Populist: Naming Project for McCann SF

McCann SF was creating a new division of their office, one centering on user-generated content and social-network media. I was asked to come up with a name for the new division, and after a bit of thinking, presented the name of, 'Populist'. An Art Director at the company gave it a typographical beauty treatment and came up with a really beautiful expression of the name.

Nike Women

T.A.G. was given an opportunity to work with Nike in creating a name and look for their new fit program for women's bottoms. The project needed to stay within the world of Nike, but to speak to an audience they really hadn't targeted here in the U.S.:  13-24-year old females. We came up with a way to approach each of the four new fits, creating a look and feel as well ideas for in-store presentation and marketing. 

Irregular Sizes

At McCann SF, I was part of a group of creatives and strategic personnel working under the aegis, Irregular Sizes. I was able to leverage my contacts and expertise in the areas of fashion and design to bring in new clients. From there I worked as an ACD on web and print projects for these clients, resulting in a successful brand evolution for the clients and an expansion of client portfolio and creative for McCann SF. I also worked with the group to create this website, which served as a sort of online resumé for the group.

www.irregularsizes.com

Web Presentation for TOMS shoes

 As part of the work that Irregular Sizes/McCann SF engaged in for Modern Amusement and TOMS shoes, I created a presentation that outlined various approaches to retail websites and, in the end, recommending that they build sites that allow for an equal amount of commerce and user-generated content. Turning your brand over to the public can be a scary thing, but this presentation got them excited about the possibilities. Web 2.0, here we go...

Entire presentation, including creative, available upon request.

TOMS shoes

We worked with TOMS shoes to overhaul their website, creating a cohesive brand voice, a branded look and to incorporate user-generated content. They are an awesome company with a revolutionary business plan that has giving built into the model. We wanted to help them sell lots of shoes and still tell their story so we created lots of ways to do both at every step of the way. The project is still a work-in-progress, below is the presentation of the website's new front page.

4C magazine

I helped in the preliminary stages of creating the editorial look and feel of 4C, a vanity publishing project covering design, art, architecture and fashion funded by Akzo plastics. The challenge was to figure out what and why this publication should exist. Working with Executive Editorial Director, Emin Kadi, we mulled over the editorial direction and also decided to trick it out with a limited-edition cover that would show off just what Akzo could do in a way that fully integrated with the form and function of a cover. A cool cover is not only worth a thousand words, it can also be the element that sells thousands of issues.  I later served as a contributing writer. 

www.4c-mag.com

Kiddieuptravel.com

Kiddieuptravel.com is my personal website. It's a guide to inspired and inspiring vacations for families and it takes an editorial approach to covering them. Does the world really need another website/blog? My answer: who cares? I wanted something to call my own (besides my two kids). And I love to travel so it lets me fully indulge my wanderlust without having to pack. The site is still a work-in-progress, but it's a lot of fun.

I worked with Minneapolis-based eighthourday to help with the design and look of the site. The rest is all me.

www.kiddieuptravel.com

T.A.G. project for Surface magazine

T.A.G. Exhibit, Milan & New York

As Senior Editor of *Surface magazine, one of the projects that I conceived and worked on was the Ten Avant-Guardians exhibit, an annual exhibit and editorial feature of up-and-coming American furniture and industrial designers. Each year I put out a call for entries and along with the magazine publishers, chose ten designers to feature in an exhibit that traveled to the furniture fairs in Milan and New York and were published in a special edition (and sometimes as a supplement) to the magazine.

editorial clips happily provided  on request

Target: Design for All

In 2004, Target decided to take up the idea of design as a way to differentiate itself from other big box retailers. Working with the art directors at Peterson Milla Hooks Advertising, I helped to chose products to feature in the campaign, worked to conceive visual ideas and was responsible for all copy needs, including creating the program name, Design for All.

Target: DFA Free Design

I presented Target with the idea of Free Design as a next step in the Design for All program. It was well received but in the end they partnered with the Cooper Hewitt to sponsor the People's Choice Awards. Below is one of the presentations of tactical ideas and some initial ideas for online concepts. 

Target: DFA Insert

A later DFA Insert, showing how the program evolved in it's marketing.

The piece was a winner of a Kelly Award for Best Multiple Page Campaign.

Target: GO International

While working at Peterson Milla Hooks advertising, Target created a program that brought in limited-time only design collections to their stores. Our agency worked on the program from it's inception, and I created the program name, set the voice and collaborated with the art directors to create a visual style. 

Target: GO evolution

When Target shifted the parameters of their GO International program from short-set collections by  international (and internationally-known) designers to include trend-based collections by Target labels (Mossimo, etc.,) they wanted a new communication tactic that reflected the new direction but didn't lose the brand equity and recognition of the GO International name. My solution was to create a new tagline for the program, "New, Next, Now", which is currently being used online and in-stores.