Mermaid Catalog Spread

For the launch of the mermaid product line I created an under-the-sea background that would be used for a variety of things including catalog spreads, sales promos, packaging, and posters. There is a deeper color through the center to give the illustion of depth and some light texture in the sand. The side to side waves are subtle and the real key to it are the rays of light shining in from above.

Here is a catalog layout I created using background (click for larger image):


The same background used with a more simple layout for this poster:

Mermaid Illustrations

I created some mermaid illustrations for use on the new mermaid product line and some of its packaging. They had to be very simple with no gradients or complex line work so they could be manufactured in a number of different processes on materials like nylon and rubber.

A real challenge was how to draw a mermaid that seemed graceful and beautiful but not sexual. We didn't want the mermaid to look too old or too young and our goal was for her to look like a young teen (the products are for 2-6 year olds). Another designer and art director worked with me on the facial features until it was right for our audience.

Here are the two main illustrations, and an example of how one was used on a product with the tail extending off into a 3D element:




An umbrella using the illustration as the main element:

Mermaid Catalog Cover

After the pirate line, Kidorable released a mermaid line for girls to go along with it. I thought the catalog would be a great place to link the two. I started with a vision of the famous statue of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" from Copenhagen, Denmark. From there I thought of a mystical and colorful ocean scene with the pirate coming toward her from off in the distance.

The statue's classic pose would be my starting point:


From there I started putting drawings of the products in place and sketching rough layouts with pencils layered over basic color shapes I'd draw in Adobe Illustrator. Here is a mid level sketch I had finished just before the photography session. I originally planned for big round clouds here, but later went with thin stratus clouds to not distract from the models:


Using a small stool as my "rock" we got the shots we needed in the photo shoot. The products were again prototypes so there was a lot of retouching to be done, especially matching the colors of the different products. Shadows, highlights and textures were added to give the scene believability, but not so much that it took away from the fantasy landscape:

Afterburner Technical Illustrations

The Afterburner is a product from Triton Labs, a video game industry client. It is a kit that for the first time ever allowed video gamers to install an internal lighting device inside their portable video games. The kit was very successful and to this day the largest video game hardware makers use similar technology that was spurred by its success.

The following are selected technical illustrations and layouts I did for the kit's instruction manual.

Raincoat Packaging Project

This project was to create a special gift packaging that would only be used on the smallest size raincoats Kidorable makes for babies. There was already an existing "My First" brand identity and packaging system for the rain boots and my job was to adapt it to fit the coats. Cost and shipping volume were important factors in the design.

Here is a sketch that ended up becoming the final solution. We took out the zipper and replaced with a button for cost and added carry straps but the rest is basically unchanged including the card inserts with photos and information:


A product photo we use of one style of the finished packaging:


All of our product styles fit for this packaging (we fold the coats so that the most detailed elements of their pockets are showing inside the package):

Pirate Catalog Cover Process

This catalog cover launched a new "pirate style" for Kidorable. The products help the child to actually become the characters of childhood imagination so I wanted the model wearing the clothes to clearly seem like he was in a make believe setting. The first step in this was a rough layout to decide on the best pose both to showcase the products and to create the imaginative scene. Here is an early rough sketch:


In this next photo you can see how a pose was chosen to fit my vision for the cover. I directed the shoot against a standard white backdrop and used a stool for his leg that I'd later replace with an illustration of a treasure chest for this publicity photo. These products were all advanced prototypes and required lots of photo editing to match the final product designs. The sword handle shape of the umbrella handle really helped this model play and imagine he was a real pirate:



Once I have the photography I begin refining my pencil sketches and colors with Adobe Illustrator sketches like this one:


Here is the final catalog cover with some textures and light sourcing added. The products are still at the top of the design hierarchy and his "sword" umbrella is leading the way to the company logo as the treasure on his map: