BUCK was approached by The New Yorker to design their annual festival's illustrated branding system, and I was fortunate enough to lead the project as the lead designer and creative director. I was responsible for designing the poster that would set the tone for the entire branding system. I also directed the anthem film that launched the event and oversaw the development of a graphics package that was used during the livestream. All in all, it was a real hoot to contribute to such a prestigious cultural event.

We worked on many initial concepts, but eventually a simple and absurd idea lept out of my sketchbook: What if buildings were people? What if we saw two buildings going on a date? What if we saw a building walking its dog?  The New Yorker gave us the green light to run wild with our “buildings are people” concept, and we did just that. We started with a poster design. but the final illustration and design system needed to work for print, web, motion, and in-person experiential design.

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Project

New Yorker Festival 2021

Client

The New Yorker

Summary
Film, Poster, Illustration System, Branding Package

Studio
BUCK

Roll
Creative Director

BUCK was approached by The New Yorker to design their annual festival's illustrated branding system, and I was fortunate enough to lead the project as the lead designer and creative director. I was responsible for designing the poster that would set the tone for the entire branding system. I also directed the anthem film that launched the event and oversaw the development of a graphics package that was used during the livestream. All in all, it was a real hoot to contribute to such a prestigious cultural event.

We worked on many initial concepts, but eventually a simple and absurd idea lept out of my sketchbook: What if buildings were people? What if we saw two buildings going on a date? What if we saw a building walking its dog?  The New Yorker gave us the green light to run wild with our “buildings are people” concept, and we did just that. We started with a poster design. but the final illustration and design system needed to work for print, web, motion, and in-person experiential design.

Project

New Yorker Festival 2021

Client

The New Yorker

Summary
Film, Poster, Illustration System, Branding Package

Studio
BUCK

Roll
Creative Director

During my time as a Creative Director at Buck, I collaborated with the Nike NYC team to create the "Unexpected Run Conversations." Nike NYC came to us with a great idea: They wanted to pair artists with athletes’ stories to create inspiring content for the NYC running community. We were invited to spearhead the campaign through a series of spots that mixed live-action and animation, each profiling a different runner and each featuring the work of a different BUCK artist. After selecting three artists from our roster of talented folks, we were off and running with the Nike crew.

We started with research, crafted the scripts, and led the interview process with each of the athletes being profiled. After selecting three artists from our talented roster, we were off and running with the Nike crew. For each episode, we mixed live-action and animation, profiling a different runner and featuring the work of a different Buck artist. We partnered with a live-action director to determine the overall look and feel of the live-action portion of the spots and did the design and animation in-house. Our post-production team delivered the edit quickly, and we got it to the finish line without pulling a hammy.

Episode 1: Shalane Flanagan, an American long-distance runner, Olympic medalist, and New York City Marathon champion. We picked up her story as she was leaving retirement to run all six world majors in just 42 days.

I was the Creative Director for the campaign, but on this particular episode  I also happend to be the lead artist. 

Lead Artist: Ege Soyuer ︎

Episode 2: Old Man Run Club, an NYC community for runners of all ages.

Lead Artist: Simone Norohna

Episode 3: Thomas Panek, the first blind runner to finish a half marathon in New York. He alos is the the president and founder of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a non-profit which trains guide dogs for people with severe vision loss. Interviewing him was extremely inspiring, to say the least. 

Lead Artist: Lucas Brooking

Project
Unexpected Run Club

Client

Nike

Summary
Campaign

Studio
BUCK

Roll
Creative Director

While at Buck, we created nine 15-second spots for Airbnb as part of their Host Recruitment Campaign. The goal was to attract potential hosts by showcasing how their homes were already perfect for Airbnb guests. The campaign utilized CG miniature sets that felt like real dioramas of homes, closely resembling their real-life counterparts. 

As the Creative Director on the project, I worked closely with the client and my team at Buck to develop a set of visual principles to create a harmonious visual language across nine separate 15-second spots. These principles covered references, lighting, materials, and proportions and helped to evoke a sense of real materials and tactility in the objects.The meticulous attention to detail in creating a miniature physical set resulted in an immersive and captivating world.

Project

Airbnb It

Client

Airbnb

Summary
Campaign

Studio
BUCK

Roll
Creative Director

I had the great pleasure of designing the spots in the October 11th, 2021 issue of The New Yorker Magazine. This was a runoff project from the concept sketches for the New Yorker Festival 2021 Branding Package, Poster, and Film. ︎.

Project

Spot Illustrations

Client

New Yorker

Summary
Illustration