pins, sticker, social media
kc tenants, an advocacy group organizing for safe, accessible, affordable housing, needed promotional buttons and a sticker design that was staunchly brand-forward and used clear and direct messaging.
the “language access” social media post series required tight collaboration with kc tenants project managers and translators – a task we were able to handle quickly and accurately to ensure reliable and consistent communication for all kc tenant audiences.
collaborators: elizabeth davis, wilson vance, mary allison joseph, willow carr
digital annual report
in re-capping their significant wins and activities of 2023, the missouri workers center needed a document that would show well on-screen, could easily be emailed, or printed at the office to share with existing and potential donors and others sympathetic to their cause – advancing economic justice for low-wage workers across racial and geographic lines.
headlines consistently emphasize gerunds to highlight the action-oriented nature of the group’s work. cell-phone photography taken by organizers documented most all activities of the group and is used throughout, with a black-and-white treatment to unify all imagery.
collaborators: jeremy al-haj, aditi ramaswami, les stitt.
instagram campaign
born out of the earlier “celebrating black punk & hardcore” project, this year-and-a-half long effort celebrates and recognizes the valuable, passionate, and diverse contributions by all punks of color to the hardcore and punk music scenes. the concept was to maximize content types on the platform for our feature posts, which meant combining audio clips, motion graphics, live performance photography, interviews, and typography in a seamless 10-image carousel. view the project in its entirety on instagram @decolonizepunk, with full band interviews available here.
recognition: aiga kansas city a18 “campaigns” award
collaborators: parker seydel, anthony bennett, emily myers, and too many bands and photographers to list.
visual identity, social media, banner, poster series
with a focus on creating cross-cultural worker power for low-wage workers in missouri, this identity leverages elements of shipping packages as a nod to amazon workers to communicate diverse elements [black, white, brown; democrat and republican; etc] united for a common cause. red, white, and blue work toward winning back america for working-class people.
recognition: poster series – gdusa magazine 2022 design awards, “design for good” category.
collaborators: jeremy al-haj, parker seydel, les stitt, daniel tucker, kaysie collens
social media campaign
a self-initiated project for black history month to spotlight the memorable and important contributions of black punks to the vibrancy, creativity, and diversity of the punk and hardcore scene. i admittedly knew of only a few punks of color but used this opportunity for some self-education, collaboration, and discovered several great bands and people in the process. view the project in its entirety on instagram @thenewprogramme
recognition: gdusa magazine 2022 design awards, “design for good” category.
collaborators: justin betterton
exhibition identity, signage, publication, stickers, grant co-authoring
a large collaborative project in support of “the langston hughes club”, an affinity group within the “stand up kc” low-wage worker organization. a range of professional photographers worked with club members to photograph their daily lives using cell phones, critique the work, and make selections for the exhibition. held over a weekend in an unused storefront owned by a union worker, the exhibit featured photos mounted on sheetrock panels, interactive stickers, and the publication mounted as posters on the wall.
the publication design showcased a curated set of workers’ photos paired with workers’ quotes taken from interviews i conducted. flipping through the document, newspaper style, creates happenstance word and image associations for readers. when pulled out as posters, they offer a larger scale, more complete viewing and reading experience, which was also intended to facilitate public wheatpasting.
this project was made possible by a $3250 rocket grant “project award” from the charlotte street foundation and university of kansas spencer museum of art
collaborators: hannah lodwick, michael enriquez, steve hebert, chase castor
motion graphic
substituting for a traditional spoken-word introduction for the black panther party minister of culture, this piece is built on the concept of easily-accessible, low-fi materials and processes. rub down lettering was often used by douglas in his early work, and a manual typewriter, cheap papers, and cell phone video capture round out the basic materials. final editing and manipulation was done in the not-so-accessible adobe after effects.
designed a few short weeks before the emergence of trump’s ukraine call scandal and the subsequent impeachment proceedings, this poster focuses on the many successes and attempts [163, to be precise] at denying various groups equal treatment under law, a guaranteed right under the 14th amendment to the constitution. this was designed independently to support a public call for impeachment by “united we stand”.
visit this page for the full list of civil and human rights rollbacks.
the open table is a community of faith in kansas city, rooted in contemplation and liberation. given quotes focused on liberation, freedom, and justice, i worked to embody the essence of each quote primarily within the typography.
collaborators: nick pickrell, victoria litardo, wendie brockhaus, sarah pickrell
naming, visual identity, motion graphics & sound design, teaching materials, website, certificate
this “storytelling workshop-in-a-box” is based on the premise that data alone doesn’t persuade people to take action and that memorable stories told by people who have lived experience can have a tremendous impact. online delivery of a complete set of video lessons, pdf facilitator guides, and worksheets allow leaders and participants to hone their stories for powerful self-advocacy.
collaborators: laura runnels, gina chiala, steve hebert
visual identity, posters, flyers, misc. ephemera
as part of a larger national initiative to earn restaurant and low-wage workers a living wage, needed benefits, and the right to unionize, this campaign needed to balance national cohesion with local flavor. prominent use of red connects with several other cities for quick recognition as a national effort, while a custom-designed headline typeface provides kc with a unique look. the voice is confident and loud, taking up any space afforded to it. this collection represents the core set of materials for the group.
kansas city was one of the first seven cities to organize workers, with hundreds turning out for rallies, marches, and to hear prominent speakers such as emanuel cleaver III and noted civil rights leader rev. c. t. vivian.
the shirts have been especially popular with workers. five hundred were printed; all were given away on the first two days of actions. as of april 2016, 3000–3500 shirts have been printed.
collaborators: michael enriquez and jeremy al-haj; sam yates, michael jumper, alli sevareid, devon wolfe, anthony bennett [student collaborators].
for over seven years, stand up kc has proudly taken to the streets, locally and nationally, to fight for a living wage and the right to unionize. visualizing their hopes and demands requires a careful balance of legibility and concept for a quick, yet memorable read, with an understanding of how these messages proliferate as news images through various electronic and print channels.
this collection represents a sampling of the most common messaging formats – posters, banners, flyers. as of october 2019 4,660 large silkscreen posters have been printed.
collaborators: michael enriquez and jeremy al-haj; david terrill [portrait illustrations], sam yates, michael jumper, alli sevareid, devon wolfe, anthony bennett [student collaborators].
photos: suzanne corum-rich and tyler galloway
visual identity, business correspondence, literature, website
through legal representation, workshops, and movement support, hcjf creates opportunities for workers to learn and exercise their rights, realize their collective power, and develop the leadership skills necessary to advocate for a racially and economically just society. the contemporary, bold, and powerful design is meant to evoke nuts and bolts, building blocks, and collective power with a sense of warmth and hope.
collaborator: gina chiala
visual identity, campaign materials
the strong and compact "DNVR F15HT" logo anchors these campaign materials with a punch that reflects the seriousness of effort made by these low-wage workers. orange and navy capitalize on local football pride while spanish and english translations reflect the diversity of the group. a strongly unified visual approach lends credibility and solidarity to their struggles for a living wage and respect in the workplace.
collaborators: michael enriquez and jeremy al-haj; alli sevaried
24" × 36", one-color silkscreen poster // edition of 50
this poster confronts the viewer viscerally by making an emotional, then rational, appeal. these are flesh-and-blood humans, not just images on a newscast or statistics. the individual first names connect with the single torso to shift understanding from an individual to multiple lives; a seemingly unending list. finally, the detail text notes the specifics of the issue – that all of these individuals were unarmed when killed by the police and details of their killing.
collaborator: myles thompson
motion graphics, storytelling, video editing
created as original content under the "bike city kc" brand and distributed via its facebook page, this video series explores stories and issues of cycling in kansas city through discussions with various bike enthusiasts that make up our diverse bike culture. the intent is to further the dialogue about cycling in kansas city and inspire more people to ride bikes, plain and simple.
collaborators: malin brodi, jacqueline chanda, steve conard, joshua hoffman, heidi holliday, mesan john, julie meers, alex olson, maggie priesmeyer, vincent rodriguez, brett shoffner, kenneth walker
“bike city kc” is envisioned as a participatory brand based on the idea of celebrating and developing cycling culture in kansas city. the first incarnation of the participatory spirit is the development of a logo template that has been customized by local designers, most all of whom are also cyclists.
original content such as the bike city kc video series, the quotes below, and other content linked from external sources currently resides on the bike city kc facebook page.
collaborators: rebecca dowell, doug havach, taylor hillestad, michael e kidwell, rachel krause, jessica meurer, richard pool, sara ramirez, matt urlaub
visual identity, business card, annual reports, website
the midwest center for equality & democracy’s [mced] mission is to empower low wage workers to organize with their coworkers to demand a living wages, an end to racial discrimination, and a voice on-the-job. mced supports the organizing efforts of other kansas city labor groups and underserved populations. interested in collective and organized action that moves our democracy forward, their identity is meant to visualize those values in a powerful, organized, and innovative way.
collaborators: michael enriquez, jeremy al-haj, gina chiala; anna [de sando] gonzales, jessi wilson
24x36” laser-print and silkscreen posters // edition of 50
this self-initiated project articulates an alternative to traditional majority-rule voting. printing on cheap paper (with an accompanying sale price of $5) works in direct opposition to the notion of political posters sitting in a gallery rather than doing their work in the streets. perforated pull tabs with a url lead readers to a web page with much more detailed information on consensus.
exhibited: “posters of discontent”, eastern michigan university fall 2008; coastal carolina university spring 2009. published: no tasarim #2 turkish design publication, spring 2009
newspaper design template, graphic standards
a regularly-published newspaper chronicling the life, hospitality and community-building efforts of a catholic worker house in the historic northeast neighborhood of kansas city. this redesign gave the newspaper a strong sense of order and clarity balanced with an approachable and peaceful typeface. included in the project was consultation on using adobe indesign, which allowed cherith brook to produce the newspaper internally and properly maintain the visual standards.
collaborators: nick pickrell and sarah cool
visual identity, campaign materials
a public campaign that brought together a coalition of labor, faith, student, occupy kansas city, and community organizations from around the city to demand that the utility company kcp&l pay its fair share in taxes (they paid none from 2008–2010) and stop raising rates on kansas city’s 99%.
the campaign was widely covered in the local print, radio, and television media. the shareholder action even garnered national press coverage. the design of the materials lent visual cohesion, narrative continuity, and gave the campaign a professional credibility that reflected in the campaign’s actions, media coverage, and in their online footprint. the logical appeal to viewers told the story of a regional energy monopoly as a corporate tax scofflaw that had heretofore been untold.
collaborators: michael enriquez and jeremy al-haj;
david duncil, abby carr, jessi wilson, erica downing
visual identity, campaign materials
KC99 was an organization dedicated to defeating racism and fighting for economic equality, viewing themselves as part of an american tradition of working and poor people who continuously engage in efforts to improve their lives.
borne out of an idea to leverage existing sources of kansas city (and american) pride came a logo, banners, t-shirts, posters, and a web banner and numerous flyer designs. all materials are designed to maximize clear public communication of KC99's core messages during actions and, in doing so, also take advantage of possible media coverage that might further the message of the people.
collaborators: michael enriquez and jeremy al-haj
18” x 24” two-color silkscreen, perforated and laser cut poster // edition of 50
designed in response to an invitation to participate in “printervention”, an exhibition underscoring the necessity for for the support of artists and the ideas of civic responsibility to the greater society.
this poster focuses on practical, humanizing, and non-judgmental ways we can help our friends without homes. serving as both a poster and a stencil, it allows viewers to spread the message on their own terms.
a collaborative and inclusive process was integral to the project. to that end, content was developed with nick pickrell of cherith brook catholic worker house, whose mission is to show hospitality and practice works of mercy to people without homes in their neighborhood. further, a group was assembled to spread love throughout areas of kansas city where people most come in contact with people without homes. this created a sense of shared purpose and provoked thought on the subject as posters were being hung and stencils made.
exhibited: chicago tourism center gallery in chicago, 2010; open lot in nashville, 2010
collaborators: nick pickrell (content development); chris chapin, justin ruggieri, david scott, abby gallagher, ben hlavacek, brandon lyon.
motion graphics, logo design
this raleigh/durham/chapel hill public access cable news show is created by the people, for the people. the sequence was designed to embody the do-it-yourself spirit, networks, public participation, and production values of this group of activist reporters. the soundtrack features cakalak thunder, a north carolina radical drum corps.
collaborator: manzoor cheema
motion graphics, storytelling
two excerpts from a 20-minute film exploring our various relationships with animals. this was a thesis exploration at north carolina state university of how various storytelling devices like animation, voice-over, typography, and live action footage can be sequenced in an effective and memorable manner.
a graduate school project, this display typeface was conceived as a public stencil-based system for use by anarchists. three weights of grid-based concentric circles allow for a unique take on the stenciling process while allowing for flexibility in application. to circumvent corporate co-option, distribution would occur through laser-cut stencil sets distributed one-at-a-time amongst trusted colleagues.
visual identity, stationery, posters
centered around social gatherings such as monthly potlucks, restaurant outings and an annual vegan bbq, this group’s goal was to expose the public to the wide-ranging benefits of a vegetarian/vegan diet. the logo reflects both the social and plant-based core of the group. recycled, naturally-colored paper was used throughout, with visual puns providing that “a-ha” moment on the logo and posters.
a personal, yet public, editorial comment on the 2000 presidential elections.
published: “the design of dissent” by milton glaser and mirko ilic
