Hey everyone, good morning! I know it's been a little while. I'm trying out a weekday-only posting schedule to avoid computer burnout. Plus, I'm super excited to share that I just finished my first paid cover design!

A recurring motif within the cozy mystery genre is the inclusion of animal companions, most notably dogs and cats, whose presence transcends that of a mere pet.

Today, I embarked on a design exploration to create a versatile audiobook release post template suitable for various social media platforms.

I'll admit, I was genuinely disappointed not to hear back from the National Sporting Library and Museum. It wasn't just a casual application; my connection to sporting life, its history, and art runs deep, especially having grown up immersed in this region's culture.

I’ve decided today I’m going to pair Book Covers and Wine Bottles together based off of nothing in particular other than the fact that they caught my eye in their respective departments and it’s fun to see that my personal taste in design is pretty linear!

With a surname like Murphy, how could I pass on a St. Patrick's Day themed post. Though I've never embraced the modern celebrations—green beer and crowded bars are not my scene—I enjoy Irish culinary traditions, Hallmark's seasonal offerings, and the comforting world of cozy mysteries.

We recently had an amazing trip to Primland, the 5-star sporting and relaxation resort nestled in the mountains of southern Virginia. It was so fantastic that we're looking for similar experiences. We saw Cloudland at McLemore on Instagram, and it looks very much like Primland, but in the Georgia mountains.

I decided to tackle this science club flyer I spotted at the library today. It was a nice change of pace from that information overload of the stuffed animal sleepover flyer I did last week!

Today's to-do list was surprisingly short, which meant plenty of time for creative fun! But all that free time can sometimes feel a little…meh. So, to perk myself up, I went for another cozy mystery cover, inspired by my audiobook adventure yesterday.

I've been itching to dive into this project all week, and with a day off, I knew exactly how to spend it: audiobook covers, cozy mystery edition!

Today, I'm shifting gears to discuss the importance of safe zones on social media posts, specifically Instagram, where a ‘reels’ ad recently caught my attention. This is a very simple redesign that has a lot of commentary to go with it.

Over the last week I’ve learned a lot working on these exercises. For me they’ve reinforced the value of formal training, even for artists. Natural talent in one medium doesn't automatically translate to proficiency in another, such as graphic design.

A bit of daylight savings brain fog this morning, but I still managed to get my practice in! Today's project was a candle label redesign inspired by one of my favorite films.

This flyer was a real challenge! I saw it in the library and was immediately struck by the sheer amount of information, which was tough to digest. The redesign took me about an hour and a half, much longer than usual.

I didn’t have a lot of time to pick out my redesign project this morning, and I know it’s a bit repetitive doing another NSLM post but this book drive flyer has been on my mind for days.

For this website flyer redesign, I prioritized brand consistency and cohesion. Using the logo from their website (the only size I could find), I created a unified color palette in Adobe Color and applied consistent fonts. My goal was to achieve a refined and sophisticated aesthetic that would resonate with their subscribers and potential visitors.