My name is

Brand Within A Brand

The rebrand took about three years to fully complete. There were so many layers to update. But after that was mostly complete, we were coming up on First Fed’s 100th Anniversary in 2023. We needed a look that was similar to, but separate from our newly launched brand. Something that said “I am with them, but distinct from them.” So I developed a logo featuring our new First Fed logo, and instead of the topographic motif we used so heavily in the First Fed brand, I incorporated ferns as a sort of homage to greek laurels. It created a sense of celebration and accomplishment – and still remained completely PNW focused, which is very important to the First Fed brand.

Community Tee Designs

Every year, I designed a First Fed Community tshirt that featured all the non-profits we gave our time and resources to, as well as a fun Washington/First Fed take on an iconic band design. The idea was that every year, we would have a tour tshirt and every year it would be iconic. Some examples below:

Promotional Stickers, Water Bottles, and Swag

First Fed is always wanting to increase brand awareness, and we’re always trying to find interesting ways to get out in front of people in the expected, and unexpected ways. Here are some examples of promotional materials I’ve worked on over the years, and have seen in the wild many times.

From First Federal to First Fed

In 2019, we started the Herculean effort of rebranding First Federal Savings and Loan into First Fed Bank. The idea was to our old fashioned, dusty bank and elevate it to something sleek and new – still trustworthy and recognizable as our Olympic Peninsula bank, but updated and relevant. I oversaw this effort in partnership with a Seattle based graphic design firm.

From First Federal Old Branding:

To First Fed New Branding:

PNW Book: Fieldnotes for Northwest Explorers

The bank was looking to open a new kids savings account and they were looking to give away something that was under $5, and that all kids ages 3 to 17 would be interested in receiving. If you know anything about kids, you know this is a tough ask, as 3-17 is quite an age difference. I came up with the idea to develop an illustrated activity book, featuring all things Olympic Peninsula, with plants and animals that are native to this area. I thought this might be of interest to more kids than not. I was right. This book was a hit.

The Sequim Radio Station was looking to give away waterbottles to high value customers, and they were looking for a vintage Hawaii theme that tied in with their Sequim roots. As they did not have specific branded colors, I took the colors from their logo and created a well known view of the Dungeness spit, with a vintage Hawaiian treatment.

Family crests have always been of interest to me for some reason. I just love the symbolism packed into a tiny frame. So when my brother and sister-in-law took an interest in Medieval and Renaissance art, I knew I had to create one that symbolizes them and what they stand for. Each color and item is specifically placed with them in mind and the full support of heraldic tradition.

Heraldic Key:

Tiger – Fierceness and Valour

Bear – Personal health and Bravery

Yellow – Honor and Loyalty

Blue – Honor and Vigilance

Lightning – Swiftness and Power

Oak Tree – Stability and Endurance

Lupine – Imagination and Happiness

Shell – Long Voyages to Distant Lands

Translated Inscription – “In Science Truth, In Art Honesty”

A Love Letter to the Olympic Peninsula

I started pnwvibes.com to help me organize my own thoughts around where I should take my family when they came to visit. Initially, I just realized there were so many different kinds of people with so many different tastes, and I wanted to create something that would help me filter out what would be helpful for the kind of person who loves a very difficult hike vs the kind of person who just wants to park somewhere beautiful and enjoy a mai tai. Check out pnwvibes.com…I’m always working on it.

In my early days, starting out with Multimedia Communications, I did a lot of music video production. Here are couple examples of the videos I made for bands/music gear companies I know.