In media, vision absorbs information on more levels at the same time than any of our other senses. You can understand a range of facts simultaneously in a map that would take much longer to express verbally.

As attention spans narrow, we need to convey more information visually. This is great, because I love making cool graphics.

The key to good graphics is finding a visual metaphor that also conveys a feeling.

I create imagery from many sources, original photography and vector drawing, stock and other imagery adapted, tweaked and collaged.

Graphics

From high in the air and angle down on deep blue Grafton Lake, Bowen Island, with a conical green hill covered in lush coniferous rainforest, showing the snow-covered mountains of Howe Sound in the far distance. Text reads Grafton Lake Lands Rezoning Proposal Final - nature and community connecting

Grafton Lake Lands Rezoning Proposal

A book of over forty pages outlining the development proposal. Explains the conservation development approach including the creation of an over 240 acre nature preserve around the lake and neighborhoods of mixed housing types.

Photography, book design, poster design, infographics, writing, research, community engagement, liaison with Municipality and Agricultural Land Commission.

“Wow, just read the proposal booklet you’ve put together…. CONGRATULATIONS, what a beautiful piece of work on so many levels!! profoundly hopeful that the project is successful…. what a gift to this and future generations of Bowen Islanders. Thank you!!!” – C.M.

A collections of hand drawn graphic novel images collaged by John Dowler from artwork by Jason Harris. A grim faced man flies through the aire amid bubbles with images like an angry man's face, a woman with glasses crying, and hand with crackles of electricity around it. The titling reads: Be Thine Own Beer - Ferment Thyself

David the Survivor

Book design: laying out book of hand drawn graphic novel artwork by Jason Harris for book written and created by Skip McRobert – create collages and text for inside covers and back, styled text throughout, pagination, etc.

Book design and layout, graphic design, writing, branding, consultation on story elements.

Cover of the upcoming book Kompro-matik. A woman meditates inside a crystal ball with numbers and letters projected on the inside. Meanwhile a giant hammer in the darkness is sweeping towards her.

Kompromatik

Cover for book project in progress. The challenge is to express characters who work in cyberspace, which is very abstract, and create tension in the image.

Graphic design and branding

An infographic poster with a sweeping fibonnaci spiral in the shape of an apostrophe. Inside is a highly detailed satellite map of the Americas. Photos and text connected by lines describe projects at various locations throughout the western hemisphere.

Restoring Earth Systems

A highly detailed poster showing reforestation and forest restoration work by the Brinkman Group of Companies throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Research, writing, graphic design, branding

Busy infographic poster arranged around a fibonnaci spiral - circles, ovals, rectangles and blocks of text.

Climate Change Research

Poster building on the spiral motif developed for Brinkman and Associates Reforestation Ltd. Describes results of research into reforestation techniques.

Graphic design, branding

Two Ads for Markham Zantvoort Law. Each features a picture of the unconventional lawyer. One reads: Justice is blind. Alex has glasses.

Markham Zantvoort Law

Ads and website for unconventional lawyer Alex Markham Zantvoort. We built a brand featuring his sense of humour, tongue in cheek semi formal photoshoot and his red glasses.

Photography, graphic design, writing, branding, website design and build.

Two Ads for Markham Zantvoort Law.
Poster with banner showing howe sound and Bowen Island with red patches where logging might occur. The headlines read: The Soon to be famous thousand peope march. Take Bowen out of the industrial logging plan.

Thousand People March

When logging threatened bucolic Bowen Island, we mounted a campaign. Searching for a core idea I suggested we try to get 1,000 people to show up at a public meeting to protest the action. As it turned out, we scared away the agency and the march succeeded without a single footstep.

Writing, graphics, branding, community liaison

CD cover called Ceremony by group Thereafter. Image of a brightly coloured couch abandoned in the forest.

Ceremony CD

CD cover for the band Thereafter. We had fun with an image by English artist William Blake, putting the band in his world.

Photography, graphic design

Inside of CD cover: a sepia photo of the group playing acoustice instruments in the forest and an image by William Blake with the band photoshopped in as if they belong in that world.
Book cover featuring what looks like a brightly coloured painting on plaster of three towers in San Gimignano, Italy

Towers of Tuscany
Muse of Fire

Book cover for Bowen Island writer and publisher Carol Cram and her New Arcadia Press. We have worked on several other covers together both for her successful novels about female creatives in historic periods, while also bringing other authors into print.

Photo editing, graphic design

“Thanks, I’m sure, in no small part to your cover, The Towers of Tuscany has attracted the notice of Lake Union Publishing, which is the historical fiction/book club imprint for Amazon Publishing. Yes – a real publisher! I have been offered a deal that really is a dream come true and after much deliberation and consultation with other authors, I have accepted it. So yes, dreams really do come true!” – C.C.

Book cover with photo of woman in Victorian clothing on a wooden stage with fire in the background.