
The Vehicle Is the Logo
The client was direct: the truck needed to be prominent, and the company name had to feel like it belonged to the truck — not just floating next to it. For a haulage company operating across London, the logo had to work on the side of a vehicle, on a uniform, and on an invoice at wildly different scales.
Design Reasoning
- Integrated the wordmark into the truck illustration rather than placing it beside it — the name and vehicle became one composition, not two elements competing for space
- Kept the illustration clean and minimal — complex truck illustrations break down at small sizes; this one holds at badge scale
- Used strong, stacked typography to give the name the visual weight to hold its own against the illustration
- The overall shape works as a silhouette — critical for embroidery on uniforms and vehicle vinyl applications
Result: A logo built for real-world application — equally effective on a 40-foot trailer or a business card.
Growth as the Brand
The tutoring center’s values were growth, strength, and deep educational foundations. They needed something welcoming to students and credible to parents — two different audiences to satisfy simultaneously.
Design Reasoning
- The tree-and-root system was the client’s own instinct — they mentioned roots when describing their philosophy. My job was to execute it without feeling clichéd
- The roots were given equal visual weight to the canopy — most tree logos emphasize what’s above ground; this one made the foundation the point, matching the brand’s educational philosophy
- A circular containing shape gave the logo institutional credibility — it reads like a school seal, which builds immediate trust with parents
- The name was set in a clean, confident typeface — approachable without being childish
Result: A logo the client used for the full six years of the business’s life. The business was eventually sold — proof that the brand had real equity.
What These Three Logos Share
Different industries, different aesthetics, different scales — but the same foundation. Every logo started with a conversation about values and ended with a mark the client could recognize as theirs. That’s what separates a designed logo from a decorated one.
Contact
Chicagoland Area • (815) 790-4249