Pokémon 25th Celebration Lionel Train
I was delighted when asked to design a train for the 25th year celebration. My first thought was how do I keep the design in line with the brand and make it look right on the train.
Putting the water starters on the tank car made the most sense so I gave each type their own car after that. Once I had a good layout in mind for each car, I worked the colors and backgrounds in to a graffiti-esque style while keeping the characters on brand.
Pokémon Primers Flap Books
Had a lot of fun helping illustrate these. I did this wrap-around cover and worked on some pages inside as well. I learned there is a lot of planning involved with laying out flap books.
I really appreciate when something is well thought out. For the flap books I wanted to have the flaps show more of the scene when a flap opened outside of the book. I also wanted to give some continuity with hints of the pages that came before and the ones that are coming next.
Apparel
Knowing the brand is important. That allows you to to have more fun with the designs and make the kinds of decisions fans will enjoy and appreciate more.
Which Pokémon is most fitting to be on an athletic polo I ask? Correct, it's Snom!
Home Décor
It's always a fun challenge trying to get something just right on a product. At Pokémon I designed BBQ equipment to Holiday ornaments, beach accessories to Halloween adornments. It's a satisfying feeling when it comes together just right and into your own hands from the manufacturers.
Special Projects
Special projects are a great time to stretch your creative skills, and Pokémon had no shortage of them. From logos to video work to cross-promotions with world famous companies, these were always fun to be a part of.
The day I was asked to come up with an alternative version to the New Pokémon Snap game was a good one indeed. I wanted to pay homage to the first game with same fun jumbled feel of the original logo. I also wanted to hint at the luminous lotus flowers that allow you to develop the Luminous Balls needed to catch the new elusive glowing Pokémon in the game. I wanted the logo too change in the dark on the game box and you'd see the image on the right glow-in-the-dark. I felt it important to show what makes this game different and special from the last version without being too obvious. My personal aesthetics have always been subtlety over the blatant, in-your-face approach.
This was for a cross-promo with Starbucks in which different regions of the U.S. would be represented on their cups. Style-wise I was going for something a bit more sophisticated and classic Americana feeling, so I wanted to approach this project with a slightly newish/vintage look. I also wanted to represent my home, New England, for my concept.
