Coast magazine — August 2017

I was inspired to pitch this photo feature after moving to an Eichler home in Orange last year. See, the homes look cool from the street. But they look really spectacular when you turn on all the lights at night and photograph them from the atriums and back yards.




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Orange Coast magazine — December 2016

SONY DSC

Favorite project of 2016! I commissioned Karen Cox to create coloring pages based on Orange County TV shows. It all started as a group message on Instagram by the Orange Coast art department. “Check out this Australian magazine that makes their own coloring books.” “We should make one!” “That would be so rad, O.C. coloring book.” So I started working with our production director, who sourced rough paper for just that section. Then I worked with our sales team, which sold a custom coloring page to an advertiser to cover expenses. Six months later, there it was. One of the Housewives regrammed us, so it was a social media hit. And we posted printable pages online for a contest, pulling traffic to our website. Firing on all cylinders!

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Orange Coast magazine — May 2015

A feature about Jeff Sotzing, who is Johnny Carson’s nephew and also responsible for maintaining the integrity of Carson’s legacy. Photo by Kyle Monk in front of curtains sourced from IKEA and Bed, Bath & Beyond. Where the steamer fell short, the smudge tool in Photoshop took over.

Orange Coast Magazine – February 2013

Illustration by the great Anita Kunz. She was so easy to work with, great concepts, turned in the final early. No idea if she was making a Zoolander reference here, but I happened to be watching it the weekend the sketch came in. I was too afraid to ask her in case it was unintentional and then she wouldn’t want to go to final with it. Type and flourishes are a customization of Reina.

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Orange Coast Magazine – August 2012

Click below to see the alternate cover that didn’t make the cut — I think everyone liked the design, but the understated tone of it just didn’t work with the wording we wanted. I’m proud to say I executed the design above myself, from manipulating the type to creating the dimensional sticker look. If I had a bigger budget, I’m sure my instinct would have been to hire a lettering artist plus someone to create the sticker.

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Orange Coast Magazine – May 2012

This photo was free, yes free, because some kind soul offered it up on Flickr Creative Commons. I could have sent a photographer out for something new, but sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time. I sourced a lot of lettering artists and vintage book covers to create this headline.

Orange Coast Magazine – March 2012

I worked with Anderson Design Group out of Nashville to create this cover. It illustrates the Lone Cypress near Pebble Beach on the central CA coast. There are lots of travel covers out there, and we wanted to create something that would stand out, that readers would want to keep on their coffee tables for awhile.

Orange Coast Magazine – July 2009

Find four OC-based surfers to put on a cover. Easy, right? Hah! This month I learned just how deep surf culture is in Orange County. I mean, the high schools have surf teams. So I couldn’t put just any surfers on the cover, they had to be legit. Photographed by Jason Wallis at River Jetties during a rare break in June Gloom. The little plane/banner was a last-minute tweak I added.

Orange Coast Magazine – May 2009

Photograph by Ralph Palumbo. The owners of this house weren’t even home during this shoot, but they let us have the run of the place. I styled the model (that’s my Tarina Tarantino bracelet!) and added flowers to fill in the gaps. Those topiaries? Really just one, rotated and photographed twice. I let the model take it home. The poor pup is a shelter dog who hasn’t been adopted yet. He was left at the shelter anonymously so no one knew his name. He’s been newly christened “Riley” but didn’t respond to it no matter how enthusiastically we said it.

Orange Coast Magazine – June 2008

I got the job! I love this layout so I wish it had been published. Alas, it’s just a test layout to prove I have what it takes for the about-to-relaunch Orange Coast. Stock photo for the opener with some fancy Photoshop manipulation on the headline type. I wasn’t happy with the pacing of some of the small bottles in the sidebars, so I researched and wrote a couple of new entries to create a better flow.

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Las Vegas Life – April 2008

Goodbye, Las Vegas Life… I’d like to think I went out with a bang on this fashion layout. I worked with Stockholm-based illustrator Cecelia Carlstedt. Las Vegas has all the biggest names in fashion but they’re not all willing to share their product with little ol’ Las Vegas Life. What to do? Get hi-res runway shots and illustrate them in a fantasy world. I love how it turned out.

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Milwaukee Magazine – October 2005

I hope Milwaukeeans totally get this. There’s a new public market downtown, visible from the freeway to any commuters. There’s a big “Milwaukee Public Market” neon sign, similar to the one at Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Thing is, I didn’t have any source letters for B, S, O or F. That S was killer, I tell you! Took me about two solid days to create a believable curve and depth. I could have removed the contrail, but I kind of like it.

Milwaukee Magazine – August 2003

This cover is a low-budget wonder. The Mini is borrowed from the dealership. The model is our intern. Hair done by Yours Truly. Target tank top. Map made at the office, taped together and folded. Shoot location is behind Quad/Graphics, our parent company. I love the cross-processed final result.

Milwaukee Magazine – July 2003

Posting a classic. I just love the simplicity of this. The star was sourced from a coworker’s old piano workbook — they just don’t sell stars like that anymore. I created the corner banner before the benefit of stock image websites where I could have just typed in ‘banner’ and had my pick of dozens. The file prep of this one was tricky — we wanted the star to look like a real gold star so we needed a touch plate of PMS with black laid down on top to create the ridges. Cross fingers, et voila, it printed great!