Miss Mackie

Project Type: UX Design and Research, Visual Design, Interaction Design, Mobile and Web Design

Client: Lincoln Motor Company

Software: Photoshop

Live Link: Click Here

For the 2017 year, Lincoln has begun building creative to better align their Top Market and Dealer Level presence. Lincoln asked for a series of webpages for offer to their dealerships, these pages would be added to their existing dealership sites. The outcome resulted in a more polished web presence matching Lincoln.com's level of design quality, and in turn created a seamless integration throughout the customer experience.

To start the series of the dealer level pages, Lincoln wanted to begin with Continental. Looking to be direct and hard selling, these pages showcase specific features with easy to consume images, video and copy. I designed pages for both desktop and mobile, altering the design based on the constraints of the dimensions. After exploring options of animated elements, it was decided for ease of use, to keep the pages static. Overall the page is clean, concise, and straight to the point; which is what consumers are looking for to seal the deal when considering a new vehicle.

Project Type: Poster Design, Handlettered Typography, Food Art, Event Design, Event Marketing, Advertising, Print Design, Art Direction

Client: Freelance - Michigan State University's Culinary Services

Software: Analog design, Photoshop

MSU's Culinary Services planned a special on-campus event celebrating their initiatives to source and serve local food. As the Design Lead for this event, I worked with a diverse team (two students from the MSU Student Organic Farms, the Head Chef of MSU, the Brand Manager of Culinary Services and MSU's Sustainability Officer) to position this event as the premiere destination to educate the students and community about Michigan State's programs to support local farmers, bakers, and businesses within the culinary department. 

Because Michigan is one of the most agriculturally diverse states in the country, I wanted that to be the focal point of the poster design. I pulled inspiration from chalkboard designs and food art, combing the best elements of both to evoke a farmer's market sign while also relying food as main design element. I filled the state with produce that would be featured on the menu at the event, this was successful because it effectively showed the diversity of Michigan's agricultural profile and drew the viewer in with the bright colors and variety of textures.   

Project Type: UX Design and Research, Visual Design, Interaction Design, Web Design, Systems Design, Illustration 

Client: Passion Project

Awards: 2016 ADDY'S, Digital Creative Technology - Silver

Software: Axure, Photoshop, Illustrator

Top 100 was a study of systems and categorization. Selecting a collection of 100 items, in my case 100 tops from my closet, I wanted to find a unique want to filter, organize, and categorize the garments. While looking at examples of categorization studies, I saw many radial graphs and was deterred from this solution because the form of the object was lost.. Because I love clothing and have a story for every piece in my closet, I knew from the start I wanted to find a way to "see" all the tops and create an iconography to serve as part of categorization vocabulary.

Once I had narrowed down my collection to 100 tops (and got over the shock of how much clothing I really do have), I determined the categories of filtration. The first would be top type: jacket, t-shirt, sweater, vest, etc. Next would be pattern: Pattern or solid color. These would be the two "visual categories" and the rest would be accessed through interaction. 

Because each garment was "layered" with data, I wanted the printed outcome of this study to reveal these layers. Inspired by overhead transparencies, I decided I would use acetate and print one category per page in a different color. I would layer the pages on top of each other and bind them into a book. When the viewer opened the book, they would see a ten by ten grid of the garments with varying colors and opacities depending on their status in each category. Much like a cross section of a specimen, the viewer would get a layer by layer understanding of the metadata of each garment; while also putting it in the context of the whole collection. 

For the web version of the data, I was inspired by my favorite mindless microsite game: doge2048. The microsite is extremely minimal, a singular page, no hyperlinks, and a limited color palette. For the Top 100 site, I kept it one page with a mere three drop-down options, no hyperlinks, ads or information. After a stint of online-shopping for a friend's birthday, I was reminded of Target's "Quicklook" feature on their website (a small pop-up window giving a quick description of the item and a high resolution photo) and thought this was the perfect way to create the garment profile and incorporate an element of storytelling. Each garment would have an actual photo, a list of the metadata, as well as a short story. 

Again inspired by the information architecture of Target's website, I utilized collapsable drop-down buttons to create a dynamic filtration system for the user. They could filter or sort the data in a variety of combinations, in addition to being able to submit their own garments to be incorporated in the mix with the "add" feature. 

Overall, both the print and digital offerings were successful in presenting a dynamic and interactive solution to filtration and categorization of a system. 

Project Type: UX Design and Research, Web Design

Client: Passion Project

Software: Adobe XD, Dreamweaver, Animate, Photoshop, Illustrator

Live Link: Coming Soon

Growing up, I used to steal my mom's issues of Martha Stewart to read the "Good Things" section. I always loved to see Martha's list of food, gadgets, decor, places and activities she was into at the moment. It always made me question, "what are my good things?" and think, "I need to keep a list like Martha!" 

Looking for a new UX passion project, I thought it was finally time to share my list of favorite things with the world. Using myself as the test subject, I am taking a year to document my 20 favorite things each week. How do I determine favorite? It's totally subjective. It could be an obsession with an song, an activity I love, a show I'm binge-watching, or a phrase I can't stop saying. It boils down to the top 20 people, places or things sparking joy and fulfillment each week. 

I am curious to understand the nature of preferences, are they acquired organically, are they dictated by the constraints of the individual's environment, or both? I want to explore the fluctuation in data throughout the year, does the ratio of different kinds of favorites vary? Are there connections to be made between preferences or do they operate independently? 

My goal for this project is to combine my love of research and thoughtful design into simple, beautiful interactive pieces while gaining a better understanding of what I value most in life and how that affects my UX behavioral patterns. 

The second phase of this project will be to expand to a wider sample size and ask the test subjects to follow a similar process. I would like to study a diverse population; varied in race, sex, religion, national origin, physical ability, age and profession.  How will their results vary from my own? In these tumultuous times, I hope to prove we as a human population have more in common than we realize. 

Project Type: UX Design and Research, Creative Professional Development, Conference, Lightning Talk

Client: Ignite UX

Video: Watch

Article: Read

Kelly's Ignite UX 2018 Lightning Talk and Article in Creative Professional Development: 10 questions to serve as your guide to figure out what you really, really want for your future.

Project Type:  Illustration, Graphic Design, Print, Bookbinding

Client: Passion Project

Software: Photoshop

My mom always told me to say thank you. Whether it was to a teacher who had been instrumental in my growth, someone giving me a present for my birthday, or an old friend treating me to dessert; I go out of my way to say thank you. 

Not wanting to go out to the store every time I had cause for graditude, I decided to design my own line of thank you note postcards and notebooks. With the handmade aesthetic of an illustration married with the punny titles, these cards and books are perfect for sending a heart-felt thank you with that personal touch.

Project Type: UX Design and Research, Visual Design, Interaction Design, Web Design, Digital Design, Branding, Copywriting

Client: Michigan State University Federal Credit Union 

Software: Axure, Photoshop

The MSU FCU website is rich in information and even richer in toolbars. When going on this website, I frequently felt overwhelmed by the information architecture, so I decided to redesign it to work on my Photoshop layer comp and UI skills. 

For my approach, I studied websites with similar volumes of data who also managed to have beautiful solutions for organizing and presenting the data. One type of website I was particularly inspired by was travel websites, they pack insane amounts of information about flights, hotels, cars, reservations, destinations, and deals all into a beautiful sight with gorgeous photos. Why couldn't a bank be sexy like a travel website? I believe it can. 

Stopping over to Apple's website, I studied their use of navigation bars and drop down menus. They also pack a serious amount of information into their site while also featuring large, glossy photos. Interesting, I am starting to see a trend here. Rounding out my tour of the internet, I checked out Target's use of sticky navigation panels for the e-commerce section of their website. I was ready to combine my findings. 

Heading over to Unsplash.com to source some beautiful copyright free photos, I was looking for images to coordinate with three campaigns: eAlerts, saving for travel, and car loans. Images sourced, I began to rewrite the information architecture for the homepage of the site. Inspired by the navigation bar of Apple and the sticky navigation panels of Target, I came up with a drop-down system to efficiently structure the data without having to click through multiple pages to get to the information in question. 

This site design was successful because it simplified the site structure, introduced a fresh aesthetic, and actually made banking look beautiful. A great potential option if MSU FCU is interested in a redesign.

Project Type: UX/UI, Web Design, Graphic Design

Client: Lincoln Motor Company

Software: Photoshop

Live Link: Click Here  scroll to bottom of page

For the 2017 year, Lincoln has begun building creative to better align their Top Market and Dealer Level presence. Lincoln asked for two feature focused videos showcase on the new Continental Webpage I designed to offer to their dealerships, which would be added to their existing dealership sites. The outcome resulted in a more polished web presence matching Lincoln.com's level of design quality, and gave an in-depth look at two key differentiators, Engine and Elatch, on the new 2017 Continental.

Putting my knowledge of video post production to use, I was able to save the agency a large sum of money by editing together the videos myself during the client approval process. This approach not only saved serious dollars, but it also saved our team time. Having the capability to make as many edits as needed and work side-by-side with the client without a middle man meant I could make updates in half the time, without spending a penny. 

Project Type: UX Design and Research, Visual Design, Interaction Design, Mobile and Web Design

Client: Lincoln Motor Company

Software: Photoshop

Live Link: Click Here

For the 2017 year, Lincoln has began building creative to better align their Top Market and Dealer Level presence. Lincoln asked for a series of webpages for offer to their dealerships, these pages would be added to their existing dealership sites. The outcome resulted in a more polished web presence matching Lincoln.com's level of design quality, and in turn created a seamless integration throughout the customer experience.

Following the Continental pages, Lincoln wanted their newest program, Pickup & Delivery, to be built out next. Looking to be direct and hard selling, these pages explain how the program works and showcase specific features with easy to consume images, video and copy. I designed pages for both desktop and mobile, altering the composition based on the constraints of the dimensions. After exploring options of animated elements, it was decided for ease of use, to keep the pages static. Overall the pages are clean and concise; helping to illuminate Pickup & Delivery's ability to save Lincoln owners time and headaches when it comes to maintenance and repairs.

Project Type: UX/UI, Interaction Design, Product Design, Museum Design, Systems Design, Branding, Graphic Design, Scholarly Research

Client: Freelance/Scholarly Research - Impression 5 / University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum

Awards: University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum, First Place - User Experience Design

Software: Axure, Photoshop, Illustrator

Alcohol education programs have not been associated with being effective in the prevention or overall decreased participation in the consumption of alcohol in college age students. The only positive outcome of these programs has been an increase in knowledge of the risks and effects. With the understanding these programs have failed to change behavior, I proposed to create an alcohol education program held at Impression 5 children’s museum in Lansing, MI — a philanthropy event for groups/clubs/parties to learn about the science of alcohol and raise money for a cause of their choice.

The event would be centered around team activities facilitated by smartglass, a barcode enabled shatterproof drink glass. smartglass will assist in taking a typically one-sided didactic encounter to an engaging evening of education exemplifying Impression 5’s core values – 90 Play. Create. Challenge. Guests would use this glass to interact with exhibits specifically tailored to alcohol education, track their performance throughout the night, serve as a glass to hold their beverages, would be taken home to be used the key to unlocking their score of their overall performance and fundraising totals from the event through a microsite, and finally, function as a regular drink glass for future use. It is my hope this program will give college age students the tools and knowledge to safely enjoy alcohol while raising money for a good cause, and positioning Impression 5 as the premiere destination for alcohol education and philanthropic events for college age students.

I presented this research project at the 2015 University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum at Michigan State University and took home First Place in the Arts & Letters category along with a cash prize. This project was conducted in partnership with my course in User Experience and Information Architecture; and the process work can be found here. For the presentation, I prepared a demo set of smartglass prototypes with a "barcode scanner" (made out of an old pinhole camera!), I created a hand-sewn book with all of my research and process work, and finally created a poster detailing my project for when I was not there to speak. I hope to see this program come to fruition within the next two years at Impression 5.

Project Type: Book design, mural proposal, proposal design, environmental design, typography, graphic design, papercrafting, book binding

Client: Freelance - MSU FCU Mural Competition

Awards: MSUFCU, Second Place - 3D Installation

Software: Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator

In a community deemed to be "without an art scene," MSU FCU is leading the charge to be the primary facilitator of the arts in the great Lansing area. The MSU FCU Mural Competition was open to all undergraduate and graduate students of the Art, Art History and Design Department at Michigan State and were asked to submit a proposal for a mural that would be the new facade of their branch in downtown East Lansing. 

Having recieved a wealth of positive feedback about my Color Caverns series, I decided to expand the reach of this collection and propose a 3D mural spanning the entire facade of the building. The cavern would be constructed of layers of sheet cut metal and coated with automotive paint to be able to withstand the elements without losing the vibrant colors. Because the technique of Color Cavern is so versatile, the form it took was extremely open. I proposed to do the shape of Lake Lansing, but if the commitee wanted another shape, that too was possible. 

I believe my concept is a winning idea because it is an engaging, energetic installation that will not only draw attention, but serve to reposition MSU FCU as the vehicle for art to be exhibited in the community. 

Project Type: UX Design and Research, Visual Design, Interaction Design, Mobile and Web Design Kinetic Branding Identity System, Branding, Campaign/Advertising, Poster Design

Client: Broad Museum at Michigan State University

Software: InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop

Collegville 2030 was an exhibition at the Broad Museum at Michigan State University where a collection of eight firms of various backgrounds were able to fortell the future of downtown East Lansing's landscape. 

I was tasked with coming up with a unique branding for the exhibition to include a poster, an invitation, and website. To avoid the cliché concepts of "the future," I spent a great deal of time toying with the concept of time and change. The year 2030 is 15 years away, so I thought about how the world had changed since 2000. Sure, there have been many notable advancements in every area of life, but is not as though the world would be unrecognizable to someone teleported from the year 2000. Taking this notion a step further, I considered professions, ideals, and goals still commonplace in our culture that would have been relevant during the beginnings of Michigan State University. What were the forefathers hoping this institution would look like in 200 years? 

My concept for the branding of the exhibition was inspired by the Surrealist Collage artworks of Mariano Peccinetti. His works feature a motif brightly colored textured paper "lasers" I felt would work fantastic as a visual element to represent "re-envision." Reaching out to the Michigan State University Archives, I delved through over 10,000 photos from the school's photo catalogues and settled on the a photo of former University President Frank C. Kedzie or "Uncle Frank" as he was known affectionately by student population.

In my offering, Uncle Frank's vision is seen blasting out of his eyes with great force and vibrance as he watches over Michigan State University. His traditional suit has become a blueprint of the city, representing how the university is an integral part of his identity and visa versa. The juxatposition of the monochrome photo with the vibrance of the pink serves to further highlight the concept of the past coming together with the present to create a bright future. 

Project Type: Catalogue Design, Print Design, Graphic Design

Client: Freelance - Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University

Software: InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop

The MFA Catalog was designed for the annual exhibition showcasing the works of the Master's of Fine Arts Candidates for Studio Art at Michigan State University.

Creating an aesthetic of clean bold type with a opacity overlay motif throughout, this design was successful in placing emphasis on the subject's work while holding it's own as a piece of design collateral. The choice to restrict the color palette to black and white allowed for each work to determine the atmosphere of the spread. Playing off the architecture of the Broad Museum and its logo, the layout follows a rigid grid of rectangles and squares interacting but never touching. 

GET Longboards is a Grand Rapids based company hand building boards for pool riding, downhill, free riding, and cruising. A big brother to the skateboard, longboards are not used for tricks but more as a mode of transportation. Becoming wildly popular among college students, GET started making boards locally and selling nationwide. 

The two designs created for GET, were Honey Bear and Animal Jenga. The illustrative style of the pieces, as well as the color schemes, are meant to reflect a fun and informal tone reflective of the skate community. The choice to use animals as the subject was effective because they are accessible to all ages, genders, and walks of life. One request GET had made in the design guidelines was to incorporate the use of wood grain. Using animals as the subjects worked well with constraint because the wood grain could act as fur or an added texture to bring more life to the animals appearance. Overall, these two deck designs are meant to reflect the lively, spirited and witty nature of the longboard community and help to make GET stand out from the more widely known brands.

Project Type: Branding, Logo Design, Packaging Design, Graphic Design, Illustration

Client: Freelance - Craft Haven Workshops

Software: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign

Craft Haven Workshops is a craft makery opening in Lansing, Michigan in fall 2016. Much like the concept of Painting With a Twist, Craft Haven seeks to be positioned as the premiere destination for social crafting and creating in the capitol area. 

When I was approached to develop the brand, the client had been brewing ideas for three years. She had a specific aesthetic in mind, a sort of "french patisserie flair for the modern American woman." Looking to target the middle-upper class, the client was sensitive to having an aesthetic radiate elegant strength while not coming off too snooty. 

In the concepting phase, there was a whole range of styles and aesthetics I explored, and ultimately settled on whimsical yet refined aesthetic with a french flair, while not getting too Baroque. 

The client specifically requested to have an oval logo, along with a seal and a monogram so she could use them interchangeably for wax seals, packaging, stamps and labels. After discussing many options for an icon to represent her brand, we both agreed a Napoleonic bee was fitting because historically a bee is a mark of a craftsman, hard work and creativity, all ideals which aptly represented the brand of Craft Haven.

Fantasy Std and Fantasy Pro were chosen as the typeface because of the strength in the serif letterforms while also having a fantastic selection of glyphs to choose from with gorgeous swirls and embellishments to achieve the elegant strength we were looking for. 

Project Type: Board Game Design, Packaging Design, Illustration, Graphic Design, Copywriting

Client: Passion Project - Collaboration with MSU School of Packaging

Software: AutoCAD, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator

Everybody is a little *basic. This board game is a cross between paper dolls and hangman, where players find out just how basic they really are. Each player starts out with one of Basic's: Brittany, Ashley, Stacy, Izzy or Casey and 15 game pieces. Players take turns reading a card and if that statement applies to any of their lives, the players must add a piece to their Basic. Once a player has used up all of the game pieces, they are deemed the Most Basic and "Literally can't even" play anymore. A game fun for all ages, great for millennials who will understand the pop culture references and a fantastic educational learning tool for all those parents who want to be hip on what the young folks are doing! 

*Basic: (Noun): Stereotypically average human, mostly females. Engages in unoriginal behaviors, clothing choices, speech and tastes. This person believes they are unique, on fleek, and a total catch; when really they are boring and painfully normal. Most often seen wearing yoga pants, Ugg boots, North Face coat and carrying a Vera Bradley wristlet. Basics can be found in captivity at Starbucks, Chipotle, or any place selling fro-yo. Basics can also be spotted roaming in the wild in pumpkin patches or throwing piles of crunchy leave in the air during the fall. Basics like to travel in packs and because they lack any unique identifiers, they are virtually indistinguishable. Do not approach unless you can offer her a Venti frozen Starbucks costing at least $7...she can taste the difference.

I am hoping to get this game funded and build out the brand to include expansion packs for the decks, in addition to more games about other stereotypes including pop culture, professions, or nationalities. I would love to see this become the next Monopoly, continuously being adapted and enjoyed by all!

This game was a response to the proposal of creating a board game within my scope of interests. Looking back at my previous works and areas of interest, I knew I wanted to create something where I could highlight my love of copywriting, illustration, pop culture references all while having some fun. I was lucky to partner with Michigan State University's School of Packaging to create the box and game pieces, and was able to learn first hand how to create CAD files to bring my board game to life. 

Going forward with an illustrated aesthetic was successful because it lend to the informal nature of the content and gave it that sort of Juno-esque vibe many millennials connect with. Along the same vein, the choice of a casual sans serif made it seems as though the type was handwritten to continue with that laid back, fun feel. 

The color palette of pastels was chosen to reflect the colors commonly seen in typical "basic" apparel. Bright, youthful colors (often worn all at once) create an atmosphere of whimsy while highlighting the somewhat absurd clothing choices of our contemporaries. 

Project Type: Branding, Logo Design, Graphic Design

Client: Freelance - Michigan State University's Culinary Services

Software: Illustrator

Sabor, meaning flavorful in Spanish, is a Mexican-themed dining venue serving authentic dishes created for Michigan State University's Culinary Services. 

Meant to celebrate the bold flavors of the cuisine, the design approach utilized vibrant colors, geometric patterns, and a charismatic typeface to communicate the brand. 

Infusing the heat and hues of salsa, the bright jalapeño green and rich red with an accent of chili embodies the dishes of the venue. Inspired by the mandalas of Aztec art, the radial triangular patterns inscribed in a circle serve to echo the rich history and passion of the Meso-American culture. 

Project Type: Branding, Logo Design, Graphic Design

Client: Freelance - Movie Spoiler Alerts

Software: Illustrator

Movie Spoiler Alerts is a Youtube channel giving detailed recaps of movies. Meant to be the SparkNotes of the film industry, this channel is great for refreshing memory on films you have already seen or serve as a one-stop-shop to becoming an overnight movie buff.

Inspired by the colors of the theatre and caution signs, the palette for the branding was to be simple and striking. Going for a buttered popcorn over the more harsh construction yellow was effective in toning down the "caution feel" while still commanding attention. Because the graphics would have specific use for Youtube, the client had particular requests for a typographic logo that was vibrant enough to be seen over the video footage but subtle enough to not become the focal point. In addition, another typographic logo was to be created to act as the account profile photo for Youtube and the subsequent social media accounts.

A fan of classic films, the client wanted there to be a nod to the use of film. Keeping with flat aesthetic, the o was turned into a film reel and the script of the letterforms in movie was meant to represent the ribbons of film. The loud uppercase treatment of "SPOILER ALERTS" is a reference to the typographic treatment of caution and warning signs to let the viewer know the content they are about to see will give away the details of the film. 

The aesthetic of Movie Spoiler Alerts is effective in communicating the cheeky, informative nature of the channel while also being an effective solution for functional design with finesse.

Project Type: Branding, Logo Design, Packaging Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Copywriting

Client: Pilots 'N' Paws 

Software: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign

Pilots 'N Paws is a non-profit organization providing transportation of adopted animals via a national network of volunteer pilots. The first of its kind, PNP offers an amazing service saving thousands of animals from being put to sleep in shelters every year. For such a fantastic organization changing thousands of animal's lives, their branding just does not do them justice. A fellow dog lover and fan of their work, I felt compelled to offer my services to help rebrand a most deserving organization. 

Because I follow them on social media, I knew the vast majority of animals they were transporting to their forever homes were dogs. While there was the occasional cat, bird, or amphibian, over 80% of the posts were excited puppies and full grown dogs. 

Reminded of those heart-wrenching ASPCA commercials starring Sarah Mclachlan, I pondered why they were so effective in urging the viewer to action. It was those sad puppy dog eyes! The emotional response elicted from those poor, helpless, sad animals was enough to make a grown man cry and donate hundreds of dollars. With that being said, I knew the logo had to be the face of an adventurous, adorable yet slightly sad pilot pup, much like Snoopy from Charlie Brown to pull on the heartstrings of any social media gawker.

Pulling from the palette of Air Mail letters, the colors for the brand would be a retro red, a navy and a faded denim blue, paired with a manilla giving it that throwback Americana vibe. Choosing a friendly sans-serif was meant to be like the warm greeting the owner would receive from their future furry friend. Inscribing the pilot pup in a circle was a nod to the Air Mail stamps used by the postal service to give him that official sort of feel while not feeling too serious with the rounded rectangle to hold the type. 

The fun, friendly, and all-American vibe was successful in communicating the heart of Pilots 'N Paws brand and would be a great option if they are looking to refresh their aesthetic.