Rachel Squibbs Design

Hopopotamus Beer Emporium is a fictitious company both created and branded by establishing a cohesive identity system. This company is a beer store located in Detroit, Michigan and aims to provide customers with the largest variety of craft beers and micro-brews. After the primary black and white logo was developed, color was added and a standards manual was created to ensure a cohesive and well-established identity. Following the stationary set, a website was created followed by collateral for the company's promotions and marketing strategy.

The relationship between word and graphic element was considered through the form and meaning of each. Both wordmarks “organic” and “angle” are neither product or corporate- based, but instead communicate a specific message to the viewer about the word itself.

In the case of “organic”, the word communicates freshness, wholesomeness and nutrition. As a result, the image of a tomato was used to create the character of the “g”. Because of the message the word communicates, a humanist, serif typeface was chosen (Garamond). Through the combination of text and image, it is clear to the viewer what is being communicated.

The wordmark for “angle”, on the other hand, is much more harsh and geometric. For this mark, a bolder, sans-serif typeface was chosen (Helvetica) to visually communicate what the word states.To further push this concept, the image of an angle replaces the “a” while using the red arc to still mimic the form of the letter.

Type and image combine to create a poster for the 2014 BFA Graphic Design Exhibition at Michigan State University. Grid systems and color palette were considered to ensure a rigid, yet experimental design that used a beginning concept to drive the design choices.

The second poster design was for a campaign called "Brand You". Type, color and image combine to visually represent myself as a designer. Inspiration was taken from various movements in the history of graphic design, including Art Nouveau, the New York School, and Pictorial Modernism.

As a visual communication system of 3 icons, these illustrations represent the various ways a person may be identified, and the accompanying means of documentation. Clarity of communication and harmony of form were addressed in making a unified system of icons, while maintaining a level of simplicity of form. Repetition and progression were important in thickness and length of line, as well as shape and form. The integration of color was used to enhance the visual communication of the system and provide further clarity.

Surface, volume and materiality join to create a unique and vibrant package. To explore the possibilities of materiality, portions of the glass were sandblasted, while the metal lid was coated in paint to make it visually lighter. Attention to surface was also considered in the design of the label through adhering the labels on the back of the jar, and allowing the front label to rise off the surface. Not only does the front label add a 3-dimensional component to the packaging, but it also enables the product to fill the negative space. Contrast was created both through the use of color, and the use of geometric and organic line.

Persuasive package design urges, influences, encourages or convinces a user to choose a specific product. This package for a spool of thread establishes a functional, reusable, volumetric design that integrates type, image and color to entice a user. Images were derived from both photographs of a spool, as well as abstracted shapes and lines created by the spool and thread. By allowing the spool to be visible through the package, it strengthens the relationship between the form of the product and the design of the package.

As an environmental system developed for the East Lansing Farmer's Market, spatial relationships and information design were considered to create a cohesive system of navigation. Information was gathered at the location site about the physical space, ethnographic research and to ascertain what was needed to improve customer experience.

The logotype was derived from aerial views of crop fields, which was then reduced to simple geometric line and shape. From there, navigation signage was created to guide customers toward the market. A navigation kiosk was established for the front of the market, along with signage at each booth, which included a booth number and an icon indicating the type of food sold there.

This project was a collaborative effort with Kevin Marquardt at Michigan State University. 

An interactive dashboard was created after identifying a user and understanding his or her specific needs to complete a given task. Once the user was identified, an activity diagram was created, followed by user experience wireframes geared towards the specific user's actions. Finally, the research collected throughout the process was combined to create the final design comp and accompanying digital app icon.

This project was exhibited at the Michigan State University, University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) in April 2014.

Working collaboratively, my group was assigned a digital humanities project housed by Michigan State University's Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences, MATRIX.

Through methods used in interaction design, we developed an interactive narrative that represents the content in a unique and compelling way. A landscape analysis was performed to collect research about the potential users and to create accompanying wireframes.

Although a collaborative effort for the research process, the final design comps were a product of individual aesthetics.