I made a portfolio website for artist Sam Szigeti.
planetcool.net
Together, we created a universe for his work to live in. We wanted to make a website that felt like it contained confidential documents. These are the top secret files of planet cool.
We were also heavily inspired by maps and globes.
Click on a globe and you will notice that the background of the
pop-up has the print of a topical map. It's as if his featured works
are highlights of the planet.
My tools for building the site included HTML, CSS, p5.js (JavaScript), Glitch.com, and Digital Ocean (we are working on adding a CMS with Kirby).
My stylesheet...
colors: #5D64CE, black;
font-family: 'Syne Mono', monospace;
I made a portfolio website for artist Lisa Gal.
globeshaped.com
We worked together to create a site that was functional and simple in displaying Lisa's works, as well as which reflected her peaceful personality.
My tools for building the site included HTML, CSS, and Glitch.com (we are working on adding a CMS with Kirby).
My stylesheet...
colors: #1a1a1a, rgba(222, 222, 222, 0.6);
font-family: Courier New, monospace;
I made a personal website for Rainfield.
rainfield.co
Rainfield wanted a handmade site to share his work on. Let the content of the site speak for itself! We had an intentionally simple approach.
My tools for building the site included HTML, CSS, and Kirby CMS (PHP).
My stylesheet...
colors: blue, white;
font-family: Times New Roman, serif;
Amidst the solitude brought on by the spread of COVID-19 in Canada, I found a glimmer of inspiration to foster a creative community online. Creative people needed a welcoming space, online and eventually offline, to share and explore independent art, and to find a thoughtful community. In turn, Volvox Vault was realized on 04/29/20, and later renamed to Volvox Observer.
volvox.observer is a thoughtful creative community. A volvox is a type of algae colony made up of smaller volvox colonies. The volvox would not exist without its colonies... likewise, we thrive with support from our colonies/communities. VO is a hub for cultivating gentle creative connections, with a mission to bloom together.
I am the founder and community manager of Volvox Observer. This is my passion project. I produce all of our copy, editorial design, branding, social media, and more. My favourite thing about Volvox is that allows me to collaborate with new people. I love learning from other creative minds from across the planet! Over the years I have collaborated with over 100 artists through Volvox Observer.
The most common feedback I hear about Volvox Observer is that it feels welcoming and warm. I cherish that because I see Volvox as a place to get comfortable and leave your anxieties at the door.
The logo for Volvox Observer is inspired by a Volvox: a type of algae that lives in colonies. A Volvox basically is a colony, and would not exist without its colonies of other Volvox. Similar to how as artists and human beings, we need a dependable community to connect with. Who we can rely on for support and collaboration. I needed the logo to reflect this. Upon looking for inspiration, I found these diagrams of Volvox colonies:
I took inspiration from the cytoplasmic bridges (3) and their cell connections (5/6), to create our logo in Adobe Illustrator. Metaphorically, the cells represent individual Volvox community members, and the bridges represent their connection through Volvox Observer, and even their continued connection outside of this community. We are an aggregate of unique, multifaceted creatives.
The visual branding design of Volvox Observer has developed naturally over the years, but has found its roots in the Hershey Noailles family (which I adore), and the colours yellowgreen, #664b71, #f3f9e6, and #212121. I've added soft transition animations, round divs, and thin dotted borders around the site to create a warmth the radiates from the screen with the intention of calming its visitor.
The website (volvox.observer) was built to be explored. There is a
plethora of links to choose from! All of them leading to
heartwarming projects and articles. Our most popular webpage is
the pond, where Observers
can chat like little fish swimming around in a pond.
I like to visualize that the pond is situated in a peaceful meadow,
in the clearing of a forest. It is away from our responsibilities, a
place to rest and babble.
The town is also a tourist attraction of the volvox.observer universe. It's a portal to other trusted destinations on the indie web.
I am infatuated with interviewing. Volvox has been a special place to archive conversations for others to enjoy. Some of my favourite conversations have been Elliott & Laurel, Myles Wheeler, and Leah Maldonado.
Volvox Observer has always had a growth mindset... One way I like to develop our voice is through giving individual pieces their own unique webpage layout. Here are some projects where web design was a key factor: True Self Film Fest, Let's Hang Out, Belonging Through Creativity, Kind Words, There's No Place Like Home.
Volvox Observer has published over 10 printed projects. View our magazine archive and newspaper archive. Click the images to explore further...
I continue to run Volvox Observer because of all the love it has brought into my world. I am going to cherish all the artifacts we've crafted together for the rest of my life. I've also been able to grow as a designer and journalist more than I could have imagined through this self directed work. These days, it's hard to find a job, let alone the one you want. I've always been one to be the change I want to see in the world... as much as possible at least!
A fictional case study.
I was pondering what kind of book club I would be eager to join, and World Books came to mind. World Books is a small fictional book shop that also houses an active reading community. It's a creative atmosphere to use your imagination and make friends.
So, I wanted the design to be friendly and playful. I chose bright colours and fonts that are reminicent of the words playful and educational. Below are my logo variation sketches.
I put together a couple mock ups. One of how the shopping/gift bags would look; and another of a book that contains the principles and history of World Books. The circle is meant to represent a planet, and the lines are meant to suggest adventure and (imaginary) travel!
Fonts: Avara (VTF), Hoefler Text — I enjoy how Avara has an jagged border, it gives a digital hand-written aethetic that I could picture in a video game. Hoeflet Text is used in the Wikipedia logo, which screams explorative learning to me.
Colours: #9ec44c, #71b0b3, #534339, #fcf4e4 — I wanted to keep the design grounded in a soily brown and sandy beige, and add energy with a mossy green and watery blue.
A fictional case study.
I was looking around at flower shop websites and branding and I noticed that a lot of the design felt dated. Time for a makeover. I decided to take a minimalist approach, while still involving fun elements like a funky font and friendly colours.
It's where all the kids are getting their flowers! I imagine Mother Earth Floral sells the most hip arrangements that decorate the rooms of every kid to elder across the neighbourhood.
This is a re-design of the Brooklyn Museum. I am inspired by what they do, especially the sketchbook project. While their brand design at the moment is sophisticated and elegant, I was motivated to give them a more lively feel. The museum not only hosts galleries, but also interactive creative community projects. So, it was important to me that their vibrant community driven energy came through in this new design; yet keeping it clean and simple, because the real detail comes in with the art they showcase. Their own brand needs to stand out, while not overshadowing the art they share.
The idea of a website fitted into a circle is something I haven't seen before. This would be for the main landing page, while the linked pages would have a more standard, readable design, because they do host a lot of content that needs to be legible and easy to navigate. This new reactive circle landing page design serves everything on a simple plate to the user upon their arrival to the site. The lack of clutter with images and body text allows the user to interact with a clear and focused mind, while being introduced to more necessary text and images as they explore the website.
I needed the new business card design to be something that would stand out in your wallet. A tiny piece of paper is inherently forgettable, so it was important that the design was vibrant and bold like this to be remembered.
This new re-design stays sophisticated, while introducing their playful creative community energy. I payed close attention to the balance of round and sharp shapes, the complimentary fonts (by Klim Type Foundry: Maelstrom Collection, Domaine Sans Collection), and colours, to create an atmosphere that is lively while also remaining grounded and elegant.
A timeless logo for Top Barrel Beverages.
