work + emily lordahl

holiday mixology class

poster, lettering

Client: LivingSocial
Date: December 2012
Art Direction: Jenni Green, LivingSocial

The Holiday Mixology Class poster, created in an ongoing poster exhibition series, was concepted and designed for a cooking class at LivingSocial’s 918 F Street. This historic building is a dynamic event space located in Washington DC. The poster successfully maintains the LivingSocial brand as well as a unique approach to the tacky sweater theme with digitally-stitched typography and original libations illustrations.

holiday gift guide

web design, advertising

Client: LivingSocial
Date: Winter 2012
Art Direction: Aaron Pecoraro, LivingSocial

LivingSocial’s Holiday Gift Guide was a comprehensive and engaging campaign intended to drive traffic to the site’s deals, products and experiences that also positioned LivingSocial as the ideal gift-giving destination. The campaign included daily and weekly email banners, deal tiles, landing page banners and backgrounds, and post-purchase banner designs.

5k dance party

environmental design

Client: LivingSocial
Date: November 2012
Art Direction: Erin Hawkins, LivingSocial

LivingSocial’s first-ever 5K Dance Party, was a glow-in-the-dark fun run held at Washington D.C.’s RFK Stadium followed by an after-party and concert at the Stadium Armory. Initial ideas were concepted and executed until the “Glow City” concept (designed by team member) was decided upon. ”Glow City” was translated to collateral intended to create a cohesive, on-brand look while maintaining functionality for participants. Pieces designed ranged from staff t-shirts to race bibs, directional signage to start-runners and informational signs to stage signs. This event was LivingSocial’s largest live-event to date and is now on a national tour. Photos courtesy of Brandon P. Cohen

pizza sano

branding, web design

Client: Pizza Sano
Date: Fall 2010
Art Direction: Emily Lordahl

Pizza Sano is a hypothetical company that focuses on delivering pizza to Americans in a new way. The company strives for eco-friendly practices, healthy and allergy-sensitive menus, and the utilization of local, fresh ingredients. The branding system needed to encompass all the company’s quintessential values, while remaining approachable and applicable to the average, on-the-go American family. Collateral designed include logo and iconography, letterhead, business card series, envelope, menu, grand opening invitation, delivery box packaging and website.

identities

branding

Identities created for various clients.

Client: DUX Center
Art Direction: Office of Technology & Design
Date: Spring 2011

Client: Aging in Reston
Art Direction: Greater Washington Publishing, Inc.
Date: Summer 2010
Client: Pizza Sano
Art Direction: Emily Lordahl
Date: Fall 2010

Client: Council for Exceptional Children
Art Direction: Touch Three
Date: Spring 2012

Client: Sawhill Gallery
Art Direction: Emily Lordahl
Date: Spring 2010

identity development

design process, sketching

Research and Develop The objective of this project was to redesign Sawhill Gallery’s existing logo. To begin the process of any identity design, one must first research the competition and most importantly, the client. From there, it is helpful to use morphologies to develop a range of color, typography, and imagery.
Sketch After a systematic catalog of structural possibilities existed, ideas were sketched out and associative word lists were created to further explore ideas. Failures and successes often occurred at this stage, which lead to directed refinement.
Refine and Revise Once ideas had been sketched out and visualized on paper, these ideas were transfered to digital format as refined iterations. At this stage, peer review and critique was critical. Based on feedback and round-table critiques, certain changes were applied to certain directions, and a finished product was in the making.
Produce Once the logo was revised meticulously in black and at various sizes, a color scheme was decided on and files were prepared to be sent out for production.

sawhill gallery

branding

Client: Sawhill Gallery
Date: Spring 2010
Art Direction: Emily Lordahl

Sawhill Gallery is a professional gallery located on James Madison University’s campus featuring changing exhibitions of international, national and regional significance. The Sawhill Gallery logo and stationery set were designed to reflect the contemporary nature of the gallery space as well as the art it exhibits. Staggered letterforms were inspired by the pine panels that line the walls of the gallery space. This design was submitted alongside eighteen other proposed redesigns and was selected as the new logo for ongoing use.

acr bulletin

publication, art direction

Client: ACR
Date: June 2011–October 2012
Art Direction: Touch Three

The American College of Radiology produces ACR Bulletin, a monthly magazine published both in print and digitally ten times per year to keep radiologists informed on current research, advocacy efforts, the latest technology, relevant education courses and programs, and ACR products and services. The design and production of this publication focuses on delivering information to radiologists in a visually appropriate and typographically pleasing manner. Collaboration with editors enhances the design and understanding of the features, as do special installments, such as infographics and outsourced, art-directed illustration.

to heal through senses

artist book

Client: Self-Motivated
Date: Spring 2011
Art Direction: Emily Lordahl

To Heal Through Senses is a limited-edition, hand-crafted concertina artist book. The concept was to deliver a peaceful, tactile book to people who need healing. The book encourages use of the senses, with the addition of the sixth sense—time—to aid recovery. Inspiration came from the Zen Asian lifestyle, Asian characters, and the verticality and simplicity of ancient Japanese scrolls. The piece was digitally printed on Lokta natural, the traditional paper of Nepal. To Heal Through Senses was selected for inclusion in the Juried Undergrad Art Exhibit at James Madison University in April 2011.

aabb news

publication, art direction

Client: AABB
Date: September 2011–October 2012
Art Direction: Touch Three

AABB News is published in print and digitally on a monthly basis for members of The American Association of Blood Banks, which is an international, not-for-profit association representing individuals and institutions involved in the field of transfusion medicine and cellular therapies. The design and production of this publication focuses on delivering information to members in a visually appropriate and typographically pleasing manner. Collaboration with editors enhances the design and understanding of the features, as do special installments, such as outsourced, art-directed illustration.

cec

branding, lettering, advertising

Client: Council for Exceptional Children
Date: January 2012–September 2012
Art Direction: Touch Three

The developed branding for the CEC’s 2013 Convention & Expo, the largest professional development event dedicated to special and gifted education, was to be location-driven and reminiscent of the Tex-Mex aesthetic without being overwhelming. The logo drew inspiration from antique, wrought-iron brands. Pieces developed for this branding system ranged from advertisements to luggage tags to web banners to exhibitor prospectus programs. The logo typography was hand-lettered to give the letterforms a unique, rustic impression.

taste

artist book

Client: Self-motivated
Date: Spring 2011
Art Direction: Emily Lordahl

Taste is a limited-edition, plate-lithographed concertina artist book. The concept for the book was inspired by an Animal Collective song and was driven by a personal exploration of how one’s personality evolves based on her intrapersonal and exterior influences. The interior pages were hand-pulled on a lithography press, while the covers were digitally printed on canvas paper.