Holdfast

Holdfast is a California-based network protecting the state's 124 marine protected areas — designated coastal zones where fishing is restricted, ecosystems are monitored, and marine life finds sanctuary.
The network brings together scientists, tribes, fishermen, artists, and community volunteers across 14 regional groups. They survey tide pools, track species populations, and advocate for the communities who depend on a healthy coast.

This is a self-initiated brand identity system for a fictional organization. The name comes from the root-like structure at the base of kelp — a holdfast anchors to rocks and the seafloor, keeping the entire forest in place against the current. That metaphor drives the identity system, while references like the Whole Earth Catalog and field guides ground the identity in scientific rigor and editorial flair
Brand Identity System
Brand Design
Creative director, designer, and illustrator

AKHG

AKHG (Previously Alaskan Hardgear) is an outdoor apparel brand owned by Duluth Trading Company. In 2022, a critical rebrand was needed—the brand was cannibalizing Duluth's core product line, and its rugged, Alaska-centric identity alienated customers who didn't identify as "hardcore" adventurers.
I partnered with the Art Director to develop the updated visual system—expanding colorways beyond traditional earth tones, introducing the DDC hardware font for its bold-yet-approachable character, and incorporating topographic map treatments as a key design element. The rebrand shifted AKHG toward a more inclusive identity welcoming all outdoor enthusiasts, particularly with the launch of a new women's line.

Our hallmark campaign, Live Life Less Soft, re-introduced the brand across print, digital, social, and retail. I contributed to creative development across designing brand assets, casting, and art directing studio photography.
Brand Design
Campaign Design
Studio Art Direction
Creative Director: Paula Riley
Brand Design: Allyson Konz, Mitch Hey
Copy: Eric Miller, Al Thompson

Best Made is a utilitarian outdoor brand that was acquired by Duluth Trading Company in 2020. Our challenge as a team was to grow the brand in the Duluth Trading family while not diluting the very thing that made people care about it in the first place: craftsmanship, attention to detail, and quality.
Our spring/summer campaign led us to the foothills of New Mexico to feature a limited-run motorcycle with Royal Enfield. In addition to the Royal Enfield collaboration, the campaign featured Best Made’s best known products, including but not limited to its axes, toolboxes, selvidge denim, and enamelware.
As the brand designer, I was responsible for designing assets for print, digital, social and retail, as well as supporting the creative direction of lifestyle and studio photography.
Campaign Design
Studio Art Direction
Creative Director: Paul Yih
Art Director: Nicole Smith
Brand Designers: Allyson Konz, Mitch Hey
Copywriters: Eric Miller, Kirsta Lutes

My great grandfather, Glen, was a kind man who often said he was “Going to see a man about a dog” before leaving the house. His destination is lost to time, but the phrase charmed me.

I challenged myself to develop a brand that honored my family's love of outdoor sportsmanship while reflecting who I am today–approachable but not stuffy. Then came A Man About A Dog, a conceptual bar and restaurant for those seeking an unannounced escape.

Rooted in my Midwestern heritage, I anchored the identity in warm, weathered tones and hand-sketched pointer dog illustrations, nodding to the working dogs that ran Glen's family farm. I developed the brand identity to honor the hygge of Midwestern bars and Glen's spirit—humble, but always slipping away on some mysterious errand.
Brand Identity System
Brand Design
Creative Director, Designer, and Illustrator