Creative Nonfiction is a Pittsburgh-based magazine composed of exactly that, creative nonfiction. Each issue has a theme in which essays, columns, interviews, etc. all correspond with that theme throughout the magazine. A featured artist is also chosen for each issue to complete illustrations to be used throughout the essay section. Working under the Art Director, Seth Clark, I was in charge of the layout of the entire magazine.
Branding for the Coffee Shop / Coffee Truck, Redhawk Coffee.
Truck was hand-painted by Run Rabbit Gilding
Projekt 50/50 is a periodical, Pittsburgh-based art show based run by Dave Kaule and TJ Baker. It brings together fifty artists and gives them the opportunity to let their creative voices shine. Each show, an object is chosen and distributed amongst the fifty participating artists with one rule in your execution, there are no rules! There have been several Projekt 50/50 shows in the past with various objects chosen for each, including toilet seats, hubcaps, bicycle seats, skateboards, etc. This year, with a fitting tag line of "Heads WIll Roll", the object of choice was a mannequin head.
This is my completed piece for Projekt 50/50, "Heads Will Roll." As a lover of nature and the outdoors, I decided to turn mine into a thriving landscape complete with a small lake, trees, shrubbery, and a camping family.
40th Anniversary Edition book cover design for the book Mountain Brew: A High-Spirited Guide to Country-Style Beer Making by Tim Matson & Lee Anne Dorr.
Firm - Nick Caruso Design
Art Director - Nick Caruso
Publisher - Countryman Press
My good friends of the band Remora Deign asked me to design the album art for their much anticipated EP - Bear Fight, Vol. I.
Sticker design for TROIKA Skateboards. The sticker was specifically designed for the Hell on Wheels road trip that the TROIKA skate team and crew took to Richmond, VA. The trip was a long weekend of nothing but skateboarding, camping, partying, and friends. They wanted to have a sticker they can slap around town while on the trip and spread the word about their company as well as what they are all about, having fun and enjoying skateboarding.
You can see photos and read all about the trip here.
Branding for a coffee roasting company that never came to be.
Yearbook Cover designs for Indiana Area Junior High School (IAJHS). Each year has a theme and tagline in which the cover is designed around.
Hat design for a local coffee shop called Espresso a Mano, based in the heart of Lawrenceville.
The Ethical Farming Fund asked me to design an infographic for them showing the differences between Factory Farms and Pasture Farms. Their hopes are that with this infographic, more people will become aware truths behind some of the food that they consume everyday and will hopefully make better choices regarding the food that they consume.
The infographic was designed to be a poster showcasing both types of farms side-by-side, as well as smaller cards that can be passed out with a farm on each side.
You can download the infographic poster > here.
Rejected T-Shirt design concept for Overcast Skateboard Shop. This was to be sold in order to raise money to build ramps in a room dedicated for skateboarders at The Wheel Mill. The idea was to create an indoor space to skate during the winter, something that is much-needed in the city of Pittsburgh.
Website design for TROIKA Skateboards using the Squarespace platform.
Check out the site here.
Interior Book design for the book The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist's Companion for the 21st Century by Richard Polt.
Firm - Nick Caruso Design
Designers - Casey Kovach &
Nick Caruso
Art Director - Nick Caruso
Cover Design - Nick Caruso
Publisher - Countryman Press
*Accepted into AIGA Pgh 365 | 2016
Layout Design for a select number of the quarterly publication ANSYS Advantage. The publications showcases the uses and potential of the ANSYS Software over a vast array of fields. Each issue focuses on a particular field and contains articles that go into detail about how organizations in that field have used the software.
Firm - Agency 1903
(Now - Where Eagles Dare)
Movie poster for the independent film, Homemakers, filmed in Pittsburgh, PA.
Client - Allegheny Motion Picture Battalion L.L.C.
Design Firm - Seth Clark Art and Design
Art Director - Seth Clark
Designers - Casey Kovach, Travis Rohrbaugh and Gavin White
Photographer - Casey Kovach
* Design Excellence Award -
AIGA Pgh 365 | 2013
Logo and Branding for Chantal's Cheese Shop.
Printsburgh Wallpapers (formerly Brooklynteriors) is a company based out of Pittsburgh, PA that offers a new approach on wallpaper that is both affordable and stylish. The wallpaper is hand-screeprinted and then wheat-pasted onto the surface allowing for an end result that can be easily removed when desired or left up long term. I had the privilege of photographing one of the first jobs done since the company (formerly located in Brooklyn, NY) relocated to Pittsburgh, PA.
As a designer and artist I have always loved creating and customizing things. After a week-long vacation visiting a good friend in Utah, I decided it would be appropriate to send a thank you package to show my appreciation for her hospitality. I felt a simple store-bought thank you card would not suffice. After some brainstorming, I came up with the idea for this illustrated poster.
The front of the poster has an illustration of myself throwing a paper airplane, who's path spells out the words Thank You. The reverse side contains a series of instructional illustrations, as well as a mounted and removable envelope containing a small paper airplane. Upon following the illustrated instructions, the recipient discovers that the airplane is their very own, personalized, thank you note!
As a Graphic Designer and Artist within this ever-growing digital age, I strive to preserve a hand-made quality in my work. I have always loved working with my hands. There is something so gratifying to work hours on a project that you can then hold in your hands, touch, and feel. That being said, I naturally took to hand lettering and wanting take it one step further from the sketchbook. I decided to spruce up my living space with a chalk wall and incorporate an inspirational phrase that I could wake up to every morning. This was the result.
Website design for Overcast Skateboard Shop using the Squarespace platform.
Check out the site here.
This set of mix CDs were created as a gift for two friends of mine at the beginning of our friendship. The idea spawned from the proposal of an exchange of music. As a designer, I am constantly compelled to go beyond the norm. I wanted to do a little more than just burn some songs to a blank CD and scribble a title on it with a marker. Out of my love of music and design alike, I decided to create album art for the CDs.
Each mix contains two CDs full of music that I enjoy and wanted to pass on to these newly acquired friends. With a hand full of music of different styles and genres, I needed something to draw upon for the visuals. I looked to the individuals and the instance we met and decided on this exchange for that inspiration.
The result was the use of Cindy Lou Who (from The Grinch Stole Christmas) as a visual symbol. Upon meeting, one of the individuals stated that I reminded them of Cindy Lou Who. Finding this odd and hilarious, I felt it was the perfect symbol to use for this artwork, as it marked the day that we first met. While the composition and format of each stays the same, the style and manner in which the artwork was executed was changed to fit each individual. The album name changes as well.
Handmade Dino Plush made of green fleece, felt, stuffing, and plastic buttons for eyes. The plush was hand-sewn and made using an original design created by myself.
E-book cover design for the novel, Play the Man written by author Jaymee Jacobs.
Street Youth Rise Up is a campaign for Chicago non-profit YWEP. The purpose of the campaign is to band together to raise awareness and to change the way Chicago sees and treats its homeless, homefree, and street based youth for doing what they have to do to survive.
These posters were designed an created as a part of Firebelly Design's 2010 Camp Firebelly. This was one of 3 projects for this particular client during a 10-day intensive internship in which I was a part of the poster team. Upon approval of the final design, screens were made and all participants of the 2010 Camp Firebelly helped out in the screen printing process with the generous help from Delicious Design League in their advisement and use of their studio and equipment.
Various logo marks, some used and some not.
Mixin' Up The Season is a self-initiated project I did as a Christmas gift for friends. I originally had the idea when I decided to make a mix CD for a friend comprised of a selection of music that I identify specifically with the winter and fall seasons. The selection of music is based on sound, lyrics, and overall vibe of the band and/or songs.
Branching from this original Idea, i decided that it would be interesting to create album art for the mix CD, adding a personal touch to it. Upon this decision, I thought that others would enjoy it as well and decided to make several and give them out as gifts to close friends.
The concept behind this piece was to use found textures to embody the two seasons. Each season has a corresponding mix CD composed of seventeen songs, as well as an individual sleeve housing the CD. The outer sleeve utilizes a texture common to both seasons, the bark of a tree. A circular die-cut on both sides of the outer sleeve showcases the covers of each individual sleeve.
Animals With Alcohol is a series that started from a drawing I had done for a friend. Upon asking things that she liked, she named off several fuzzy animals, in addition to Jack Daniel's. I thought the pairing of a cute fuzzy animal and bottles of alcohol would be a funny sight, and so the first of this humorous series was created. More to come!
Throughout my years as a growing artist, graffiti has always been something that has interested and inspired me. Most individuals view the act as vandalism, but I try to look past that and view it for what it is, a form of art. Just like everyone else, graffiti artists have something to say and just want to be heard. In the situation of both graffiti artists and other similar but not connected situations, sometimes one must go behind enemy lines in order to get their message heard.
This photo book is an attempt to capture the beauty of graffiti as a form of art in order to help people look past the stereotype of vandalism. I utilized my skills as a designer and photographer to compile a series of diptychs, showing both the detail and wide shots helping the viewer to get the full picture.
*Best of show in 1st Annual Senior Class Graphic Design Show
(Juried by Rick Valicenti)
This is a t-shirt I designed while at the 2010 Camp Firebelly. The project was a collaboration with Mike Fretto from Rosa Loves and the Firebelly Design's Reason To Give foundation. Each of the 10 designers that attended camp were assigned to one of three groups. Each group met with a Chicago-based family that was part of the Reason To Give program. In order to raise money for these families, we took a part of the families story and interpreted it into a t-shirt design.
The family that I met with was from Mexico. The father has recently lost his job and both parents are working odd jobs just to pay the rent. The mother talked a lot about her children and how she just wants to provide a good life for them and spend time with them. She even volunteers at the school that her daughter goes to in order to be closer to her.
My design focuses on The mother's love for her children. Her effort to love, protect, and provide for them. The two birds represent her two children. They are nesting in the pocket, where they are safe and close to her heart. I added ad subtle touch of some flourishes and designs (much like what you would find the Day of the Dead skulls decorated with for the Mexican holiday) in order to incorporate the family's Mexican background and heritage.
Firm - Firebelly Design (During 3rd Annual Camp Firebelly)
The following is an event map designed for the 2011 Pittsburgh Polar Plunge event. The event is held every year for the purpose of raising money for the Special Olympics. Participants set fundraising goals get pledges for their commitment to plunge into the cold, icy waters of the River.
Chances Are High is a Pittsburgh-based pop punk band comprised of a group of young-hearted, energetic kids, determined to make a name for themselves. This debut album, It Takes 2 to Tango, But 4 to Take Over!, embodies exactly that.
Handmade, customized tote bag composed of a light-tan, heavy, cotton fabric with a purple fleece inner lining. The bag was hand-sewn and made using an original pattern, created by myself. Upon completion of the bag, customized artwork, specific to the receiving individual, was applied to the bag using a fabric marker.
Graffiti and urban art has always been an interest of mine as well as a source of inspiration. There is something about the anonymity and the risk involved in order to get your message out there and heard that just seems to draw me in. While most people may see graffiti as vandalism, it can be quite beautiful. As a fun way to pay homage to the culture that has been such an inspiration to me, I designed a set of Graffiti Valentines. Each card displays a heart, portrayed in the style of one of five notable graffiti artists.
