Early in 2006 I was brought into New England Typographic Service(NETS) to run the art program for a new math book published by Scott Foresman called EnVision Math. This involved creating art specs for both illustration and photography as well as overseeing photo research for the project. Particular attention was paid to the top of each page called a VLB or Visual Learning Band. The publisher wanted to break from the traditional and somewhat predictable imagery normally associated with math books. Additionally the imagery conceptualized for the VLB band needed to have the potential to be animated for the online component of the book. My primary responsibility was Grade 5 for both Texas and California editions but, I also assisted with the photography portion of Grade 3. Most of the openers and page art specs were stock imagery but, there were also instances where illustration and original photography were needed. This project was a lot of fun to conceptualize, particularly the photography. All original photography was shot by the studio at Scott Foresman and they were able to handle a wide range of ‘out of the norm’ photo shoots, including six dogs in a wagon. I also had the oportunity to shoot some of my own photography and create some original illustration for the project when needed. All in all it was a very enjoyable project working with Scott Foresman and I am proud of the final product.

In 2005 I was brought in to both work on cover/page designs and resolve some production issues on Houghton-Mifflin’s Leveled Readers Program. This was a very large project that included hundreds of little book readers that spanned a range of topics including reading, science, social studies, and mathematics across grades K-6. Production issues developed due to the product using both Spanish and English text layers within the same files. Procedures were developed to insure proper alignment of both text layers in respect to the page art. The art had to remain fixed on the page without crashing either text layer. Printing issues were resolved by assigning each text layer a spot color of black to allow for the printer to strip the unwanted text from the printing plates. I developed and oversaw a comprehensive quality control process to insure that each book would print properly on press. Below is a small sampling of cover and interior designs I created for this project.

After completing work on Pearson/Longman Shining Star I was asked to create the design for a companion book for the program called Keys to Learning in 2004. This was my first project where I designed, templated, created all page elements, commisioned art, performed all production work, prepped final files, and released to the printer all by my self. I completed this project solo because it was the first project at Kirchoff/Wohlberg that was entirely completed using InDesign instead of Quark. After completing this project I was responsible for training other designers and production staff in using InDesign as the resident InDesign guru. I am proud of the amount of work I put into this project to deliver a final product from conception to completion in a short time frame and, being able to share new found knowledge with fellow employees.

Starting in 2002 and into 2003 I worked on a project for Pearson/Longman called Shining Star. I was responsible for some of the main design elements created in the initial design phase including logo creation, chart design, and introduced the concept of carrying the top band of the opener spread through each unit. There was attention paid to the image color at the top of each opener to ensure variety(red, blue, green, purple,  etc.). This helped unify the look of certain spreads within the unit as well as creating a color band separation when viewing the books from the side so that different units could be easily flipped to. Similar to a color tabbed design but using photographic images instead of solid color. After the design phase I was responsible for both template and style sheet creation for the project. I oversaw the layout and production of one of three levels that were in house during that time. Additionally I was responsible for the layout of all ancillary products for all three levels of the program including Audio Program, Workbooks, and Teachers Edition.

I worked on Scott Foresman – Making Music from 2001 into 2002. This was possibly the most enjoyable project I have worked on to date. I was given almost complete autonomy in creating spreads. Photo research and a lot of complex photoshop meant a lot of fun. It was great to be able to visualize a concept or layout for each spread, do the photo research, and then pull it all together in photoshop. I also used Illustrator extensively on Making Music to help construct border designs and some of the header designs. Other head designs were completed in photoshop with the addition of photoshop effects. I was responsible for one complete grade of the series but, I did help out a bit on two other grades as well. Below are some of the many, many pages I designed, art directed and laid out for this project.

I worked on Houghton Mifflin – English Language Learners in 2001. This was both my first 2 color job and, also, my first ‘soup to nuts’ project. That is to say I was responsible for everything from raw manuscript through final file prep and release to the printers. I was responsible for the initial page design layouts, the creation of all boiler-plate artwork, and the cover design. After getting the design and boilerplate art approved I was responsible for all page production on this project. From pouring and styling all the text to final file release.

I worked on Holt – Elements of Literature in 2000 and 2001. This was my first major design and layout project. My duties on the project were numerous. I performed a lot of initial conceptualization and art direction for each reading selection. Head designs, photo research, and the layout and production of the pages were also my responsibilities on this project. I also had a couple of images I created included in this project. One was the opener for the World War II section (visible below) and the other was a studio set-up shot of a chicken in a wheelbarrow used with one of the poetry selections. Below are a few of the many pages I designed for Holt – Elements of Literature.