Portfolio 2012

a ls ton w i s e

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stationery design publications logos events book project

h o l i d ay 2 0 1 1 This past holiday season, I created two lines of holiday cards: one for Minted & o n e f o r m y o w n c o m p a n y, b . w i s e p a p e r s .

T h r o u g h t h e u s e o f t y p o g r a p h y, i l l u s t r a t i o n a n d p h o t o g r a p h y, m y g o a l i s t o create designs that tell a story and in some way reflect the personality of the sender.

To s e e t h e f u l l c o l l e c t i o n s , v i s i t : h t t p : // w w w . m i n t e d . c o m / designer-storefront/bwisepapers minted:

h t t p : // b w i s e p a p e r s . c o m / c a t a l o g /2 / h o l i d a y b .w i s e pa p e r s :

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stationery / 5

c l a s s i c m e r r y features whimsical typography that gracefully a d o r n s c l i e n t p h o t o s - - a f r e s h t a k e o n c l a s s i c e l e g a n c e . Placed #5 out of 2,214 design submissions, and was voted the customer favorite for the 2011 holiday card challenge.

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t h e p e a c e va n The perfect vehicle to send the message of

peace; hand drawn and digitally colored.

stationery / 7

a n e w s to c k i n g A one-of-a-kind illustration of stockings

sends greetings of the season & introduces the newest addition t o t h e f a m i l y - - s w e e t a n d s i m p l e , p l a y f u l a n d f e s t i v e . Placed #7 out of 2,214 design submissions, and was named Best Cross Category design by editors at Minted.

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m e r r y w i s h e s is a type-centric design that paired perfectly with t h i s c o a s t a l p h o t o . Designed for a client through b.wise papers; the full b.wise holiday collection is online at http://bwisepapers.com/catalog/2/holiday.

stationery / 9

m e r r y r i b b o n features hand-drawn typography inspired

by the fluidity and movement of ribbon. f e at u r e d i n o p r a h m a g a z i n e & r e a l s i m p l e m a g a z i n e

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opr ah maga zine ,

D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 , Vo l u m e 1 2 , I s s u e 1 2

real simple maga zine ,

December 2011

stationery / 11

laura negri photography I have an ongoing partnership with LNP in the creation of cards & announcements for LNP photography clients. I work individually with each client to custom design around their photo and according to their tastes.

My personal favorite from this past h o l i d a y s e a s o n i s “ It’s a Wonderful

Life ” — a c l a s s i c e x a m p l e o f t h e m a g i c a l way image, typography & message can work together to create something truly n o t e w o r t h y.

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stationery / 13

wedding 2011 In 2011, 6 of my wedding designs were i nc lu d e d i n M i n t e d ’s we d d i ng co l l e c t i o n .

3 of those designs placed in the top 10 of their respective challenges, with one, “A P e r f e c t M a t c h , ” c o m i n g i n 1 s t p l a c e .

Yo u c a n s e e t h e c o m p l e t e s u i t e s I c r e a t e d , which include backers, liners, reply cards & more by following the links listed below each design.

In addition, I had the opportunity to work with several brides to create wedding suites through b.wise papers.

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s e c r e t g a r d e n I nsp i re d by t he c las s i c s t o r y fo r wh i c h i t ’s na me d ,

this design features the initials of the happy couple peaking out from a n a r r a y o f h a n d - d r a w n b l o o m s a n d l e a v e s . Placed #9 out of 1,621 designs. c o m p l e t e w e d d i n g s u i t e ava i l a b l e at M i n t e d : h t t p : // w w w . m i n t e d . c o m /p r o d u c t / w e d d i n g - i n v i t a t i o n s / M I N - 0 0 P - I N V /s e c r e t - g a r d e n

stationery / 15

a p e r f e c t m atc h A vintage-inspired matchbox illustration com-

bines with polished type to make this save the date both parts elegant & w h i m s i c a l . Placed #1 out of 901 design submissions, and was also named a top 10 finalist in the bridal category of the National Stationery Trends Awards. c o m p l e t e s u i t e ava i l a b l e at M i n t e d : h t t p : // w w w . m i n t e d . c o m /p r o d u c t /s a v e - t h e - d a t e - c a r d s / M I N - M 1 6 - S T D / t h e - p e r f e c t - m a t c h

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h o l d t h e d at e Both parts sweet and sophisticated, this save the

date was designed with eye toward classic simplicity & photo enhancem e n t . Placed #5 out of 901 design submissions. c o m p l e t e s u i t e ava i l a b l e at M i n t e d : h t t p : // w w w . m i n t e d . c o m /p r o d u c t /s a v e - t h e - d a t e - c a r d s / M I N - M 1 6 - S T D / t h e - p e r f e c t - m a t c h

stationery / 17

n o r d f o r s w e d d i n g s u i t e Fo r a c o u p l e i n N a s h v i l l e , T N , I

created a typography centered wedding suite including save the dates, invitations, RSVP cards, thanks you notes and programs.

Managed project from initial client contact through production.

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notebook design Asked to create a perfectly stylish, personalizable journal cover, I came up with “ We A t e C a k e . � T h e m u s t - h a v e c o m p a n ion for the hostess with the mostest, it was designed to record gatherings and celebrations -- what was served, what happened, who was there. It would also m a k e a f a n t a s t i c s t o r y b o o k /g u e s t b o o k if passed around to guests for their input from the event. A perfect way to keep those memories alive!

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h o l i d ay 2 0 1 0 In 2010, I also created holiday cards for M i n t e d a nd fo r b.w ise pap e r s . I t ’s always my goal when I create a photo card design to use the image and words to not only make a beautiful composition, but also to contain a narrative.

My favorite from the 2010 season, “ N O E L , ” i s f e a t u r e d a t r i g h t . Fo r m y f i r s t foray into a Minted holiday challenge, this design placed #10 out of 1,336 design submissions and went on to be a best seller of the season.

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unc press book cover design Fo r t h e c o v e r o f W illiam Alexander Percy:

The Curious Life of a Mississippi Planter & Sexual Freethinker, a s t u d y i n c u l t u r a l h i s t o r y t h r o u g h b i o g r a p h y, m y g o a l w a s t o cap t u re t he sub j e c t ’s e n i g ma t i c l i fe.

The photo is contemplative, and the w a s h e d o u t t r e a t m e n t a d d s m y s t e r y. T h e typography is stately & bold, as his life was important and deserves recognition.

Certainly hard to pin down in his life, the cover invites you to explore his world and try to make sense of his inner struggles.

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h a r va r d w r i t i n g p r o j e c t I n 2 0 0 7, I h a d t h e p r i v i l e g e o f w o r k i n g with faculty at Harvard University to create guides to writing in their specific courses. The work included overall design c o n c e p t i o n , f o r m a t t i n g, p r o d u c t i o n m a n a g e m e n t a n d p h o t o g r a p h y.

Please visit the links below to view excerpts from the handbooks: h t t p : // i s s u u . c o m /a l s t o n w i s e / d o c s /r e s e a r c h s e m _ e x c e r p t s H i sto ry:

h t t p : // i s s u u . c o m /a l s t o n w i s e / docs/justicefinal Justice:

h t t p : // i s s u u . c o m /a l s t o n w i s e /d o c s / h w p _ 0 3 _ p h i l _ e x c e r p t P h i lo s o p h y:

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george mason university This project for GMU involved creating fund-raising campaign literature for the Center of History and New Media. I created the theme and graphics, incorporating their vision to expand globally throughout the booklet with a line drawing symbolizing information travel.

After this work was completed, I advised the center on their logo redesign and in d e v e l o p i n g a n i d e n t i t y.

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e a s t pa s s a g e b o at w r i g h t s I had the opportunity to work with East Passage Boatwrights, a company that builds and restores wooden boats, to develop a logo. The graphic was based off a specific type of wooden boat, the International Dragon. The logo has been used on signage, business cards, t-shirts and more.

I also created thermography business cards for the founders, incorporating the l o g o w i t h c l a s s i c s e r i f t y p o g r a p h y.

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hagen custom woodworking Since I was designing for a furniture craftsman, I wanted to create a logo that s p o k e t o c l a s s i c a u t h e n t i c i t y. T h e “ H � takes on the from of furniture (a chair, perhaps?) while the other typography is stately and sophisticated.

The business cards are letterpress printed on cotton paper, another representation of the old world authenticity of the business.

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out of the blue I had the privilege of creating a publicity poster for a local artist to promote an upcoming show. The challenge of this proj ect was finding a way for the design to stand out without overpowering the featured artwork. The colors were inspired by o ne s u se d i n t he a r t is t ’s wo r k .

The design was used as both a poster in the gallery and as an ad in the newspaper & other local publications.

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t h e s e c o n d b i r t h d ay Because our daughter is our only child w h o h a s n ’ t l i v e d i n a b i g c i t y, w e d e c i d e d t o t h r o w a c i t y - t h e m e d p a r t y f o r h e r 2 nd b i r t h d a y. Fo r t h e i n v i t a t i o n s , I w a n t e d so me t h i ng d is t i nc tly B o s t o n s i nce t ha t ’s where we had lived, so M took over the famous Citgo sign with her smiling face.

The illustration was hand-sketched and digitally colored.

S e e f u l l d e t a i l s o f t h e p a r t y, i n c l u d i n g the “box city block,” complete with graff i t i w a l l , a t h t t p : // b w i s e p a p e r s . b l o g s p o t . c o m /2 0 1 1 / 1 0 /m s - 2 n d - b i r t h d a y - p a r t y. h t m l .

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with toddlers in tow While I was studying at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, we were assigned to create a “cookbook� in the traditional or non-traditional sense, which included a recipe for how to do s o m e t h i n g. I c r e a t e d a g u i d e t o o u t i n g s with toddlers. The idea came from living in the city with toddlers and trying to explain to our friends without kids what it was like getting out of the house. It was my first project using both Illustrator & InDesign.

See the complete book: h t t p : // i s s u u . c o m /a l s t o nw i s e /d o c s /s m f a b o o k

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a l s t o n w i s e , graphic designer alston@bwisepapers.com

·

www.bwisepapers.com

experience

S i n c e 2 0 0 7, I h ave b e e n w o r k i n g a s a f r e e l a n c e g r a p h i c d e s i g n e r t h r o u g h m y c o m p a n y,

b .w i s e pa p e r s .

Wo r k i n g w i t h c l i e n t s b o t h l a r g e

a n d s m a l l , I h ave c r e a t e d eve r y t h i n g f r o m l o g o s a n d i d e n t i ty s y s t e m s , t o i nv i t a t i o n s a n d a n n o u n c e m e n t s , t o b r o c h u r e s a n d h a n d b o o k s . I n 2 0 0 8 , I l a u n c h e d a c u s t o m s t a t i o n e r y s t o r e f r o n t ( w w w. b w i s e p a p e r s . c o m ) , w h i c h i s n o t o n l y a n e - c o m m e r c e s i t e , b u t w a s a l s o d eve l o p e d t o a l l o w f o r consumer photo uploads. minted,

2010-present, san francisco, ca

E s t a b l i s h e d a n o n g o i n g p a r t n e r s h ip t o f ea t u r e a n d s e l l my d e s i g n s a s p a r t o f t h e i r o n l i n e c a t a l o g ; n a m e d a f avo r i t e d e s i g n e r i n t h e h o l i d ay c a r d c a t e g o r y a n d g ive n my o w n s t o r e f r o n t ( w w w. m i n t e d . c o m /d e s i g n e r s t o r e f r o n t / b w i s e p a p e r s ) ; w a s f l o w n t o Sa n Fr a n c i s c o s u m m e r o f 2 0 1 1 t o m e e t w i t h t h e t e a m , g o ove r p r o d u c t i o n a n d b r a i n s t o r m f u t u r e p r o j e c t s ; f e a t u r e d i n a d ve r t i s e m e n t s i n b o t h O p r a h & R ea l S i m p l e m a g az i n e s . l au r a n e g r i p h o t o g r a p h y,

2010-present, atlanta, ga

D eve l o p e d a n o n g o i n g p a r t n e r s h ip t o c r ea t e c u s t o m p h o t o c a r d s a n d a n n o u n c e m e n t s f o r h i g h - e n d p h o t o g r a p hy c l i e n t s ; w o r k d i r e c tl y w i t h clients and photographer to implement vision. picaboo,

2011, palo alto, ca

R e c r u i t e d t o c r e a t e s t a t i o n e r y d e s i g n s i n s eve r a l c a t e g o r i e s t o j u m p start their personalized card catalog; designed in accordance with webbased software demands. j.hill design,

2008, boston, ma,

A s s i s t e d t h e p r i n c i p a l i n d e s i g n p r o j e c t s , ty p e s e t t i n g & c l i e n t m e e t i n g s ; p r e p a r e d m a t e r i a l s fo r t h e c o m p a ny ’s a p p ea r a n c e a t t h e Na t i o n a l S t a t i o n e r y S h o w i n N YC ; f i l e d t r a d e m a r k s a n d p e r f o r m e d o t h e r g e n e r a l a d m i n i s t r a t ive t a s k s t h a t c o m e w i t h o p e r a t i n g a s m a l l b u s i n e s s . h a rva r d u n i v e r s i t y,

2007, cambridge, ma

D e s i g n e d a n d f o r m a t t e d w r i t i n g m a n u a l s a n d h a n d b o o k s f o r s eve r a l d e p a r t m e n t s w i t h i n Ha r va r d Un ive r s i ty ; m a n a g e d p r o d u c t i o n o f p r o j e c t s f r o m d e s i g n c o n c e p t i o n t h r o u g h t h e p r i n t i n g p r o c e s s ; m e t w i t h f a c u l ty t o d i s c u s s c o n t e n t , l ayo u t a n d d e s i g n , a s w e l l a s t o p r e s e n t c o n c e p t s and drafts. g e o r g e m a s o n u n i v e r s i t y,

2007, fairfax, va

D e s i g n e d f u n d - r a i s i n g c a m p a i g n l i t e r a t u r e fo r t h e Ce n t e r o f H i s t o r y a n d N e w Me d i a ; w o r k e d w i t h t h e c e n t e r t o r e d e s i g n l o g o a n d d eve l o p a n i d e n t i t y. awards s ta r p r o g r a m awa r d ,

2011, minted, llc A n awa r d g ive n t o a s e l e c t

g r o u p o f d e s i g n e r s w i t h a p r ove n t r a c k r e c o r d i n s a l e s . T h e aw a r d i n c l u d e d d e s i g n c o m m i s s i o n s , i n c r ea s e d s a l e s c o m m i s s i o n , a t r ip t o Sa n Fr a n c i s c o t o m e e t w i t h t h e t ea m & d e s i g n e r b r a n d p r o m o t i o n .

awa r d s ( c o n t. ) f av o r i t e d e s i g n e r h o l i d ay awa r d ,

2011, minted, llc G ive n t o

d e s i g n e r s w h o s c o r e w e l l i n c h a l l e n g e s , t h e aw a r d i n c lu d e s d e s i g n c o m m i s s i o n s & i n c r e a s e d e x p o s u r e t h r o u g h a f avo r i t e d e s i g n e r s f i l t e r. h o l i d a y c o l l e c t i o n a w a r d w i n n e r , 2011, minted, llc T h e c h a n c e t o l a u n c h a h o l i d ay c a r d c o l l e c t i o n aw a r d e d t o t h e t w o d e s i g n e r s w i t h t h e m o s t d e s i g n s i n t h e t o p 1 0 0 o u t o f ove r 2 , 2 0 0 d e s i g n s . t h e c u s t o m e r f a v o r i t e a w a r d , 2011 holiday challenge, minted, llc Aw a r d e d t o t h e d e s i g n t h a t ea r n e d t h e h i g h e s t s c o r e a m o n g c o n s u m e r s o u t o f ove r 2 , 2 0 0 d e s i g n s ; d e s i g n c h o s e n : “C l a s s i c Me r r y.” b e s t c r o s s c a t e g o r y a w a r d , 2011 holiday challenge, minted, llc A n e d i t o r ’s aw a r d g ive n fo r t h e b e s t u s e o f a h o l i d ay c a r d t o a n n o u n c e a m ove , b i r t h o r r e c e n t m a r r i a g e ; d e s i g n c h o s e n : “A N e w S t o c k i n g.” a d v e r t i s i n g a w a r d , 2011 holiday challenge, minted, llc A s e l e c t n u m b e r o f d e s i g n s a r e c h o s e n ea c h yea r t o r e p r e s e n t t h e c o m p a n y i n a d c a m p a i g n s . “ Me r r y R i b b o n ” w a s f ea t u r e d i n a d s i n b o t h O p r a h M a g az i n e a n d R ea l S i m p l e M a g az i n e . d e s i g n c h a l l e n g e w i n n e r , 2011 wedding invitation challenge, minted, llc “ S e c r e t G a r d e n ” p l a c e d # 9 o u t o f 1 , 6 2 1 d e s i g n s u b m i s s i o n s . d e s i g n c h a l l e n g e w i n n e r , 2011 holiday challenge, minted, llc “C l a s s i c Me r r y ” p l a c e d # 5 & “A N e w S t o c k i n g ” # 7 o u t o f 2 , 2 1 4 d e s i g n s . s t a t i o n e r y t r e n d s a w a r d s f i n a l i s t , 2011 bridal category “A Pe r f e c t M a t c h ” w a s n a m e d a t o p 1 0 f i n a l i s t . d e s i g n c h a l l e n g e w i n n e r , 2010 save the date challenge, minted, llc “A Pe r f e c t M a t c h ” p l a c e d # 1 & “ Ho l d t h e D a t e ” # 5 o u t o f 9 0 1 d e s i g n s . d e s i g n c h a l l e n g e w i n n e r , 2010 holiday challenge, minted, llc “ N O E L” p l a c e d # 1 0 o u t o f 1 , 3 3 6 d e s i g n s u b m i s s i o n s . e d u c at i o n the university of north carolina,

chapel hill, nc

2000 Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with a concentration in Po l i t i c a l S c i e n c e lorenzo de’medici,

1999, florence, italy

Study abroad program during which I got to experience the rich artistic a n d h i s t o r i c a l c u l t u r e o f F l o r e n c e ; s t u d i e d eve r y t h i n g f r o m a r t h i s t o r y to WWII to Italian cuisine. t h e g l a s s e l l s c h o o l o f a r t,

2 0 0 3 , houston, tx

To o k a c l a s s i n d e s i g n c o m p o s i t i o n u s i n g a va r i e ty o f m e d iu m s . school of the museum of fine arts,

2 0 0 7, boston, ma

To o k 2 c l a s s e s i n t h e G r a p h i c D e s i g n Ce r t i f i c a t e P r o g r a m . skills

I l l u s t r a t o r, I n D e s i g n , P h o t o s h o p d e s i g n : S t a t i o n e r y & P r i n t D e s i g n , B r a n d i n g, I l lu s t r a t i o n o t h e r : Ca l l i g r a p h y, O i l Pa i n t i n g, C h a r c o a l s ; Fr e n c h & I t a l i a n programs:

漏2012

alston wise

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b.wise papers