“A to Z: Marvels in Paper Engineering” celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Movable Book Society—a non-profit forum for artists, collectors, librarians and others who love, create, share and study three-dimensional and pop-up books.
This limited-edition collection—only 2,000 copies— was designed by some of the most talented paper engineers in the world, both here in the U.S. and abroad. Each full-color pop-up card, produced in a variety of finishes on high quality stock, includes the artist’s image and their story of inspiration.
The collection is housed in a custom clamshell box I designed. I also had the chance to work on the logo which in turn got converted into a bonus pop-up card engineered by Bruce Foster.
This boxed set also features a brief history of The Movable Book Society by Ann Montanaro Staples, along with an introductory essay by collector-of-note Larry Seidman.
This was a six-layer environmental design for the entryway of the 25th Anniversary Louie Awards* Gala titled, “The Artist and The Card”.
Each layer was roughly 10 feet by 8 feet, and all layers were evenly spaced in a span of about 30 feet in the entryway hall of the space. I was the sole designer of the installation while under the creative lead of Up With Paper, who was the company designing and managing the overall theme for that year. Each of the layers were carefully hand-assembled and included the names of each of the nominees.
*What the Oscars are for movies, the Louie Awards are for greeting cards. These awards are the most prestigious honors that can be bestowed upon designers in the greeting card industry.
I have worked with this company on multiple public speaking events nationally and internationally, showing the endless possibilities of their paperboard brand: Invercote.
With the different weights and styles of their Invercote paperboards, I have created structural packaging designs, pop-ups, and other paper interactive pieces that push the paper to its limits. Here are a few examples of the work.
To learn more about Iggesund as a company and the paperboard products they offer, please go here.
To see me speak about the qualities of paper and my passion for pop-ups, please go here.
At Structural Graphics, I was part of the creative team that developed a box that fit together like a puzzle. (Creative team: Alex Bates, Erik Hluchan, Isabel Uria, Shin Wakabayashi, and Noel Boland.) Each of the “puzzle pieces” contained a different product Google was seeking to promote.
Google wanted a packaging piece that could hold products that would promote its new store. This entire box was sent to key influencers —hand selected YouTube celebrities, who then posted videos of the box on YouTube to promote the Google Store. The box was designed for these surprise ‘unboxing event’ videos and it was very well received: over 6 million views!
I began working at Structural Graphics as a designer and paper engineer. At first, I did a lot of production work, mostly just assembly and printing which allowed me to familiarize myself with the company and the type of work they do. After only a few weeks, I was able to work on structural designs and paper pop-ups for clients. After a few years, I was able to rise to Senior Designer and Paper Engineer in this company.
Most of the examples shown here are strictly working with the structural designs of the pieces. However, I also had a hand in the graphic design of a few of these pieces (for example, the SG hanging tags and the snowman pop-up).
A few of these works were also award-winning designs, so if you’d like to learn more about them please feel free to contact me or visit Structural Graphics' site here.
PLEASE NOTE: Much of this work is client-based, so it was Structural Graphics’ designers like me collaborating with other designers and paper engineers who helped design and bring some of these pieces to life.
I worked on the structural designs of many of the Samsung Launch Kits and their high-end specialty packaging.
This work was done while I was working at Structural Graphics. Samsung partnered with Tracy Locke who in turn partnered with Structural Graphics. Through the use of sophisticated, innovative, and engaging package design, we enhanced the brand experience that is delivered when receiving a Samsung device. The packaging is specific to each newly designed device. Multiple versions were created to fit the individual needs of multiple cellular carriers.
This is some of the work I designed for the branding agency, LPK in Cincinnati, Ohio. I was assigned to the LPK Kids department, designing mainly for the Pampers Brand.
As an entry-level designer, I was able to work on some of the smaller designs, icons, and illustrations for specific projects. My three-dimensional thinking skills allowed me to work easily in some of their packaging designs.
UWP Luxe
I worked on designs for this greeting card brand, specifically their “LAYERS™ GREETINGS” line.
You may purchase any of these designs from the company here.
Up With Paper
I worked on designs for this greeting card brand, specifically their “TREASURES” and “SIGHT 'N SOUND” lines. I worked strictly on the paper engineering side and utilized their illustrations to create dimensional pop-ups and convert them from 2D to 3D pieces.
You may purchase any of these designs from the company here.
After grad school, I began to work with paper much more. I started a design studio called Paper Design Paper.
“[Paper Design Paper is] a creative print and paper engineering design studio producing an array of paper goods for all your needs. We specialize in the creation of pop-ups, sculptures, decorative paper design pieces, cards, packaging design, and even larger-than-life-size environmental displays. Incredible designs can arise from such an innocuous and ubiquitous material!”
Shown here are a few examples of work I do for Paper Design Paper. Additional designs can be found here.
I was the lead structural designer for the launch of Red Paper Plane, a subdivision of Structural Graphics. I was responsible for overseeing all of the initial structural designs that were necessary for the brand’s debut.
Red Paper Plane is a online source where consumers can purchase fully-customizable, three-dimensional templates for creative direct mail pieces in small quantities with quick turn-around time. I was involved in the creation of these templates that include: pop-up cards, dimensional mailers and self-mailers, well boxes, table-top displays, as well as other proprietary structures. Designers and companies may use the templates for brand awareness, promotional campaigns, corporate events and more.
Here are a few examples of the first Holiday formats that were available to the public.
You may purchase any of these designs from the company here.
This is a miniature paper replica of Carestream's ultrasound machine. It was used to help the company demonstrate the features and benefits of this product, new to the industry.
This was a collaborative project done while working at Structural Graphics. After senior designer Erik Hluchan produced the digital sketches for this piece, we then worked on the structural design. I took over the second stage of the design process: finishing all the structural and box designs. I was then in charge of overseeing production and assembly, insuring the proper functionality of the piece.
A selection of logos created for different clients.
In order:
The Movable Book Society’s 25th Anniversary Box, A to Z: Marvels in Paper Engineering
Logo to be used in a high-end box that will contain 26 pop-up cards, one for each letter of the alphabet.
EDN, Ensambladora del Norte
Logo for an assembly plant in Mexico. It is depicted on different background colors, as it was be used for branding on t-shirts.
GOU - Guadalupe Orellana de Uria
Logo for a psychologist (personal branding project).
25th Anniversary for The Movable Book Society
A special variation of the existing logo to commemorate the 25 years of existence of the non-profit organization. (The existing logo was designed by Keith Allen.)
While working at Structural Graphics, I had a chance to work closely with Wearsafe to create a compelling design that fit all their needs. They wanted to re-design their packaging to be more compact, all made out of paperboard, and to have a higher on-shelf impact. With the help and leadership of the creative department head, Alex Bates, I was able to deliver a successful design. Here are a few pictures of the result.
To learn more about Wearsafe and the products they offer, please go here.
Examples of my fun and playful structural designs.
For more whimsical paper designs such as these, please visit Paper Design Paper.
I have experience with lithography, screenprinting, and letterpress.
Here are some of the examples of the work I’ve done in printmaking:
“Nature Alive!”
3-color aluminum plates lithography
“ABC Series 1” & “ABC Series 2” Stamps
3-color letterpress
“On an on and in the sun…”
5-color screenprint
“Baltimore Crabs”
Coasters for MICA Letterpress
1-color letterpress
”1”
Postcards for MICA MFA Year 1 Exhibit
1-color letterpress printed on different color papers
”Paper Design Paper”
Exhibition Show Invitation
Lasercut card with 1-color screenprinted cutting board
“Popigami” was my final exhibition design supporting my thesis in Visual Communication Design from the Art Academy of Cincinnati.
