A few years back, I participated in an Instagram challenge to design a skateboard every day for 30 days. No restrictions.
What creative doesn't like to hear that?
I banged out some fun designs geared towards a particular demographic: skateboarders who use clear grip tape and enjoy showing off their boards as much as their moves.
After a few designs, an identity was born: Poison Boards.
I also mocked up some merchandise for the skateboarders that love to wear their art.
At the recent DesignerCon in Anaheim, California, I was told by a few skateboard vendors that many non-skateboard folks buy the boards just to display them on their walls. So these boards are for anyone who loves funky, cool art....whether they skateboard or not.
We needed to increase engagement on the Learn From Experience section of farmers.com. So we created a short, fun video for LFE called "Summer Maintenance Tips". We also showcased the video on YouTube and Instagram. Statistics show that users will stop scrolling for video, versus static images.
I worked with a content manager, who came up with a script, and I did a quick story board. We got approval from the client (an internal stakeholder) and I dove into the graphics, using Adobe Illustrator and Adobe AfterEffects. The client was delighted with the result and we increased the click-rate by 10%.
I also created micro animations proposed for farmers.com as a way to entice the user to click through into homeowners and renters section of the site.
As a part of Farmers Insurance acquiring MetLife, we had to very quickly rebrand thousands of assets from the MetLife branding to Farmers branding within one quarter. Because I am fairly familiar with HTML5 animations, I got the bulk of the banner ads. Due to versioning, I executed about 200 different ads.
I rebuilt them in Tumult's Hype, did code cleanup using Visual Studio Code, and tested them via Google Ad submission.
"Parking" (below) increased click-rate by 23% and brought more traffic to farmers.com. Because of the sheer volume of ads created, I launched an HTML5 Google Ad submission documentation for fellow designers, enhancing team efficiency by 25%.
Our team created stylescapes (from Chris Do's Branding sessions) for our brand evolution, which came out of design thinking strategy sessions. We wanted to stretch our brand guidelines and try some new ideas, very quickly and in sprints*.
Our team had about two weeks to create stylescapes and mockups. I created two stylescapes and combined them to one mockup.
*There was no data research or user feedback when we started designing due to time constraints.
Based upon the stylescapes, I combined both to create the mockup. We tested with the target demographic and received positive feedback.
When we merged with MetLife's Auto and Home divisions, we acquired Affinity and employer groups--another channel to market our products. This meant we had to create and deliver 'templates' to our clients, who worked directly with our Strategic Partnerships.
I created templates for direct mail (using Adobe InDesign/Photoshop/Illustrator), buckslips and print ads (using Adobe InDesign), email (using Figma) and social posts/banner ads (using Adobe Illustrator) with our brand spokesperson, Professor Burke (the actor J.K. Simmons). We also used stock and brand photography. The objective was to provide options to our clients.
I closely collaborated with the account executive partner/content manager and we had to consider variable elements, which are designated in pink. The digital assets in particular increased brand awareness, lead generation, and click-rate by 10% for target demographic via Affinity groups and employer-sponsored channels.
Scroll through the images by clicking on the numbers/arrows below.
This is a combination of Powerpoint presentations, illustrations, interactive PDFs (created in Adobe InDesign) and icons (created in Adobe Illustrator): for employees and agents. Also included are Procreate illustrations for social media.
Scroll through the images by clicking on the numbers/arrows below.
Scroll through the images by clicking on the numbers/arrows below.
To address the challenge of providing a comprehensive beauty product line to Baby Boomer women, I created a full identity system that consists of a logo, email design, stylescapes, website design, content, and other assets. Not only was package design considered but also creating assets for online brand-building and easy purchasing was also implemented, since BB women are tech savvy and do their own sleuthing when buying products (scroll down to see the preliminary research below).
In answer to the BB women challenge, Brava Beauté created an array of products, easily available for online purchase (via app or website) or in high-end retail stores.
Skincare for mature skin, hydrating creams and cosmetics that enhance--not hide--the beauty of an older woman were created specially for the BB women.
Scroll through the images by clicking on the numbers/arrows below.
Scroll through the images by clicking on the numbers/arrows below.
Before I did any sketches, I researched more about the buying power of Baby Boomer women.
An estimated 39 million Baby Boomers are women, so this demographic cannot be ignored. Which is why we see more and more mature women in commercials, print magazines, etc. Marketing to this demographic is a no-brainer for any beauty product line.
The Baby Boomers in general has been the demographic engine driving social change in the U.S. for the past fifty years. Within this large cohort, significant numbers of Baby Boomer women earned college degrees, entered the labor force, and began to maintain their own households during the 1980s. Women born in the late 1950s and early 1960s were the first group to overtake men in the completion of college degrees.
In 1990, when Baby Boomer women were between ages 26 and 44:
• Women made up 45 percent of the labor force.
• Just more than one-quarter of working women had college degrees.
• Women were 17 percent of physicians and 22 percent of lawyers—up from less than 3 percent of lawyers in 1970.
Purchasing style of Baby Boomer women:
•Baby boomer women have more disposable income and money to spend.
•Boomers trust their Google moves more than social media marketing and videos.
•Boomer women’s influence account for a significant chunk of consumer purchases.
•Boomer women feel invisible and misunderstood by marketers and businesses.
•Woman empowerment and the environment are hugely important for Boomer women in terms of purchase decisions and brand loyalty.
After researching BB women, I roughed out some lettering sketches. I knew that I wanted the lettering to be unique. And, when I want to bang out ideas quickly, I will go straight to the iPad and fool around with drawing any combination of letters. I will do my name or anything else I can think of just to 'warm up.'
Eventually, I came up with a final design, which I finessed in Adobe Illustrator.
Please note I am still building out this project. Check back soon!
Below are my favorite Inktober drawings from the last three years.
Because this was an Instagram challenge, I didn't do any rough sketches or any preliminary work. This case study was purely for fun and I had to create a board per day, so there was NO time for research or preliminary fact-finding of the target demographic. Below are my favorite boards.
Extra assets from Farmers Insurance Open, Coupa campaign, Learn From Experience graphic and HR newsletter.