Work samples for Humanities Edge
I spent over seventeen years in Yale’s Office of Development’s Marketing and Communications group, where I was responsible for both print and digital design materials in support of fundraising efforts for schools and units, as well as donor recognition events. I am well-versed in leveraging brands and identities standards, assisting in cost-effective print production planning, and configuring website CMS systems and design to best meet client needs.
In my time since Yale, I have worked with other higher-education institutions, non-profits, and small businesses… which has allowed me to continue my development experience, while also delving into e-commerce and app development.
Below is a sample of projects I collected to highlight some past and recent work for other academic and non-profit institutions, and a few that show my approach to design; bold use of color and imagery, clean and modern type treatments, and clear arrangement of information. Please do not hesitate to be in touch with any questions.
Do you Elihu? wordmark
Elihu Day was created as a day to recognize donors across Yale’s campus. Students would stop at booths on different quads and sign thank-you cards that then got sent to donors. “Do you Elihu?” was coined as a catch phrase to ask “Do you say thanks?” and this wordmark was designed for use on many different materials, to be unique for Yale, and to use the university color palette.
Access Yale wordmark
Access Yale was a two-year financial aid fundraising initiative. The task was to create a ‘very Yale’ and very simple wordmark. I used the official university wordmark and paired it with lowercase ‘access’, which is italicized to convey a nod to motion.
Slifka Center Building Forward campaign wordmark
The Slifka Center was embarking on a capital fundraising campaign and needed a wordmark + color palette, case statement, and stationery materials. They also needed an update to their existing logo, both for the campaign and to bridge to a new look/feel after the campaign concludes. The chosen concept made use of Yale colors and paired that with a unique type setting.
Miami Studies logo
The Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab launched this program to discuss issues the cultural issues of today. They wanted a logo that spoke to elements of Miami, culture, and community. The design combines a relevant font with a multi-purpose graphic (overhead view of downtown, exclamation point pair, and area color palette).
Amherst Psychotherapy Practice logo
A new practice was opening locally and they wanted a logo to use on multiple print and digital materials. The one thing they knew was that they wanted a tree to be part of the end product. I did some research on local trees, workshopped a few ideas, and we ended with this option that melds an abstract tree with a person. The graphic portion was created with a multiple color palette in mind.
Mt. Carmel Woodwork logo
A local Connecticut fireman is also a woodworker and he wanted a logo that conveyed what he did (hearkening back to when signs hung outside a shop to show the trade). After sitting with the project for a bit and trying a few tools, I created a simple graphic showing the chisel in use and the scrapings are forming a “C” for Carmel.
Trinity College Giving Day materials
Trinity College asked me to partner with them on their giving day this year. They wanted a bold, versatile wordmark that would be used on print and for several digital purposes. Given the large social marketing they were planning, I made full use of their color palette and created an attention grabbing suite. This concept started with an abstract shape of a beak (from their mascot) and built from there. A sampling of the materials created are linked to below.
Facebook ad topper graphic | Instagram square | “I gave” shareable graphic | Postcard
(All open in new window)
Trinity College TAG Week materials
Originally tasked to do a simple update of the prior year’s layout, I also presented a concept that included student athletes to help make the case for support. This new concept was chosen and included a companion email header, Facebook graphic, and mascot + yellow graphic overlay that could be tailored by individual coaching staff as needed.
Postcard | Email header | Facebook graphic | Overlay graphic
(All open in new window)
Trinity College Admissions Roadshow postcard
The College needed an engaging, attractive postcard to send to prospective students, inviting them to attend a virtual information session. Being conscious of the campus status, I used a beauty shot of campus with no students with color blocks to add a dynamic element. The front had a gray placeholder for QR codes that were to be generated and inserted.
Trinity College year end direct mailer
Trinity asked to partner on a calendar year end direct piece that could be a self mailer and house a reply envelope. I designed a piece that was attractive and used their full color palette, as well as making language, callout, and message highlighting suggestions to help make the case for financial support. I also coordinated with their print vendor to make sure all the technical needs were met (USPS requirements, variable printing, etc.). Two versions of this mailer were done and then they asked for an additional spring version because they liked the layout so much.
Direct mailer in opening stages and in full (PDF opens in new window)
Florida International University WPHL annual report
The WPHL at Florida International University needed a designed, digital annual report that showcased their accomplishments and programming over the course of the academic year within a quick timeframe. I worked with the lab’s leadership to present their work in a compelling, modern way while staying within the FIU branding and identity.
Florida International University WPHL “Coffee & Conversations” series flyer
The WPHL at Florida International University started hosting virtual discussions during the pandemic. The WPHL needed a digital flyer that could easily be shared, feature all the book covers, and include a link to access the talks (this was accomplished by replicating a button look on the flyer). In addition to the flyer, there were also companion Twitter and Facebook graphics, as well as individual talk intro slates to begin each discussion. I am currently finishing materials for the next series.
Florida International University WPHL “C&C” flyer (PDF opens in new window)
Sample Facebook graphic (opens in new window)
Sample Twitter graphic (opens in new window)
Yale Cancer Center case statement
This piece was a fundraising case statement for the cancer center in New Haven. In addition to design, I was onsite for art direction of photography and handled the photo logistics, and took care of the print management. This piece was printed as a full run, but could now be produced via a high-quality, on demand method.
Yale School of Public Health Centennial fundraising booklet
This was a fundraising publication produced for the 100th anniversary of the school. In addition to design, I handled some onsite photography direction and the print management. This piece was printed as a full run, but could now be produced via a high-quality, on demand method.
Yale Explores postcard invitations
Yale Explores was a Yale alumni and community touring event series geared toward increasing connection and engagement. The design elements were made to work together (ie, on the postcard) or could be broken out at the venue on banners, on the event website, video packages, etc. All materials used a contemporary layout and were produced on a high-quality, on-demand printer for tremendous savings (which allow for a great piece at low counts). In addition to the design, I took care of print management.
Yale Divinity School Annual Fund Challenge materials
YDS was running an end-of-year financial aid challenge and needed a cohesive suite of materials, including a postcard and graphics for social media. In addition to design, I assisted in some social media discussions and handled the print management.
Yale Divinity School Annual Report impact postcard
YDS wanted to send out an info-graphic style postcard mailer that highlighted some of the fundraising results and their impact on the Divinity community. We designed one, then also created a non-donor version to mail to a separate audience segment. The layout also included a QR code that pointed to their online donation page.
Amherst Magazine ads
Amherst Promise Campaign ads (PDF opens in new window)
This was an ad series featured in the college magazine and appeared on consecutive right-side pages. These two ads were designed to work together or separately.
For Amherst (PDF opens in new window)
This ad was featured on the interior back cover for Amherst’s day-of-giving, “For Amherst”
Springfield Technical Community College admissions materials
Below are links to two pieces from a redesign of admissions materials for STCC that make great use of color blocks for look and function. In addition to design, I also made stock recommendations.
Admissions folder and inserts (PDF opens in new window)
STCC needed a new admissions piece for outreach efforts and I came up with a folder + insert package that could be customized and handed out at events or mailed.
9 inch x 12 inch general folder (PDF opens in new window)
I pitched the idea of a new folder in a way that several offices could use it, allowing for a greater product and lowering of per-piece costs.
Stevenson School website
The Stevenson School, a private day and boarding school in California, wanted a new, contemporary website built in an easy to manage platform that could grow with their needs (for example, micro sites for major events and departments). Their site was built in WordPress, with focus on a whittling down of content and attention to accessibility and site responsiveness. Their color palette was leveraged against an open, white backdrop to present a clean, easy to read product.
Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab website
The Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab at Florida International University (WPHL at FIU) needed a new, updated version of their website to better reflect their structure and community research and programming. One of the decisions we made was to use the FIU CMS platform, Cascade, to help with the visual association the Lab has with FIU. This involved my needing to learn the CMS system and then design and build out the site.
The recently published site now is more inviting and engaging, made to showcase their offerings and is easier for their staff to maintain.
Also, at go-live, we achieved a 100% accessibility rating!
Connecticut Dental Political Action Committee website
The Connecticut Dental Political Action Committee (CODPAC) needed to upgrade their old, non-responsive website to have a modern look-and-feel as well as set up and connect to an online donation form. In addition, they needed their color palette modified to be accessibility compliant and a donor information webform created so they could collect needed information. After analyzing their needs, I created a new, responsive, accessibility minded site from scratch in WordPress and connected all the online donation pieces. I also installed a plugin that lets you easily create vanity URLs for special campaigns or initiatives. The project finished with a client tutorial on how to update content.
Professor Capó website
Professor Capó was looking for a professionally designed website that will serve as a resource for information about his research, upcoming talks, and academic and public press contributions. I am currently building this website, which will include an easy-to-update back end for the professor, responsive coding built in for all devices, accessibility best practices, and feature a robust use of color and typography to highlight his content.
Link to the temporary, holding homepage (opens in new window).
In-progress homepage layout on desktop and mobile device (PDF opens in new window)
*Note: this site is under development; please do not share.
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