Motley

A boutique as current and as bold as Motley deserved a site that runs on the newest tools in the box: some HTML5 elements, web fonts, and built on the Magento ecommerce platform (by our friend KWAVE). But the real kicker is in the concept: sell the local artist himself; not just the art. When you shop Motley, you're exploring a collective of local Boston artists. So the site features the brand as prominently as the piece.

KWAVE and DS have tag-teamed a couple of other boutique sites: Crush Boutique and Forty Winks. Both sites have been designed to allow the clients to design and edit their own homepage graphic. That way, as the seasons change, so does the homepage.

Sidecar

Sidecar is a burgeoning fruit juice company out of Vermont. This is the logo for its flagship product, Sidecar blueberry juice. The interesting thing about this branding project was that the client was aiming for a series of (seemingly) mutually-exclusive brand objectives. They wanted to convey the rural feel of Northeastern Vermont, while appealing to an urban demographic. And they wanted to appeal to parents, as well as to high-end cocktail bars, as a semi-sweet mixer. What came of it was a logo that I think is versatile without being neutral.

See Through the Podium

This is a personal project that I've undergone with my sister. We just collect information regarding opposing stances on the two big American civil rights issues of our generation: gay rights and immigration reform. The site randomly generates a fact on either side with each roll of the dice. There's no curating involved. No scores are tallied. The idea is to sever the fact from the platform; strip it down and let it speak for itself.

The first version of the site was done for the 2008 Presidential campaign. We got a snide shout-out from Rachel Maddow. For 2012 we're crossing our fingers for a scornful reproach from Bill O'Reilly.

STTP is a community effort. If you've got a fact for us, please Tweet at @delmarsenties. Remember to support your fact with a link.

Azimuth Coordinator

Microbrewery based in Queens. Brand development and collateral design

Generally speaking, design is something I do to keep myself occupied while I explore my real vocation, scoping out and enjoying solid craft beer. When my friend and brewer asked me to help develop a cohesive brand and design his collateral print material, I jumped at the chance.

"Azimuth Coordinator" is a bit of a mouthful -- as is the beer. I started with some research and learned that the word azimuth traditionally refers to the relative position of the sun when it's overhead, and that 'Azimuth Coordinator' is the name of Pink Floyd's onstage lights experience. We put our heads together and produced artwork that is rooted in British psychedelia, and riffs off of old astrology maps. It's fresh, but with a long fermentation process.

Marie

Portfolio site designed and built for Boston-based stage and screen actress Marie Polizzano.

Before anything about this site was even wireframed, Marie and I met to discuss and identify a handful of principles that would guide the direction of the project. We'd design and build a site expressly tailored to the needs of local casting directors. Any decisions regarding architecture and design would impart from this question: How can we make this an easy and pleasant experience for our audience?

I learned that it's all about headshots and reels. The first thing the Casting Director experiences is a plush, beautiful, and (literally) straight-forward shot of the lovely Marie Polizzano. Immediately below that are her name, and a call to see more headshots or her reel.

The wood-panel background and the page heading that introduces her name are visual treats meant to suggest the stage.

MariePolizzano.com.

DTS Creative

DTS is an awesome group of people with startup spirit but the expertise of an established firm. I've been pulled on the project to finesse some branding elements, and create their logo.