Suz Design

After years of telling myself that I would remake my portfolio website, I finally sat down and did it. It was one of those projects that got made...and then remade...and then abandoned...and than frantically remade. It's sufficient to say that overall the process was not pretty. The funny thing is, after months of brainstorming and planning, I really did just sit down one Saturday afternoon and make it from start to finish. I suppose that just goes to show that when you get fed up enough with your own procrastination, anything can be accomplished.

As you can already see, this blog has not been getting tons of action as of late. With the conception of my new site, that's probably going to be even more the case than ever. (One thing they probably teach bloggers in blog school is not to out right tell people to stop reading their blog. But, I'm pretty much doing that, now...so back to it...) Eventually, I will be blogging over at SuzDesign.com. That's a very TBA type of eventually. Don't hold me to a timeline. If I come back six months from now and this is still the only design blog of mine that exists, well, I must have been too busy lying on tropical beaches sipping slushy drinks...ahhhh....only in dreams. In reality, I was probably sitting in a dark room hunched over a glowing computer screen causing my glasses prescription to jump from -4.5 to -5.0....the agony!! When will my eyes stop getting worse? I want lasik so badly!

Realizing that was a tangent.

Anyway, stop by my site. Check out my stuff. If you send me a message, I'll draw you a little cartoon and email it back to you. Tootles!

Sarah + Joel Wedding Invitations

These might be the classiest little invites I ever made. Just call me Ron Burgundy.

A Penny Shaved

My entrepreneurial (definitely didn't spell that correctly the first three attempts) friend, Perrin, has started a new adventure into the world of shaving products. An odd venture, one might think, but I'm willing to bet that in a few months, A Penny Shaved will be your #1 shaving resource website :)

Below is the logo I designed for him. Good luck, P!

Some Book Covers

I was commissioned to redesign this book cover. Here's what I came up with...

Spreads

The kind that go in magazines. These actually ran two consecutive months in Marketplace magazine. I'm working on a health and beauty section right now that will hit the streets in the next couple weeks.

Sew Sisters Logo

A logo I designed for a wonderful new group of sewers. Mainly quilters, but all thread-lovers are welcome. Along with their logo design I created a badge/patch - which also doubles as a lovely pattern for all printed materials.

Bright Beginnings!

One snow day yesterday was amazing, but now two? I have gotten so much done with TWO whole days of planning, crafting, designing (and sleeping) that I have a new lease on life. ahhhh....

For those of you who know me, you already have heard that I will be happily wed this summer. And with those forever vows I will be moving back to Chicago - thus giving me that needed boost into the great unknown of full-time freelance design. I have mulled this decision over quite a while and come to the conclusion, why not?

So, rather than pushing forward with Suzanne Williams Design, I will be rebranding myself and (hopefully) getting better acquainted with the world of self-promotion. (so hire me hire me!)

In a few months I will be launching my new site, however, until then, this is my new name - Jack & Suz. (forever :) (and when did I get so cheesy?)

I won't be in the full swing of things until after all of the wedding shenanigans have calmed down, but I'm too excited about it to not post my NEW LOGO.

Katy + David

Pros and Cons of shimmer paper:
Pros: 1.) looks amazing 2.) makes brides extra happy 3.) feels so nice coming out of the matching shimmer envelope
Cons: 1.) makes printers run and hide 2.) gives me a splitting headache

The pros won out on this round, but it will probably be a while before I venture out to shimmer paper again. I wish there was a better way to photograph these, but just trust me...they sparkle!

BAM!

I redesigned the identity for the NEW and IMPROVED Bambinos Italian Cafe. Logo, menu, T-shirts, cups, the works! I finally got in there today for lunch so I could snap this shot of the menu and scare a waitress into posing for me.

Happy Anniversary

Yesterday was the one year wedding anniversary of my only brother and his beautiful wife. Since Aaron and Stacey wrote their own vows, Aaron had the idea of doing "something" with them and giving them to her. Here's what I came up with.

Happy Anniversary you two. I love you both very much.

Herbal Oats Granola wrappers

And they are finished! Kind of. My part that is. The actual wrappers still have to be printed, but here's a pretty good idea of what they will look like. (Front, back and inside of the wrappers)

Also, here is a very scrappy looking 3D model of what the box will look like. I designed it to only use one color to save on cost. The granola bar flavor will be stamped on each box. That way only one version has to be printed, rather than four.

MO logo

A couple drafts for a new decorative concrete business in town.

Granola runner ups

For the past few weeks I have been working with Herbal Oats to redesign their packaging. I thought I would share a couple ideas that did not make it to round two. I should have the final wrappers finished in the next few weeks and hopefully ready to hit stores soon after that.

Media Kit

It's not always easy designing for a 40 year old brand. As we are redesigning our image, my thought is to incorporate vintage elements with modern simplicity. Keeping some of the old, adding some new. Form meets Function.

D & D Cafe Window

A few months ago I designed the logo for a local cafe. However, I didn't realize the window display was up until I road my bike past it a couple days ago. After some Sunday brunch I was able to snap a few shots.

Donate yo stuff

Counter cards designed to promote The Love Seat and First Impressions - non profits working to help people out of crisis. (I made the logos too)

Happy Birfday!

A couple generic birthday postcards I was commissioned to design for a local insurance company. Who knows, maybe you'll get one of these babies in the mail.