MJM Marketing Solutions

Making the best marks  with the best ideas.

I'm not only available for freelance- I'm still interested in bringing these skills to bear for the right Branding or Advertising agency. I have nearly 20 years' experience working at an agency, and it's a place of familiarity for me. Contact me and let's talk!

I've created and updated brands, advertising and corporate imagery for a diverse range of clients, including automotive, sports, retail, food, service and charity organizations.

What I Do

Who I've done it for

Graphic Design - Art Direction - Package Design
Brand Consultation - Illustration

General Motors - Chevrolet - IBM - Holiday Inn
Geddes Farm - Stinson Mellor Lacrosse - And more!

Skill Set

Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign: Expert

Adobe Bridge, Lightroom & Muse: Medium

HTML & CSS: Light

Graphic Design / Brand Work

Graphic Design and Brand Work I've done for corporate (at my old agency) and freelance clients, with some classwork mixed in.

Jeep 1: Brought new graphic look to an established brand. Subhead reflects new arrow pointing North. Research + Design. Classwork.

A Slice Of Italy: Breathed new life into an older restaurant's image. Also menu design. Research + Design. Classwork.

Montana: Researched and designed specifically to get Millennials thinking about Montana as a cool, hip tourist destination. Research + Design. Classwork.

Trader Joe's: Created an illustrated logo design for their marshmallow candy. Research + Design. Classwork.

Jeep 2: Redesigned for a final project, rolled out into a complete corporate branding concept including comprehensive brand standards book. Research + Design. Classwork.

Diva Girl: Researched and designed a complete corporate identity for a fictional spa. Research + Design. Classwork.

Lazy Horse Brewing: Research and designed for a brewery in Nebraska to give them a strong identity for their beer line. Freelance. Beer and cider labels forthcoming.

Sylvania: Added a brandmark symbol to their look, and brought in a script font to change up their look. Research + Design. Classwork.

Zippo: Updated their look with a brandmark featuring a horned devil "mascot". Research + Design. Classwork.

The "D" Restaurant: A Detroit-themed Coney restaurant in Las Vegas needed a Detroit themed logo. Research + Design. Classwork.

Skype: Abstract brandmark created to symbolize the transmission of "packets" through the Web. Research + Design. Classwork.

Jeep 2: Redesigned Jeep's brandmark to honor their history and set them up for the future. Complete identity standards guide written and designed also. Research + Design. Classwork.

Stinson Mellor Lacrosse: Top-tier lacrosse equipment company needed a hip-yet-retro look. Brandmark plus wearables and various ephemera. Freelance.

2nd Shift for Liberty: Liberty-themed community group brandmark. Freelance.

ALV Bookkeeping: Professional bookkeeping firm. Complete identity including brandmark and website. Freelance.

B.C. Two Hander: Logo for a hockey themed T-Shirt company. Freelance.

Beerd Brews: Clean and simple logo (with associated individualized logos for the guys there) for a microbrewery. Freelance. Labels forthcoming.

C-SAEF: Colorado based school security program. Freelance.

Caras: Fine handbag maker brandmark and business identity. Research + Design. Freelance.

CE Interactive: Logo created for a then-prospective Web design group at Campbell Ewald. Freelance/spec.

Cookie Crafters: Local food business - brandmark plus packaging. Research + Design. Freelance.

Devilpig: Outdoor gear designer brandmark. Freelance.

Detroit Hockey Company: Sports memorabilia company. Created comprehensive identity including brandmark, advertising, and direct response. Freelance.

Dick O' Dow's: Local public house in Birmingham, MI. Also designed their grand opening invitation.

Descendants of Liberty Press: Liberty-themed publisher. Also created their website. Research + Design. Freelance.

Dude Depot: Irreverant supplier of manly goods. Research + Design. Freelance.

Great Day Interactive: Professional interactive marketing services. Research + Design. Freelance.

Hasek YSSF: Identity created for a prospective youth scholarship fund. Research + Design. Freelance/spec.

Labatt's Hockey Detroit: Local hockey league. Freelance.

Neale Bayly Rides: Peru: British personality who rode from the US to Peru on a motorcycle. Seen on TV. Research + Design. Freelance.

Tactical Medic: Supplier of tactical medical equipment to police, fire departments and prepared citizens. Research + Design. Freelance.

TDAH: Work done at Campbell-Ewald for their then-new digital communications internal agency.

UW Gear: Tactical nylon gear manufacturer. Also website and comprehensive identity. Research + Design. Freelance.

2 - 33

Art Direction

Art Direction work I've done over my career for clients (including agency work) as well as college projects. This is the way marks become comprehensive, world-ready ideas.

Sugar & Salt Baking Co.: Oakland University Graphic Design Thesis project. Complete, layered brand identity, positioning work, and socially conscious component for a proposed craft/artisan bakery in MI. Research + Design. Classwork, earned Graphic Design Exhibition Award.

Motown Museum: New look for an established institution, including posters and museum tickets that look like concert tickets. Classwork.

Bodoni Book: Wrote and designed an illustrated book based on Bodoni's font and life. Classwork.

Free Arts for Abused Children: I believe art has the power to heal, so when a PSA project came up in a class, it was a natural for me. Research + Design. Classwork.

Montana Tourism: Brochure and poster for a program targeting Millennials to get them to consider Montana as a tourist destination. Research + Design. Classwork.

Arts & Scraps: Local group encouraging children to get into the STEM fields using castoff "stuff" from donors. Client selected this postcard and letterhead. Research + Design + Presentation. Classwork/real client.

Cranbrook Bats!: Part of a pitch to Cranbrook Science Museum for their bat exhibition that ties in with a forthcoming comic book movie. Research + Design + Presentation. Classwork, with real client.

Geddes Farm: Local organic farm that is doing it the old-fashioned way - all-natural and organic. Ongoing, complete comprehensive identity and brand work, including photography. Research + Design + Presentation. Freelance.

Jeep Brand Book: Wrote and designed a complete brand guide book for a Jeep logo I also designed for a class. Research + Design. Classwork.

Luminaries: In depth research and design for a proposed program to get Millennials to study STEM fields and find employment solving the world's problems. Project includes brandmark and full campaign. Research + Design. Classwork.

Cadillac Welcome DM and eNewsletter: Welcome kit DM for Cadillac and Cadillac Owner Center eNewsletter. Design + Presentation. Agency work.

Chevy Welcome Kit and eNewsletter: Branded (and improved using Best Practices) Chevy eNewsletter and welcome kit for all product lines. Research + Design + Presentation. Agency work.

Detroit Hockey Company: Complete branding identity, including photography, for a local game-worn hockey memorabilia company. Research + Design + Presentation. Freelance.

Diva Girl Spa: Complete identity for a fictional high-end spa. Research + Design. Classwork.

GM Military Discount: Comprehensive system of ads, website, brochures and ephemera for GM's previous Military Discount program. Research + Design + Present. Agency work.

GM Supplier Discount: Various emails, brochures and other ephemera for General Motors' Supplier Discount program. Research + Design + Presentation. Agency work.

National City: Programs, promotions and ephemera for National City's Points program. Research + Design + Presentation. Agency work.

Swift Air: Complete brand identity for an airline's brandmark and associated ephemera. Research + Design. Classwork.

The "D" Coney: Logo, menu and ephemera for a proposed rework of The D Coney Island's business identity. Research + Design. Classwork.

20 - 20

Illustration

Illustration isn't just something I do for myself. I've done it for clients as well, and it helps when you have an idea that a simple symbol won't bring to life... Illustration is part of many things I do.

Jack of All Trades: Self promotional. Done in Illustrator. Classwork.

Barnum's Aquatics: Illustrated animal cracker box (fully designed all panels) in Art Nouveau style. Done in Illustrator. Classwork.

Chrome Faucet: Using Illustrator's Mesh tool. Classwork.

Chrome Angel: After Philip Castle. Illustrated book (detail). Done in Illustrator. Classwork.

Editorial Reuse: Illustration for a Wired.com article. Done in Illustrator. Classwork.

Get Ur Geek On: Illustrating favorite phrases. Done in Illustrator. Classwork.

Warrior Bags: Illustrated a season's worth of lacrosse equipment bags for their product catalog. Done in Illustrator. Freelance.

7 - 7

Photography

Photography is mainly something I do for fun, for myself to document vacations or special moments, but occasionally a client will need a shot or three, and I'm happy to oblige. I've also directed photo shoots when I worked at the agency, but that's another story.

Geddes Farm 1: Photos of produce for ad and online work. Freelance.

Geddes Farm: Produce photos for ad and online work. Freelance.

Geddes Farm: Group shot of fresh produce for branding work. Freelance.

Geddes Farm: Branding photo. Freelance.

Landscape 1: Shot for a landscape assignment for photography class.

Landscape 2: Shot while looking for good shots to take for a landscape assignment. Classwork.

Landscape 3: Shot for an outdoor assignment for photography class.

Landscape 4: Shot for an outdoor assignment for photography class.

Landscape 5: Shot for an outdoor assignment for photography class.

Lighting: Experimenting with lighting. Classwork.

Tennessee 1: Pipes leading across a famous distillery in Tennessee (I'll give you one guess which one). Personal.

Tennessee 2: Pipes and a building at a famous distillery in Tennessee. Personal.

Tennessee 3: Taken at the Parthenon in Nashville. Personal.

New Orleans 1: Taken during a walk in the French Quarter. Personal.

New Orleans 2: Taken during a walk around the French Quarter. Personal.

New Orleans 3: Liked the shadow on the wall framed by the architectural details. Personal.

Frame within a frame: Shot of my wife smiling at me through her hands. Classwork.

Surreal: Assigment for a photography class. Retouched in Photoshop. Classwork.

18 - 18

Contact Me

Need some branding or design work done? Want to talk to me about a job opening? I can help.

Contact me via Facebook and check out my Blog!

Student projects are not intended to depict an actual identity or publication of the referenced organization; the project is intended to reflect industry simulations and were produced for educational purposes only.

V8.4