Lark Ellen Farm

Vibrant stand-up pouches containing granola made of sprouted nuts and seeds. I drew the semi-circular illustration on the front by hand. It is intended to give the consumer a sense of what's in the bag. The window beneath shows the product. Each bag has an inspirational quote on the bottom. The product is available on the west coast. Featured on The Dieline. Photos by Robin and Sue (robinandsue.com).

View my process for Lark Ellen Farm >

Undercover Chocolate Company

Undercover Quinoa is a snack with healthy ingredients lightly covered with chocolate — healthy ingredients, undercover. The logo is a Clouseau-esqe spy, who wears a different brightly colored hat and mirrored shades on each bag. No one would ever notice him. The subtle humor is carried through on the bag, where the product is shown in a 'flashlight beam' (the circle). The type on the back is seen through a magnifying glass.

The Bites Company Biscotti Bites

Redesign for a line of cookies available in the northeast. I kept the basic established layout, which had brand recognition, but I enhanced it with Italianate ornamentation, since biscotti are an indulgence. The organic line is differentiated with a green band and banner.

Juli-Anne's Tropical Kitchen

Fresh looking bags for granola with tropical ingredients. I created watercolor illustrations for each flavor, highlighting the ingredients.

Yooka Chips by One Sweet Life

Yooka Chips are a unique product created by a client from Brazil. Yuca, the root of the cassava or manioc plant, is a staple food in countries in Africa and South America. We wanted a rustic look for the package, so we used kraft boxes with a layer of white ink under the type and imagery, so that the inks would not sink into the paper and the colors would be vibrant. I painted the yuca root and leaves with watercolor, scanned them and cleaned them up in Photoshop a little bit. Each package has an inspirational quote on the side.

Vida Bread

Packaging for frozen Brazilian cheese bread, available in the Los Angeles area.

Taste of Crete

This extra virgin olive oil comes from family farm collectives on Crete, Greece. I wanted a rustic and earthy look, and the client requested the red, blue and gold colors, which archaeologists believe adorned the walls at the Palace of Minos in Knossos.

Blazing Star Foods Salad Dressing

Blazing Star Foods salad dressings are a new line of funky, irreverent artisanal salad dressings inspired by diverse sources, from historical figures to family recipes. I made watercolor illustrations to express the spirit of each flavor. The creator of Blazing Star has a background in historic clothing and quilting, and the name itself is from an old Revolutionary war era passage from Staten Island to New Jersey, so I combined antique type and a quilting star with the watercolor illustrations.

Naturalvert Granola

The client, a chef, came to me with a logo and simple labels for his light, crunchy granola. He wanted to keep the logo, but wanted bags designed, to take the product the the next level. His philosophy is that healthy, good quality foods provide fuel so that people can achieve their dreams. With that in mind, I designed bags that show a burst of energy emanating from the product name. I incorporated a window because the client wanted people to be able to see the product. I drew the flavor cues on the fly in the computer, to stay within budget.

Mr. E's Mysterious Bees

Medicine show style label for wild honey from San Francisco. This project never got produced, which is sad, because I love it.

Bee's Water Honey Beverage

Friendly bee logo and shrink-wrap for a healthy beverage made of honey. Honeycomb illustration is watercolor, to give the package an organic touch. The side has a cut-out window so the consumer can see the contents. Available in Whole Foods and other markets in New York and New Jersey.

Niti Ayurvedic Beverage

Label for an ayurvedic beverage available in the New York metro area. The peacock is the national bird of India, where ayurveda originated.

3pm Bites

Neon ink and bold type on black makes the package for these healthy treats for athletes stand out on the shelf and at the gym.

Meraki Organic Rice

Packaging for a new line of high quality basmati rice that is grown in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Pasha Delights Dondurma

Hand-drawn logo and packaging for pints of Turkish ice cream. Pattern at the bottom is a traditional Turkish motif.

Kaurina's Kulfi

Updated logo and packaging for Kaurina's Kulfi, available in New York, Texas and California. The client wanted to reference the Indian origin of the product, but have a clean, elegant look.

California Romance

Labels for private label wine from Sonoma County, California. Color combinations reflect the wine, and change per varietal. Inspired by Russian lacquer miniatures, the labels are enhanced with gold foil, embossing, and spot varnish. I drew the dancing couple by hand and refined in the computer.

Quixote Winery

Quixote Winery is the only building in the Americas designed by the Austrian artist and architect Hundertwasser. He also designed the logo for the winery, and in his original design, the name Quixote was conjoined with the 'structure' below. The new owners wanted the name to be separate, which I did. I also did the typography, chose colors for different varietals and spec'ed the foils and varnish. I created the Panza logo. I tried to be true to the spirit Hundertwasser created; he has always been one of my favorite artists.

Cooper's Chase Distillery

Cooper's Chase products are distilled from wheat grown in Nebraska. They are artisanal products, well made and high quality, and we wanted the label to reflect that. The matte paper and deckled edge, and the sculpted embossed steer skull (the owner is a rancher) contribute to the high quality yet unpretentious look.

Milk Street Distillery

Labels for Milk Street Distillery in Branchville, New Jersey. The owners wanted a vintage look with a basic label composition that would carry across their entire product line. The line currently consists of three products: Black Vulture Vodka, Wooden Leg Rum, and Dam Break Rye.

Kanpeki Vodka

Kanpeki Vodka from Milk Street Distillery. Kanpeki is a Japanese word that means 'perfection.' The vodka is made of polished grains of white rice, and the distillery owners wanted it to have a Japanese look. We were able to commission calligraphy from a master calligrapher, Mr. Tsuyoshi Takemori. I drew a cherry blossom branch and refined it in the computer. The owners of the distillery wanted a flying vulture as their 'crest,' to pay homage to their first product, Black Vulture Vodka.

Bossa Cachaça

Bossanova, a breezy, Brazilian form of jazz, was born in Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro in the 1960s. Those familiar with Ipanema Beach will recognize the pattern on the cachaça bottle as being similar to the pattern on the sidewalk along that section of beach.

La Tarasque Côtes du Rhone

Côtes du Rhone Grenache/Syrah blend by winemaker Aaron Pott. The label shows the medieval dragon, La Tarasque, which terrorized Provence until it was tamed by Saint Martha. Closeup of label and poster follow.

Doux Soap

Doux Soaps are made in the south of France. The style influence on the bands is savonnerie carpets, which ties in to soap: a savonnerie is a soap works. Savonnerie carpets were first woven in former soap works in 1615. Scroll down to see some of the detail on the bands.

Oregon Soap Company

Oregon Soap Company makes organic soaps scented with essential oils. The logo existed when I took the project. I created images of botanicals for each scent, and kept the overall look simple and outdoors-y.

Shaka Skin

Retro type and aloha shirt patterns give a vintage vibe to body creams with Hawaiian botanical scents. Featured on The Dieline under 'Projects We Wish Were Real.' Never produced but worth showing.

Bidwell Botanicals

Packaging for a range of handmade soaps. I drew the patterns, inspired by the scents and ingredients in the soaps.

Shea Radiance

Luxury skin care with a social conscience. Shea Radiance works with women in Africa to bring women in America high quality shea butter products. The logo shows the mutual benefit and radiant result of the mission of the company. Web slider and ad follow package images.

Kiroja

Kiroja, Swahili for Something Wonderful, is a line of East and West African shea butters and body care products. The logo, enhanced with copper foil on the labels, is modern, but references traditional African motifs.