Designer + Illustrator + Art Director
Representing nearly two decades of my work from Detroit to San Diego, my portfolio displays expertise with major daily newspapers ranging from breaking news and business to sports and features, with special projects, illustration and graphic art throughout.
Hot Seat on the Hot Nights
As lead designer for A1 at the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Detroit News, I’ve been trusted to land the plane on the most turbulent nights over the years. I’ve made deadline for the past three U.S. presidents from election night to inauguration day. I pride myself on being a steady presence in the face of unpredictability and chaos, whether it’s election night or … Thursday. I had to Google the word “equanimity” when U-T managing editor Lora Cicalo told me she was grateful I always exhibited that quality on deadline.
Election Planning: Voter Guide
I led art direction and designed this 28-page voter guide in the months leading up to the presidential election, with beautiful illustration done by Cristina Byvik. It spanned national, state and local races.
Sports Design
During my two years as lead designer for sports at the Union-Tribune, I conceptualized bold and engaging cover designs for a broad range of sports. I also brainstormed and led art direction for special section covers, often bringing in illustrators to help elevate the concept and bring our vision to life. From commissioning freelance art for the Chargers & NFL preview, to illustrating and creating photo illustrations, I made sure the visuals matched the tone of the content and provided a cohesive aesthetic for each page of these sections. In the case of the Padres preview, “CLEAN START,” I enlisted photographer Eduardo Contreras and directed the shoot at the ballpark. In fact, that’s my hand brushing the plate!
When I moved to A1 full time, I still took every opportunity I could to work on special projects for sports, including a daily recurring series of player posters during the Padres’ march to the World Series. We ended up running two each day as bonus pages in our digital newspaper, teasing the pages from the print edition. The U-T also sold printed versions in their online store.
The Many Faces of Politics
In politics, sometimes faces tell the story best. Sometimes they’re all we’ve got! Capturing great faces is primarily a photographer’s job, but it’s up to the designer to determine how those faces will capture the reader.
Something From Nothing
Not every worthy story comes with worthy art. That’s where I come in – and frankly, I love the challenge. Whether the solution is a charticle, making a dry-looking document into a dynamic visual, or creating a photo illustration – if we determine a story should be front and center for our readers, I will find a way to give it the spotlight it deserves.
Special Project: Tech Section
An ultra-simple, pure CMYK color palette set the tone for this light and modern aesthetic in a section focused on how technology impacts our lives. I wanted the dense content to be given an approachable look of levity, bringing in illustrations by Cristina Byvik and also creating photo illustrations that employed the theme.
Casino Guides
I hit the jackpot designing these quarterly Casino Guides for the Union-Tribune. Writer Michele Parente may have had most of the fun in researching these amazing locations across San Diego County, but I really enjoyed the energy of these projects.
Special Project: Michiganians
Who am I to correct years of tradition at the Detroit News by changing the title to the proper word: Michiganders? That aside, photographer Elizabeth Conley shot gorgeous portraits of our honorees, but they were all shot separately. When it came time to design the cover, I focused on our primary goal: congratulating these residents for their efforts as loudly as possible.
Detroit News Entertainment Tab: GO!
In between A section shifts in Detroit, I also led art direction and designed our weekly entertainment tab “GO!” These covers and doubletrucks gave me a chance to experiment in ways that didn’t fit into our news coverage
