The Hardware Independent is a key marketing tool that True Value uses at their bi-annual conference called Reunion. The goal was to have this be a happy medium between a newsletter and magazine. We wanted this to catch the eye of retailers and draw them in and guide them through the content.

This piece guides retailers through reunion, provided important company updates and showcases new programs that they can use to elevate their store.

The Hardware Independent takes about a month to do, it is very involved and requires a lot of collaboration from marketing managers, copywriters and department heads. This is a true omni-channel piece that helps drive the retail business.

I created this logo and branding from the ground up. My process involved a lot of research and concepting which ultimately lead us to this creative solution.

Clybourn is a new classic hardware brand owned by True Value, with a distinct style and national brand look. The name Clybourn speaks to the legacy of True Value Hardware, as the first corporate office was located on Clybourn street in Chicago.

All language on our packaging—product names, details, and features/benefits—is written so our customers can make easy buying decisions.

The most important graphic element is color, and the Clybourn colors are chosen to make an emotional impression on our audience. Usage of deep blue invokes feelings of expertise, stability, loyalty and confidence. This combined with a neutral keeps a down to earth and relatable appearance.

Signage is a visual representation of your brand. It can function like a sales person for your company. 

This signage was designed to live in stores as part of a welcome center experience for customers. These highlight the perks of current partners that members can take advantage of. They are designed to be utilized together as a series or as a stand alone, depending upon how stores want to use them.

Landing pages are a great tool to drive traffic and attract customers’ undivided attention. 

This landing page was created for a sweepstakes campaign in which a Kenmore range was being given away. The goal of the page was to entice and inform the player.

Catalog design is possibly the most challenging design task because of the complexity and amount of information involved. Catalogs are now developed in print and digital formats, which allows easy access for the customer. They speak directly to the target audience and help form a brand’s reputation. Many companies have found that catalogs are effective in driving business. 

This catalog was done monthly for Market Day. It was distributed to local schools and sent home in students’ backpacks. Market Day established brand reputation through this catalog. New products were regularly introduced  and marketing techniques were used to promote relevant offerings. This project took nearly two weeks to produce each month, but was very effective in increasing sales.

Strong branding improves recognition and creates a professional level of trust. When considering brand I like to think about the entire customer experience. Every element – from the logo, to the website, to the social media experience –all play an important role in creating a lasting impression for a company and customer. 

This was a branding project done for the hardscape company TJ Quinn Enterprises Inc. The client wanted to revamp the entire look and feel of the company. Since the rebranding, the company has seen a 112% lift in business.

Social media marketing is booming because it is a quick and effective way to promote your business, gain followers, engage with customers and add a reputable face to your brand. According to a recent study by LYFE Marketing, 71% of consumers are more likely to recommend a company to others if they have a positive experience with the brand on social media.

This Facebook page was developed for an app I worked on called Win it!. Each day players can visit the app, add products to their win list and spin to win. The goal of the Facebook page was to alert users to new games and entice them to play by showing them what others were winning. The page helped to drive engagement and created a sense of trust with members who saw a "face” behind our app as they interacted with moderators.

Good design should motivate a customer to take action. And that is so important when designing a campaign. It is vital to analyze the target audience, set a goal for the campaign and add viral elements.

This digital campaign  runs every Wednesday. Players spin to win prizes and points. It is promoted heavily on social media. Wild Wins Wednesday games average 213,275 spins (almost a quarter million spins) every Wednesday. This comes from 45,000 unique entrants and a player spins 4-5 times each on average.

On the Sweeps platform of Shop Your Way, engagement is everything. For the instant win games, there are 55,000 unique daily entrants,  over 2,500,000 daily entries and about 75,000 unique monthly players. With that kind of repeat traffic, we faced the challenge of keeping our customers engaged. 

Players are given the option of selecting  a spin, scratch, shuffle or pegs game. Pegs is the most recent game I developed in an attempt to prevent user fatigue and it has become the most popular game on the platform. 

I used the wireframes provided by our UX/DEV team  to design this game in such a way that the elements and colors are updated in multiple versions each month to keep the look fresh and seasonally current. 

Branding guidelines are crucial to helping a company consistently execute its identity across a variety of marketing and communications channels. They ensure continuity on every level regardless of who is designing or writing for the brand. When done well, they elevate brand recognition and instill trust in the customer.

These branding guidelines provide quick and concise direction that was distributed to the entire Shop Your Way team.  They gave everyone on the team a strong reference point when working on marketing collateral or brand designs.

While we live in an increasingly digital world there is still something to be said for printed pieces. Brochures can make the communication between an organization and its targeted audience more effective and, when compared to other types of promotion, brochures can be more cost effective for business owners.

This project was done for the St. Charles History Museum. They were in need of a printed piece to be handed out at special events or festivals to help build awareness of the new museum. It highlights what the museum has to offer and where people can find more information. Quick, to the point and engaging. 

The importance of high quality, well-styled photography to an organization is undeniable. Dated photography  can dull the look and feel of even the most skilled graphic design.

I art directed all the elements of these shots for Market Day. We did monthly photoshoots for all new products and updated photography for existing products. This required me to work with a food stylist to make the food look just right, and collaborate with the photographer to get the perfect shot. 

Email marketing is key to effective marketing for any business. A survey by the Direct Marketing Association showed that emails achieve a median ROI of 122%, which was more than four times higher than other marketing channels including social media.

This email was designed for Market Day to inform customers about their best selling product, ChicNSteake, and entice them to add it to their shopping cart. The result  was a 20% lift in sales in the days after the email was sent out.