I’m not sure if there ever was actually a “Mazary Hair and Extensions Studio" out there or if my design school professor made it up—but I’ve been designing and refining an identity for them ever since my first branding class.
Our assignment was to come up with a logo and visual signature for a company from a provided list. The name Mazary called out to me and I began trying to find a way to make a very specific idea work. Due to the nature of the business, I wanted to merge an artisan vibe with a very modern business model. I began attempting to combine vintage, nostalgic typography with a contemporary photographic aesthetic.
I find it amusing that this project seems to be an ever-evolving exploration for me. The pieces included here are just the latest drafts, really. I don’t know if I’ll ever consider this one “done” and there’s something I like about that.
These original illustrations were incorporated into the invitations for the Dallas Zoo's Zoo To Do 2013 fundraiser. They were also made into limited, numbered editions. The prints were hand screen printed on tea-stained paper and auctioned at the event.
Abstracted landscapes using exaggerated color, shape and photography.
When we found out the Weber Shandwick Holiday Party would be held at Hotel ZaZa in 2013, I was struck with an unexpected angle for branding the event.
The hotel is known for their fleet of black Escalades with longhorn steer skulls affixed to the front. So I created an illustration of a skull to be used on various printed and digital pieces. The party was named “Oooh Lala at Hotel Zaza,” needless to say there was plenty of room to have fun with this one!
Included here are some examples of the invitations, directional signage, the original skull sketch, as well as a photo of the hotel and one of their vehicles.
A few years ago there was a social media craze around making covers for films that did not actually exist in The Criterion Collection. It was funny, clever in some instances, but also yielded some really interesting design.
These were all conceived with very limited resources—using photos found online and and carefully considered type treatments to convey the overall feel of the film. After trying my hand at a couple of these as a joke, I found that this could actually be a good way stretch yourself creatively. Sometimes the less you have to work with, the more inventive you have to get. These “covers” are a few of my favorites. Created on my own time and out of a love of film and poster art.
