Brand Design & Creative Direction
One of the great joys of my career has been the opportunity to build brands and design systems from the ground up - overseeing initial ideation, development, and final implementation. The work has to start with a clear mission, needs a strong team to grow, and even stronger leadership and vision to cross the finish line.
↓
Grotto Network Website & Visual Rebrand
Brand Director - Creative Director
Grotto Network needed a reimagining of its brand proposition, visual identity, and website in order to better reflect and serve the needs of a growing Gen Z audience. Work was also needed to ensure clarity of mission for internal and freelance staff, as well as for support in onboarding.
Market research was conducted nationally, including online surveys and in-person focus groups. Key demographic information informed brand decisions and helped move Grotto into a better position to serve its audience.
Visual branding was updated to better reflect Grotto’s initial inspiration, pulling from the stones of the grotto at the University of Notre Dame. This abstracted design served as the basis for broader art direction across platforms.
Grotto Network’s website was completely rebuilt from the ground up with new CMS and hosting from Webflow, with a reimagined design and user experience to better present and organize Grotto’s massive library of original content.
Work was completed with the support of Studio Us, a branding agency based in Grand Rapids, MI.
Launched in December 2023, the newly imagined Grotto Network social and digital platforms were met with resounding initial success. In the first month of relaunch, the website saw a 30% spike in traffic and social platforms saw a 20% increase in follower growth.
@GrottoChicago Brand Identity
Brand Director - Creative Director
@GrottoChicago is a unique grassroots effort aimed at connecting college graduates with supportive communities for social events, service opportunities, and spiritual growth. In building the brand and visual identity for @GrottoChicago, we focused on elevating the vibrant neighborhoods, history, and joy of Chicago. Inspiration was pulled from Art Deco architectural details and vintage bar signs, reimagined for a new age. Neighborhood maps formed abstract shapes that translated into dynamic framing for @GrottoChicago’s diverse social content - across Reels, Stories, Posts, and more.
Work was developed in partnership with Loesch Studios.
The dynamic visual identity behind @GrottoChicago helped fuel its Instagram account to surpass all other Chicago-based Catholic accounts, all while helping to build a thriving in-person community of young adults.
Grotto Network Video Creative Direction
Creative Director - Executive Producer
At the launch of Grotto Network at 2017, the organization faced a challenge: how to produce high quality, engaging video content to meet the daily content demands of the upstart media network. Production budgets were limited, while expectations were high. Following months of market research and testing, a strategy focused on documentary shorts featuring inspiring stories of everyday people emerged.
The visual guide for Grotto Network’s video content would need to serve a global network of freelance videographers and editors, in addition to in-house producers. It would need to rely on limited crews in the field, while affirming the larger mission of Grotto Network to inspire young people.
The limited resources and crews were embraced into the official video style, with an emphasis placed on verité-style filmmaking, letting the honesty and vulnerability of story subjects shine. Natural beauty was emphasized over production splash. Unique and diverse stories from across experiences would be prioritized over perfect examples of faith and spirituality.
As a result, Grotto Network’s video content quickly set itself apart in the broader faith-based media landscape, earning multiple Emmy Awards, millions of video views, and a reputation for groundbreaking stories at the front lines of our most pressing issues.
