Staying connected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly been a challenge for all of us. Students, faculty, and staff at Simon Fraser University (SFU), worked tirelessly to transition online, support each other, and find a new way forward. As the first fall semester of the pandemic came to a close and the holidays approached, SFU wanted to find a safe and supportive way to celebrate and build pride and connection among the community.
I worked with Wiseblood agency to create an image that conveys “staying together while being apart”.
Project Team:
Account Director: Carolyn Phoenix
Lead Strategist: Daniel Presnell
Creative Director: Dave Smith
Senior Designer: Dale Kilian
Copywriter: Ryan Leeson
Illustration: Ben Frey
Book cover illustrations for various published books for Figure 1 Publishing.
Island Eats, I am most proud of because of my roots growing up on Vancouver Island and now settled on Salt Spring Island. I have always loved to cook, have worked my share of kitchen lines, and love creating meals with locally sourced foods.
This illustration is part of an art series where artists were given the opportunity to create a visual of the effects of different strains of marijuana, developed by Washington state-based company, 1964. The illustrations were then used for the packaging of the product.
My strain was Lemon Haze, a happy, uplifted, euphoric, energised, relaxed mind high; said to be heavily psychedelic. Experience an increase in creativity and motivation.
A set of illustrations for British Columbia NDP leader and future Premier David Eby (Vancouver/Point Grey) on his electoral platforms: affordable housing, transportation, education, welfare, and no pipelines.
Poster design is my first love for illustration and design. In the 90s, I would collect posters of shows that I attended, where I would draw inspiration from the outsider art, the typography, and the unconventional layouts from the posters.
I’ve had the great opportunity to create posters for many of Timbre Concerts’ shows. Poster design has always been my favourite medium because it blends wildly imaginative illustrations with type.
Here are a few of my favourite designs.
Vancouver Mural Festival was held August 7–12, 2017 and is Vancouver's largest annual free public art celebration. I contributed a mural located in the alley near 10th and Main Street, on Dulux Paints. Titled "Spacious as a Concept" the mural comments on how we compromise living space in order to live in an urban center.
Illustrations for Summerland BC's coffee company Backyard Beans.
This is a poster design for Rifflandia, a media and arts festival in Victoria, BC that happens annually in September.
My idea for the poster was to create a friendly and imaginative illustration that pulls feelings and imagery from the southern part of Vancouver Island. I also wanted to convey that the festival is a big party, and the vibrant colours, like a Mexican fiesta, reflect that.
Tour posters, album artwork and digital marketing ads for various bands on Light Organ Records.
Illustration for Bandidas Taqueria's announcement in their menu that the restaurant will no longer be carrying straws. My inspiration was Día de Muertos and the beautiful and complex Diego Riviera murals in Mexico City.
Inspired by outdoor life on the West Coast of Canada, Sitka (now called Ecologyst) makes clothing, surfboards, fishing gear and other useful goods for exploring and enjoying the natural world.
These are illustrations for apparel from various seasons that Sitka produced.
Vancouver-themed illustrations for snowboard jackets collaborated with Westbeach Snowboards. The illustrations were used as lining in the jackets as well as t-shirt designs.
