Client work · TV and film

Done right, nobody notices any of it.

Set graphics that make a location believable — signage, plaques, posters, paperwork.

Branding matters

I’m always thinking about the best way to serve the story, and to entertain the audience, with graphics. A fictional company needs a real identity before it can appear on screen — and the choice between four marks changes how a room feels.

Four directions presented on the same lobby wall, so the production designer could judge how each one changes the room.
Thomas Prime Investments · logo optionsFour directions presented on the same lobby wall, so the production designer could judge how each one changes the room.

Justice in America — Bull, CBS

A primetime legal talk show that does not exist, built from an empty studio floor. The set was shot bare against blue screens, then designed, approved and assembled as a virtual environment — logo, desk, columns, cityscape and on-air graphics.

Before the photoshopping, an “empty” room.
BeforeBefore the photoshopping, an “empty” room.
The same floor from the second camera position.
Before, closerThe same floor from the second camera position.
The notes I got from production designer Sarah Frank — illuminated columns, wood panels, a red-white-blue breakup behind the desk.
Art direction notesThe notes I got from production designer Sarah Frank — illuminated columns, wood panels, a red-white-blue breakup behind the desk.
Getting the logo right means submitting many options for consideration.
Logo conceptsGetting the logo right means submitting many options for consideration.
Getting closer to the final approved logo, playing with the relative size of “Justice” and “America”.
Refining Logo AGetting closer to the final approved logo, playing with the relative size of “Justice” and “America”.
Final logo tests in colour, placed on set so they could be judged in context.
Colour testsFinal logo tests in colour, placed on set so they could be judged in context.
Everything comes together in post production.
Post-production notesEverything comes together in post production.
After the photoshopping, we have a set.
The finished setAfter the photoshopping, we have a set.
The same environment carrying a broadcast graphic, from the second angle.
On airThe same environment carrying a broadcast graphic, from the second angle.

Morning in the City — Bull, CBS

A daytime talk show with no studio of its own. The schedule did not allow a new build, so an existing set had to become one — which meant the identity had to do the work a set usually does. A sunrise logo, a striped band and a scatter of discs, strong enough that a curtain wall and a glass partition read as a broadcast floor.

We needed to use one of our main sets as the location for a Daytime Talk Show.
The set, redressedWe needed to use one of our main sets as the location for a Daytime Talk Show.
Colorful horizontal graphics helped draw the eye away from what was behind the glass, so the audience would not notice we were actually in the TAC Offices.
The glass wallColorful horizontal graphics helped draw the eye away from what was behind the glass, so the audience would not notice we were actually in the TAC Offices.
The whole floor at once — camera, lights and monitor, with the graphics holding the background on both sides of the frame.
Shooting itThe whole floor at once — camera, lights and monitor, with the graphics holding the background on both sides of the frame.
The graphics are made with cut glossy vinyl and dimensional letters beautifully fabricated by DeBoer Media.
On airThe graphics are made with cut glossy vinyl and dimensional letters beautifully fabricated by DeBoer Media.

A game show, three shows deep — 30 Rock, NBC

A marquee, a prize podium and a wall of colour, for a format that only exists inside a sketch, inside a show, inside the series. Everything had to look like a network built it in 1974 and never touched it again.

Graphics for a game show sketch within the show within the show.
Talk Show Game ShowGraphics for a game show sketch within the show within the show.

Super Savings Depot

A bare brick building turned into a big-box store for a Black Friday sequence. Retail sets need a lot of graphics — every window, every sandwich board, every door — and all of it has to look like it came from the same marketing department.

The building as found, with nothing on it.
BeforeThe building as found, with nothing on it.
My mockup of the storefront, showing where every piece would sit before anything was printed.
Photoshop renderingMy mockup of the storefront, showing where every piece would sit before anything was printed.
Sets depicting retail always need a lot of graphics. Every piece specced at its finished size.
Poster contact sheetSets depicting retail always need a lot of graphics. Every piece specced at its finished size.
It’s important that the branding choices stay consistent across every piece.
Window bannersIt’s important that the branding choices stay consistent across every piece.
A photo of the real Super Savings Depot set, built from my rendering.
The finished setA photo of the real Super Savings Depot set, built from my rendering.

The store that could not be named — 30 Rock, NBC

I designed a whole fake branch of a very famous Swedish furniture chain. The joke only works if the audience recognises it instantly, and I could not use the name anywhere — so everything had to be carried by the graphics.

So many price and product tags, and even a map of the store for Liz Lemon’s boyfriend.
The warehouseSo many price and product tags, and even a map of the store for Liz Lemon’s boyfriend.
You just had to feel the brand coming through the graphics.
Showroom signageYou just had to feel the brand coming through the graphics.
Wall panels, hanging banners and product cards, all in a house style that could not be named.
Delivery signageWall panels, hanging banners and product cards, all in a house style that could not be named.
I designed dozens of graphics for this set, including every price tag.
Price tagsI designed dozens of graphics for this set, including every price tag.
A flat-pack box, and a catchphrase.
BlërgA flat-pack box, and a catchphrase.

Cable Warriors, and a supermarket

Two more retail brands invented from nothing — an electronics chain and a grocery circular — each needing a logo, a house style and enough collateral to fill a set.

A rough mockup for the approval process on a large sign for the Cable Warriors set.
Sign mockupsA rough mockup for the approval process on a large sign for the Cable Warriors set.
Laminated signs at 11 by 17, the size a real electronics store would use.
Shelf signageLaminated signs at 11 by 17, the size a real electronics store would use.
More graphics for the Cable Warriors set.
Mega SaleMore graphics for the Cable Warriors set.
A supermarket circular designed for a props department.
Supermarket circularA supermarket circular designed for a props department.

Safe Harbor Wealth Management — Bull, CBS

The episode was about a man whose corruption was catching up with him. Everything the company put on its walls had to promise security, so that the moment law enforcement closed in, the room itself would be telling on him. The brand had to be built before it could be undermined.

I wanted a logo that suggested a tidal wave was about to overtake the company.
The markI wanted a logo that suggested a tidal wave was about to overtake the company.
Etched vinyl on the partition, the first thing anyone sees on entering.
Reception glassEtched vinyl on the partition, the first thing anyone sees on entering.
The same mark in blue, sized for a wider run of glass.
Second partitionThe same mark in blue, sized for a wider run of glass.
Signage has to survive being shot through, in reflection and out of focus.
Conference room glassSignage has to survive being shot through, in reflection and out of focus.
I wanted the graphics to show the hope and happiness the corrupt man was stealing from his customers and their families.
Dream VacationI wanted the graphics to show the hope and happiness the corrupt man was stealing from his customers and their families.
Set graphics have to tell the story while disappearing into it, so they never distract from it.
Small Business, Large RewardsSet graphics have to tell the story while disappearing into it, so they never distract from it.
Really good professional stock photography is what makes corporate posters come alive.
Retire RightReally good professional stock photography is what makes corporate posters come alive.
Graphics that captured exactly what his company was promising customers.
Spiral-bound booklet coversGraphics that captured exactly what his company was promising customers.
I built this to show where the graphics would live in the conference room — the room where the main character would end up cornered by law enforcement.
Photoshop mockupI built this to show where the graphics would live in the conference room — the room where the main character would end up cornered by law enforcement.
As law enforcement closes in, we are reminded he is no longer in a safe harbor.
On screenAs law enforcement closes in, we are reminded he is no longer in a safe harbor.
He has nowhere to hide.
On screenHe has nowhere to hide.

Vehicles from somewhere else

Sometimes a location in New York has to read as another country, and what is parked at the curb does most of that work. Three invented companies — a dairy, a bakery and a moving firm — each needing a mark, a house style and a Moscow address.

Making graphics for vehicles that need to look like they are in another country is easier with Google Translate.
Kalastana DairyMaking graphics for vehicles that need to look like they are in another country is easier with Google Translate.
Moscow and Siberia over the cab, on a truck that still carries an American mover’s name on the box.
Eskerchenko MovingMoscow and Siberia over the cab, on a truck that still carries an American mover’s name on the box.
Sometimes we need to make a location in NYC feel like a foreign country. Graphics help with this.
Levakiba BakerySometimes we need to make a location in NYC feel like a foreign country. Graphics help with this.

Polish posters for a coffee shop

Set dressing for a Polish coffee shop — a wall of gig posters for four bands that do not exist. Each act got its own design vocabulary, so the wall reads as something collected over years rather than made in one pass.

A trio and a keyboard. One night only, two-hour show, twenty dollars.
Grupa TrzechA trio and a keyboard. One night only, two-hour show, twenty dollars.
One man, one guitar, first concert since 2018. Drinks half price.
Pan GitarzystaOne man, one guitar, first concert since 2018. Drinks half price.
Six players, back from Poland, every Saturday at nine. Tips welcome.
Duża GrupaSix players, back from Poland, every Saturday at nine. Tips welcome.
Three singers, no instruments. The first show sold out, so this is the second.
Wielcy ŚpiewacyThree singers, no instruments. The first show sold out, so this is the second.

Dartwell Preparatory School — Bull, CBS

A private school built outwards from its crest. The mark had to work engraved on a bottle, stretched across a gymnasium wall and cut in vinyl on the side of a van, so three versions were drawn and tested on the things they would actually land on.

I also create photo mockups for the costume designers and any other colleague who can use one during the approval process.
Logos, singlets and bottlesI also create photo mockups for the costume designers and any other colleague who can use one during the approval process.
I create Photoshop renderings of all the graphics for set decoration and props, to help the production designer and director see the set before any resources are used to create it.
Team vanI create Photoshop renderings of all the graphics for set decoration and props, to help the production designer and director see the set before any resources are used to create it.
This is a Photoshop rendering of a school gym decorated with graphics.
GymnasiumThis is a Photoshop rendering of a school gym decorated with graphics.

Tatum High School

A second gym, and a second way of proving a sign before it is made. The banner and the floor letters were dropped onto the location photograph with the run measured across them, so the size was settled on paper rather than on installation day.

Another school gym set. It is important to know how large graphics will look on set before the production spends any money making them.
Wall banner, measuredAnother school gym set. It is important to know how large graphics will look on set before the production spends any money making them.

Hudson University

Three campus brochures in one house style. Small prop and set dressing graphics like brochures help make the action more realistic — and a stack of them on a table has to look like it came from one admissions office, not three.

Three panels, roll-folded, with the crest carried on every one so it reads as university stock from any angle.
Campus Buddy SystemThree panels, roll-folded, with the crest carried on every one so it reads as university stock from any angle.
The same layout inverted to gold, with a spine of stacked books running the full height of the cover.
Study GroupsThe same layout inverted to gold, with a spine of stacked books running the full height of the cover.
The third in the family. One line of copy set twice, so the promise lands whether the brochure is open or closed.
Student ServicesThe third in the family. One line of copy set twice, so the promise lands whether the brochure is open or closed.

The New Home Day School

An entrance decided in Photoshop. Gate banners, a wall panel and a plaque placed on the photograph of the real doorway, so the whole approach could be judged at once before a single piece was printed.

Four pieces on one facade, in two colourways, so the production designer could see the blue and the gold against the stone before choosing.
Entrance compositeFour pieces on one facade, in two colourways, so the production designer could see the blue and the gold against the stone before choosing.

New York Sacred Heart Hospital

A hospital that does not exist still needs a mark, a colour system and a shelf full of paper. Brochures, service posters and donor guidelines, all in one house style, so that anything a camera lands on in a waiting room belongs to the same place.

A close up look at hospital brochures.
Patient brochureA close up look at hospital brochures.
Same three panels, different cover treatment and a patient quote — two directions for one piece.
The same brochure, second versionSame three panels, different cover treatment and a patient quote — two directions for one piece.
The cover panel at full size. Named wings and pavilions are what give an invented hospital a history.
The Riley Dorn Physical Therapy PavillionThe cover panel at full size. Named wings and pavilions are what give an invented hospital a history.
A close up look at some of the hospital posters.
Information CenterA close up look at some of the hospital posters.
The programme list is the real content, set small enough that you only read it standing in front of it.
Diagnostic CenterThe programme list is the real content, set small enough that you only read it standing in front of it.
Donor eligibility in full, because a camera might stop on it.
Blood donation guidelinesDonor eligibility in full, because a camera might stop on it.
A seasonal notice in the same family. Real hospitals paper their walls with these, so a fake one has to as well.
Flu vaccineA seasonal notice in the same family. Real hospitals paper their walls with these, so a fake one has to as well.

Deciding it on paper first

Nothing is printed or hung until somebody has seen it in place. These are Photoshop composites made for the production designer and the director — the sign at its real size, on the real wall, before anything is ordered.

Photoshop mockup of a hospital directory I designed, to figure out where it would hang, and how big it would be, to get approval on the design before ordering.
Ground floor directoryPhotoshop mockup of a hospital directory I designed, to figure out where it would hang, and how big it would be, to get approval on the design before ordering.
Another photoshop composite I created to help the production designer decide what color to paint the room, how to cover the receptionist counter, what flooring to use and how many graphics we needed to make the set feel real.
Third Floor EastAnother photoshop composite I created to help the production designer decide what color to paint the room, how to cover the receptionist counter, what flooring to use and how many graphics we needed to make the set feel real.
The same treatment for a ward corridor — wayfinding, notices and staff boards all placed before the walls were painted.
Oncology corridorThe same treatment for a ward corridor — wayfinding, notices and staff boards all placed before the walls were painted.
A photoshop mockup of a light-up Emergency sign on a photo of the set, to show the post-production team where to add it while editing.
Emergency signA photoshop mockup of a light-up Emergency sign on a photo of the set, to show the post-production team where to add it while editing.
We had a massive room that was going to be turned into a waiting area with a coffee kiosk and rows of chairs. The production designer asked me to come up with a design solution that would clearly communicate this area was inside the hospital. I designed this dimensional signage and it was a hit with her, the director and the producers.
Concessions areaWe had a massive room that was going to be turned into a waiting area with a coffee kiosk and rows of chairs. The production designer asked me to come up with a design solution that would clearly communicate this area was inside the hospital. I designed this dimensional signage and it was a hit with her, the director and the producers.

The set, and the scene

Hospital scenes are usually very pivotal and serious, and the more realistic the set is, the more the audience focuses on the actors in the scene and the story they are telling.

As actors walk through hospital sets the set must be believable. Even small details like brochures in a waiting room make the set more real.
Main floor directoryAs actors walk through hospital sets the set must be believable. Even small details like brochures in a waiting room make the set more real.
A wall of framed notices, every one of them designed so that it could be ignored.
Emergency waiting roomA wall of framed notices, every one of them designed so that it could be ignored.
Hung signage doing the wayfinding an audience reads without noticing it is reading.
Triage A and BHung signage doing the wayfinding an audience reads without noticing it is reading.
The production designer wanted a mural in this maternity ward room, so I created this using stock elements and had it made in adhesive vinyl by DeBoer Media.
Maternity ward muralThe production designer wanted a mural in this maternity ward room, so I created this using stock elements and had it made in adhesive vinyl by DeBoer Media.
The oncology corridor from the mockup above, built and lit, with the signage carrying the background.
On cameraThe oncology corridor from the mockup above, built and lit, with the signage carrying the background.
The nurses’ station. Chart racks, pinned notices and the staff board, all reading as background.
On cameraThe nurses’ station. Chart racks, pinned notices and the staff board, all reading as background.
Close on the counter. At this focal length the graphics are shape and colour, and that is enough.
On cameraClose on the counter. At this focal length the graphics are shape and colour, and that is enough.

Bressadyne Labs

A biotech company built outwards from a mark — exterior signage, reception, corridor wayfinding, hazard notices, and the hero prop itself. Every piece carries the same identity, from a sign read across a lobby to a label read in close-up.

We needed to make a lab that felt very high tech in a not-so-modern building.
Exterior and entranceWe needed to make a lab that felt very high tech in a not-so-modern building.
We used a lot of metallic materials and graphics illuminated by lightboxes to make the space feel more high-tech.
ReceptionWe used a lot of metallic materials and graphics illuminated by lightboxes to make the space feel more high-tech.
Signs printed on metallic surfaces helped support the scene.
Corridor wayfindingSigns printed on metallic surfaces helped support the scene.
One of the metallic directories.
Directory, printedOne of the metallic directories.
Biohazard and warning stickers on a refrigerator door add drama.
Freezer doorBiohazard and warning stickers on a refrigerator door add drama.
Iconography quickly communicates important information to the audience.
Specimen vialIconography quickly communicates important information to the audience.
The hero prop needed to feel like official corporate property.
Specimen vial, capThe hero prop needed to feel like official corporate property.

The 55th Precinct

A precinct house is a wall of accumulated honours, notices and departmental paper, and none of it can look designed. It gets planned on the art department’s own elevations first, then fabricated, aged and hung to the inch.

The graphics are designed in Adobe Illustrator so they can be machine cut by DeBoer Media.
The markThe graphics are designed in Adobe Illustrator so they can be machine cut by DeBoer Media.
The desk front worked out to the sixteenth of an inch, with a figure beside it so everyone could judge the scale of the numerals.
Sergeant’s desk elevationThe desk front worked out to the sixteenth of an inch, with a figure beside it so everyone could judge the scale of the numerals.
I also do mockups of where graphics will live on set, right on top of the art director’s elevations. This helps us finalize the sizes of everything we are fabricating and creates very detailed work notes for the set dressers to follow to ensure perfect and speedy installation of all the assets.
Wall elevationsI also do mockups of where graphics will live on set, right on top of the art director’s elevations. This helps us finalize the sizes of everything we are fabricating and creates very detailed work notes for the set dressers to follow to ensure perfect and speedy installation of all the assets.
When designing graphics for a set like this I was also responsible for designing all the engraved plaques and dimensional signage.
The same wall, builtWhen designing graphics for a set like this I was also responsible for designing all the engraved plaques and dimensional signage.
The whole room reading at once — window vinyl, honour wall, bulletin board and desk paperwork, all from the same department.
The muster deskThe whole room reading at once — window vinyl, honour wall, bulletin board and desk paperwork, all from the same department.
We use adhesive vinyl graphics to dress the windows — printed by DeBoer Media.
Window graphicsWe use adhesive vinyl graphics to dress the windows — printed by DeBoer Media.
A set like this has dozens of graphics that must be created to make it believable.
Behind the deskA set like this has dozens of graphics that must be created to make it believable.
Monitor graphics on this project were designed and produced by Conor Fitzgerald.
On the monitorsMonitor graphics on this project were designed and produced by Conor Fitzgerald.

Corrections

I design all the signs and then I create photoshop mockups on the location photos for the approval process.

The production designer and director use my mockups to decide how big the signs should be and exactly where they should hang on the set.
Gate AThe production designer and director use my mockups to decide how big the signs should be and exactly where they should hang on the set.
The approach, where the signage has to be legible from a moving vehicle.
Gate BThe approach, where the signage has to be legible from a moving vehicle.
The guard house, carrying eight separate notices without looking arranged.
Gate D2The guard house, carrying eight separate notices without looking arranged.
The same treatment one gate along, so the two read as one facility.
Gate D3The same treatment one gate along, so the two read as one facility.
All the signs we get printed by DeBoer Media are handed over to the scenic department for aging. Sometimes I make graphics that look aged in advance to reduce their workload when the deadlines are tight.
Hero sign, agedAll the signs we get printed by DeBoer Media are handed over to the scenic department for aging. Sometimes I make graphics that look aged in advance to reduce their workload when the deadlines are tight.
This is a photoshop composite I did of the jail entrance on a snowy day. I had to photoshop the snow since the crew was going to have to use fake snow to dress the set. The look of the snow had to be designed in advance to help them understand how much the director wanted and what they would need to do to make it happen.
The entrance, in snowThis is a photoshop composite I did of the jail entrance on a snowy day. I had to photoshop the snow since the crew was going to have to use fake snow to dress the set. The look of the snow had to be designed in advance to help them understand how much the director wanted and what they would need to do to make it happen.

Department of Correction notices

Law enforcement graphics created in Adobe Illustrator — eleven by seventeen, the size a real agency prints at. A wall of these has to look like it accumulated over years under different supervisors, which means no two can look like the same designer had a free hand.

Seven stages, each with its own verb, icon and rule. The most systematic piece in the set.
Prisoner transportation procedureSeven stages, each with its own verb, icon and rule. The most systematic piece in the set.
Zero tolerance, set as loud as the sheet allows.
Report drunk driversZero tolerance, set as loud as the sheet allows.
A notice that has to reproduce the form it refers to, so the form had to be designed too.
Classification noticeA notice that has to reproduce the form it refers to, so the form had to be designed too.
Form 4200b, filled in. Every line had to carry a plausible item and badge number.
Vehicle inventoryForm 4200b, filled in. Every line had to carry a plausible item and badge number.
The one piece in the set that is only a headline, a shield and a phone number.
If you see somethingThe one piece in the set that is only a headline, a shield and a phone number.
Procedural diagrams drawn from nothing, because the machine they describe does not exist.
Fingerprint ID readersProcedural diagrams drawn from nothing, because the machine they describe does not exist.
A month of course times, which dates the sheet without ever naming a year.
Defensive driving scheduleA month of course times, which dates the sheet without ever naming a year.
Five rules and a pie chart, with the department shield ghosted behind it.
Practice safe drivingFive rules and a pie chart, with the department shield ghosted behind it.

West Side Rod and Club

A shooting range built inside a production office, which meant the graphics had to do the work the building could not.

This is a photoshop mockup for the entrance of a gun range. This helped the production designer and director figure out how many graphics to create (and how much sound proofing foam we would need to buy) to turn a hallway in our production offices into a believable gun range entrance.
The entranceThis is a photoshop mockup for the entrance of a gun range. This helped the production designer and director figure out how many graphics to create (and how much sound proofing foam we would need to buy) to turn a hallway in our production offices into a believable gun range entrance.
A sign created for the gun range.
Three rulesA sign created for the gun range.
The range’s own mark, measured on the bench before it went to print.
Club stickerThe range’s own mark, measured on the bench before it went to print.

FBI headquarters

A real building, dressed as a federal field office. Seals, floor graphics, a service wall and the advisories that were on every wall in the world the year this was shot.

A photoshop mockup of a location that was used as FBI headquarters.
CorridorA photoshop mockup of a location that was used as FBI headquarters.
Another photoshop mockup of a location that was used as FBI headquarters.
EntranceAnother photoshop mockup of a location that was used as FBI headquarters.

Evidence storage

Rooms full of boxes that the camera never gets close to, and which still have to be right. Every label is a case number, a date and a department that has to agree with every other box in shot.

Sets like this need dozens of graphics that no one will see close up, but they still have to look real and require lots of special details to help it look believable.
The roomSets like this need dozens of graphics that no one will see close up, but they still have to look real and require lots of special details to help it look believable.
At this distance the labels are texture. They still had to be typeset as though they would be read.
CloserAt this distance the labels are texture. They still had to be typeset as though they would be read.

Turning an empty building into a post office

A vacant storefront with a leasing sign still in the door, dressed back into a federal building on paper first. Two signs decided the whole location — the fascia above the door and the panel on the flank — and both were composited onto the photographs before anything was cut.

We turned an empty building into a Post Office with graphics. This is a photoshop composite of the main sign above the door that would help establish the location for the audience.
The main signWe turned an empty building into a Post Office with graphics. This is a photoshop composite of the main sign above the door that would help establish the location for the audience.
The fascia at reading distance, which is where the weight of the lettering and the depth of the blue have to hold up.
The same sign, closerThe fascia at reading distance, which is where the weight of the lettering and the depth of the blue have to hold up.
This is a photoshop composite of another sign that would help establish the location for the audience.
The side signThis is a photoshop composite of another sign that would help establish the location for the audience.

On the art director’s elevations

Every interior graphic placed on the drawings before it existed — at scale, dimensioned, with the red notes the shop needs. It is the same method as the precinct wall, and it is what turns a folder of artwork into an installation anyone can follow on the day.

I work closely with art directors to help them get everything they need to make their job easier with regards to graphics.
Wall behind the counterI work closely with art directors to help them get everything they need to make their job easier with regards to graphics.
Composites of my graphics right on the Art Director’s elevations help with installation on set.
Vestibule door and office wallComposites of my graphics right on the Art Director’s elevations help with installation on set.
A Photoshop composite of a room inside the post office.
The postmaster’s officeA Photoshop composite of a room inside the post office.

The lobby

The side of the counter the public sees. Service posters in the federal blue and red, each one built twice — once as a wall poster and once folded down into a leaflet — so the rack and the wall agree with each other.

Some signs for the part of the post office that the public has access to.
Service postersSome signs for the part of the post office that the public has access to.
Four posters and their matching three-panel folds, worked up on one sheet so the family could be judged together.
The same campaign, as leafletsFour posters and their matching three-panel folds, worked up on one sheet so the family could be judged together.

Employees only

Behind the counter the language changes. Procedure tables, hazard-label charts, ZIP maps and regulation boards — dense, unglamorous paper that nobody in the scene will read, which is exactly why it has to be there.

These graphics live in the “Employees Only” areas of the post office.
ZIP codes and process boardsThese graphics live in the “Employees Only” areas of the post office.
A four-step procedure table and a regulations board, both set at the density a real staff room runs at.
Keep The Mail SafeA four-step procedure table and a regulations board, both set at the density a real staff room runs at.
Sixteen hazard diamonds with inspection codes under each one, because the wall behind an actor should reward a second look.
Shipping protocol and hazard labelsSixteen hazard diamonds with inspection codes under each one, because the wall behind an actor should reward a second look.
National ZIP zones, Michigan post office locations, and the four steps a parcel goes through.
Keep The Mail MovingNational ZIP zones, Michigan post office locations, and the four steps a parcel goes through.

The stamps

The part of the job a stamp collector would take home. Two cities, two collections — a Michigan series built from the state bird, the state flower and Ann Arbor landmarks, and a New York series built from the skyline — each one issued as a sheet and then advertised on a poster in the lobby.

I picked the birds and flowers of the state the story takes place in for part of the movie.
The Michigan sheetsI picked the birds and flowers of the state the story takes place in for part of the movie.
As a stamp collector this was one of my favourite assignments for this project, designing the stamps for my stamp posters for the set.
Collect them all · MichiganAs a stamp collector this was one of my favourite assignments for this project, designing the stamps for my stamp posters for the set.
I also used local landmarks in the fictional stamp collections.
Ann Arbor landmarksI also used local landmarks in the fictional stamp collections.
Another part of the movie takes place in a post office in NYC so I celebrated the skyscrapers and other landmarks in these stamp graphics.
The New York sheetAnother part of the movie takes place in a post office in NYC so I celebrated the skyscrapers and other landmarks in these stamp graphics.
A poster advertising the stamps available at the post office.
Collect them all · New YorkA poster advertising the stamps available at the post office.
The Statue of Liberty, of course.
The Lady Liberty sheetThe Statue of Liberty, of course.
The companion poster. One subject, eighteen treatments, and a torch big enough to carry a wall.
Collect them all · Lady LibertyThe companion poster. One subject, eighteen treatments, and a torch big enough to carry a wall.

The truck, and what it carries

The last pieces are the ones that move. A delivery vehicle wrapped on all four sides, the junk mail that ends up in a character’s hands, and a state transit seal drawn for the same world.

Graphics for the Postal Truck in the story.
The postal truckGraphics for the Postal Truck in the story.
Two prop mailers, front and reverse on one artboard, addressed and franked so they can be held up and read in shot.
Credit card offersTwo prop mailers, front and reverse on one artboard, addressed and franked so they can be held up and read in shot.
A freight seal in the federal manner — lorry, aircraft and container ship inside one ring.
State transit authority sealA freight seal in the federal manner — lorry, aircraft and container ship inside one ring.

The terminal

Wayfinding is the part of an airport nobody looks at directly and everybody reads. It has to be bilingual, iconographic and boring enough to disappear, while still telling the audience which airport they are standing in.

Airport directory.
DirectoryAirport directory.
This story centered around suspicious and lost baggage. The graphics I created were designed to support that storyline.
Arrivals and baggageThis story centered around suspicious and lost baggage. The graphics I created were designed to support that storyline.
Airline ID badge.
Airline ID badgeAirline ID badge.
Airport ID badge.
Airport ID badgeAirport ID badge.
Airport graphics.
Check-in wallAirport graphics.

Alkali Airways

An airline invented from the mark outwards, then papered across a terminal — boarding notices, service posters and holiday campaigns, all in one red house style.

There is a reason for every design choice I make when designing graphics for a set.
Boarding noticeThere is a reason for every design choice I make when designing graphics for a set.
Once the logo establishes the tones for branding I find stock photography that can fit into our world to make airport signage with.
Customer service, wideOnce the logo establishes the tones for branding I find stock photography that can fit into our world to make airport signage with.
I let the stock photography influence the copy. I find the perfect image first and the perfect copy comes naturally as a result.
Customer serviceI let the stock photography influence the copy. I find the perfect image first and the perfect copy comes naturally as a result.
All of these images go through a strict clearance process to make sure we are not infringing on any existing copyrights or trademarks.
First classAll of these images go through a strict clearance process to make sure we are not infringing on any existing copyrights or trademarks.
I usually write all the copy in my graphics unless the writers want control of what the graphics say to help support their vision for the story.
Holiday family planI usually write all the copy in my graphics unless the writers want control of what the graphics say to help support their vision for the story.
I am very good at understanding the boundaries of trademarks and copyrights and graphics are approved quickly during the clearance process.
ArrivalsI am very good at understanding the boundaries of trademarks and copyrights and graphics are approved quickly during the clearance process.

Essence Airlines

A second airline, in blue, because one airline does not make a terminal. Two competing house styles in the same concourse is what makes the place read as real.

To help create a sense of a busy airport I used very different colors for another airline in the background.
Flying homeTo help create a sense of a busy airport I used very different colors for another airline in the background.
I use copy in the graphics to help keep the story in the right time frame, to help keep the audience connected to the story.
Kids fly freeI use copy in the graphics to help keep the story in the right time frame, to help keep the audience connected to the story.
The more real the graphics feel the more solid a stage for the story to play out on.
The gift of restThe more real the graphics feel the more solid a stage for the story to play out on.
The story takes place around Christmas.
Most wonderful time of the yearThe story takes place around Christmas.
Graphics with people help sets feel more alive.
More comfort, more savingsGraphics with people help sets feel more alive.

Transportation Security Administration

Dry and serious signs in the airport immediately create more tension in the scene. Twelve pieces in one federal house style — the mark, the wayfinding, the prohibitions and the reassurance — each one dull enough to be believed.

Redrawn at the size everything else would be built from.
The sealRedrawn at the size everything else would be built from.
Graphics like this help build the necessary suspense in a scene. A figure being searched by law enforcement, a lot of red to suggest a sense of alarm.
Screening noticeGraphics like this help build the necessary suspense in a scene. A figure being searched by law enforcement, a lot of red to suggest a sense of alarm.
The sign that stops a character mid-scene, and gives an actor something to stand next to.
Please wait hereThe sign that stops a character mid-scene, and gives an actor something to stand next to.
Enter here, with a qualifier.
Expedited screeningEnter here, with a qualifier.
And the same sign without one. Two versions from one file, so the set dresser can choose on the day.
Enter hereAnd the same sign without one. Two versions from one file, so the set dresser can choose on the day.
All graphic copy supports the story established by the writers and the tone established by the director.
Travel advisoryAll graphic copy supports the story established by the writers and the tone established by the director.
Instructions nobody reads, set as though everybody does.
Carry-on screeningInstructions nobody reads, set as though everybody does.
A graphic to help create a sense that our character might hit a hurdle in search of their lost valuables.
ID requirementsA graphic to help create a sense that our character might hit a hurdle in search of their lost valuables.
Using stock photos of law enforcement helps the scene feel more populated with officers.
Thank you for your patienceUsing stock photos of law enforcement helps the scene feel more populated with officers.
Three paragraphs of agency boilerplate, which is the most convincing thing a wall can carry.
About the TSAThree paragraphs of agency boilerplate, which is the most convincing thing a wall can carry.
The same boilerplate again, ending on a promise no real agency would print.
Before you flyThe same boilerplate again, ending on a promise no real agency would print.
This graphic helps create a wider world around the story to help center the story in the mind of the audience.
International flightsThis graphic helps create a wider world around the story to help center the story in the mind of the audience.

Baggage Re-Claim

A lost-luggage desk, invented and branded, for a story about a bag that does not turn up. Four posters worked up on one 36 by 42 artboard, each doing a different job in the scene.

More graphics to support what is happening in the story.
Leave No Bag BehindMore graphics to support what is happening in the story.
A sense of hope in the story.
Let’s Find Your ItemsA sense of hope in the story.
Another bureaucratic hurdle for the character.
Two easy stepsAnother bureaucratic hurdle for the character.
A suggestion of the bag lost in some terminal somewhere.
WelcomeA suggestion of the bag lost in some terminal somewhere.

On board

Two more invented airlines, and the pieces a passenger actually holds — the seat-pocket magazine and the cabin menu, both built to be read in close-up.

Cover and back cover as a spread, with a dated masthead and an advertiser on the reverse.
Pacific Horizon in-flight magazineCover and back cover as a spread, with a dated masthead and an advertiser on the reverse.
Three courses on one long panel, set to be held at arm’s length in a seat.
Cabin menuThree courses on one long panel, set to be held at arm’s length in a seat.
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