In 2019 I worked with 3/Thirds Group to create a series of illustrations for the 25th Anniversary of Nike Grind. We were tasked with creating a series of display cases that showcased the Nike Grind process of reclaiming old shoes, streamlining the production process, and making new material from recycled product.

With a quick turn around time and solid art direction we created a series of images that were playful and dynamic. We boiled down complex processes into simple educational illustrations, built a cohesive voice, and explored multiple styles of illustration. The anniversary show was hosted at the Nike Headquarters for the month of April, in conjunction with their Earth Day celebrations.

Nike Grind was a fantastic client to work with because I really liked showcasing the environmental efforts of the organization. Understanding the complexity of the production process and finding a unique and interesting way to illustrate the steps was a wonderful challenge.

In 2022, I worked with the Honnold Foundation to design some collateral for their annual report and create some illustrations to help tell their story. Working closely with the Communications Director, Peter Walle for the organization, we created a multipage presentation document to showcase their mission of creating decentralized solar grids in developing nations and underserved communities in the US.

Working within existing brand guidelines, we used photos, datasets, and illustrations to showcase the breadth of the work they are doing. Including electrifying community centers in Memphis and making solar powered water craft to navigate the Amazon. It has been a blast to help such and an amazing client doing so much positive work in the world!

Tomorrow’s Air is a climate alliance program between eco-tourism agencies and large scale climate engineering programs. They aim to create a marketplace that will allow tourists to partner with Swiss company Climeworks to scrub Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere and allow people to travel sustainably. Since 2020, they hired me to created a variety of designs centered around carbon negative travel and hospitality. It has been a pleasure to help create their branding and design.

In 2017, I was contacted by Outdoor Research to design a series of illustrations for their 2019 spring apparel collection. Over this long term project I worked directly with OR’s art director and apparel design specialists to craft a series of illustrations with a fun and bright tone.

In the end I created 50 merit badges, 10 shirt designs, and 5 dry bag designs. Each one focuses on a different aspect of out door recreation. Imagery explored river life, adventure vans, and climbing gear.

It was really satisfying to see these pieces come to life in April and be available on Outdoor Research’s Website. Look for their 2020 winter and spring lines as well!

In 2021, I created a systems map of how to create a sustainable city. I looked at how cities function and explored the idea of building and supporting communities across urban areas. I designed a series of infographics that detailed different avenues for developing green spaces, public transportation, and rezoning. My task was to showcase all the players in the system map, including citizens, city offices, and investment stake holders.

I relied heavily on the idea of New Urbanism and the goal of creating 20-minute walkable communities that gave denizens access to services, transportation hubs, and green space. This project helped me gain a strong understanding of the many challenges of urban planning and community development.

In 2022, I worked with Carbon Gap to create an infographic and pamphlet explaining the importance of implementing a multi-faceted approach to removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Using data driven creative direction, we built a robust and detailed illustration showcasing eight ways that we can remove carbon from the atmosphere.

I tried to create a verdant and optimistic future in which we have transitioned away from fossil fuels while at the same time restoring lost natural resources. We included references to blue carbon, carbon sequestration, carbon-negative building solutions, and permaculture. I was a pleasure to learn the ins and out of all of these different pathways forward.

It was amazing to work with the European based Carbon Gap to create this image and deck for their presentation at the World Climate Summit (COP27).

Along with the graphic, I designed a pamphlet describing the various tools that are currently at our disposal for carbon sequestration. We did several rounds of iteration, fine tuning the imagery and text to best tell the story and create a verdant world!

I created the visual accompaniment and artistic style for the outdoor storytelling podcast, The Dirtbag Diaries. Each episode focuses on the personal stories of adventure enthusiasts worldwide. Episodes are often funny, sometimes heartfelt, and always about amazing people doing amazing things in wild spaces. With over 300 episodes, and 3 million downloads each year, The Dirtbag Diaries continually ranks within the top 5 Outdoor podcasts on iTunes.

Since 2007, I have crafted illustrations for episode title cards based on a short synopsis. It is incredibly rewarding to create the imagery because I get a lot of leeway with the brief. It allows me to explore new styles, utilize new toolsets, and find creative solutions to my briefs. It is a fast paced and fun endeavor. Here is a quick video exploring my process for title card creation. This episode is about a fool hardy mining operation in the arctic.

In 2022, I created a Life Cycle Assessment of ceramics for a class in Sustainable Design at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). The project was to look at all facets of a certain material and find points in the supply chain and processing that could be improved upon from an environmental and health standpoint.

I tasked myself with creating this vivid and abstract book to represent the different elements that went into producing a ceramic art piece: Clay, water, heat, and glaze. I wanted to create a playful narrative while still deeply exploring the impacts of this incredibly versatile material.

Endangered Spaces is a podcast series from The Dirtbag Diaries that explores our public lands, the people that love them, and the threats upon these places. Each Episode explores a threatened National Park or Monument. These odes to wild spaces highlight the environmental challenges that face our public spaces.

I chose to utilize hands as a tool for showing the human connection to these wild places. I wanted to convey a sense of personal ownership over the future of our National Parks and Monuments. The hand positions also reflect the theme of the story. Some hands represent people fighting for the land, others are caregivers for the environment, while some are signs of protest.

Élmer Mendoza is a Mexican author famous for telling the complicated story of the Mexican drug Cartels. In his trilogy of books, he explores drug violence in Mexico City through the eyes of a down and out detective, Lefty Mendieta.

I had the honor of designing the covers for these books. I worked closely with publisher Quercus Books to create Dia de Los Muertos themed covers. Bringing in imagery from the books and exploring Mexican culture I created a series of imagery that evokes the macabre and sets the tone for the ultra-violent novels.

I really enjoyed to process that went into these covers, I like exploring the culture, reading the books for insights, and learning the ropes of the publishing industry.

In 2022 I partnered with Living Soil Laboratories to create a set of four infographics that tell the story of soil health in the west. We compared ancient landscapes to that of modern day cattle ranching. We highlighted the importance of megafauna and migration to the ecological health of a prairie. The goal was to highlight sustainable systems that can replicate the soil biome of prehistoric times, creating healthy and profitable ranching systems.

It was a pleasure to create thirty animal illustrations for this project, focusing on all elements of the food chain. It was also a puzzle to accurately portray the various elements that need to go into healthy soil biomes.

In 2021, I challenged myself to develop a series of unique character designs. I wanted to create world where climate change has been mitigated and that human transportation is the norm for many professions. I wanted to create people and bicycles that represented each other, while creating a vibrant and optimistic tone.

It was a pleasure working on this and I got some great feedback and art direction from my bicycle and environmental community.