Today was a snow day, most everything was closed from schools to businesses all across town. Temperatures outside hardly reached 15 degrees and snow and sleet filled the streets. In my office though I was dreaming about summer, summers in Maine more specifically. The smell of saltwater and marsh in the air, sunshine on your face, sandals on my feet, and sand between my toes. Maine is one of my favorite places to be and there is nowhere better to be in the summer if you ask me. So while winter showed it’s face outside I took at trip in my head to Maine to develop this logo for the The Maine Catch, Lobstering Tours.

I was honored to help a friend design this ad for her Golden Retriever, Greta. It’s somewhat customary for dog owners who participate in the show ring and dog sports to create literature about their dogs such as this ad. Ads like this will likely display online in social media, in dog fancier publications, and dog show catalogs giving reference and more information to dogs in the ring.

I’ve been doing more and more photography lately and I love it! Photography gives me another exciting creative outlet as well as an excuse to spend more time with my dogs, and other dog people. My hobby tuned small-business of Dog Photography has lead me to some amazing places including to the 2024 GRCA National Specialty, two weeks of dog events spread out over three northeastern states jam packed full of events from hunting trials, to agility, and show dog conformation. I was happy as a clam to spend pretty much the entire two weeks behind my camera capturing thousands of dogs and moments with owners and handlers, and with so many great images, utilizing them to create my very first book was a natural choice for me, so that is exactly what I did. I blended my images with my design expertise to create the first, of many, books to share with the world. My book, A Golden Retriever National Specialty, Through My Lens is available for purchase on Amazon and will soon be available at select retailers.

I loved making this book so much that I have already began two more books that will be available in 2025.

Here’s a fun logo design project completed in the Fall of 2024 for a startup mental health counselor who provides counseling to students and young people in upstate NY. A Hawksbill Sea Turtle was chosen as a symbol of freedom and confidence, I created a custom illustration of a turtle in a simple, single color form. Our turtle is swimming upward with a smile, he was designed to be trustworthy and safe to appeal to youth as well as their parents & guardians.

I was honored to work with the team over at Miller Mechanical Manufacturing when it came time to develop a new website that was part of their process of merging several companies into one. The initial project consisted of planning, flowcharts, graphic design, and custom WordPress development for quick and simple content management. The website is a work in progress that will continue to grow in 2025 and beyond.

Proposed design, MellBuck Labradors, breeder and trainer in gentleman’s bird dogs for upload and waterfowl.

Several logo design concepts presented to a performance Field Golden Retriever breeder location in Georgia, USA

Some may call it a pet project, but I tend to think of it as a masterpiece that will continue to improve. The idea for ProLitter came about after speaking with friends and colleagues in the retriever world. I personally am invested in that space and I had a strong desire to help others as well. The issue however is that many breeders across the US are relatively small having 1 or 2 litters per year, or maybe a litter every few years, and they do what they do for the love of the dogs and not as a means to make a profit leaving them with little to invest in advertising. None-the-less these breeders do need some marketing tools and this is exactly the space ProLitter was made for. ProLitter is a website where preservation retriever breeders can subscribe to for a low fee. With their subscription breeders can create a web page for their breeding program, list their dogs along with pedigrees, health clearances and allocates, plus add their litter announcements when the time comes. To take things further ProLitter also has offerings for retriever trainers and clubs as well making it easy for those who use ProLitter to find a pup find a trainer and a club to join to become active with their new dog.

The project consisted of design for the overall brand identity, look and feel, colors and logo, icon design, merch design, social media marketing and design, and last-but-not-least, design and development of website from scratch. Have a look at ProLitter.com

I recently completed a logo for a Healthcare startup, Been There, Patient Care Advocacy. The goal was to develop a personal theme that would resonate with, and gain the trust of patients facing a rocky road of diagnosis, prognosis, and or recovery. To reach the goal hand-drawn style fonts were selected to accompany symbolism of hands in a position representing support and care, then finalized in a soft, skin-toned color palette.

Proposed logo design for a retriever kennel.

WRI is a private meteorological consulting firm located in Glens Falls, NY, they’re a the world leader in the marine industry since 1961. In the summer of 2023 I was asked to help the company develop graphic design solutions to occupy easily transportable trade show booths for each their three main areas of focus; commercial ships; sport, yacht & leisure; and off-shore renewable energy.

I’ve worked with Royal Wulff Products since 2013 designing various web components and social media campaigns. My work consisted of social media (Facebook and Instagram) growth & management, email marketing design, website design & development, and visual graphic design for the companies branding.

RedRock Kennels logo with sample t-shirt and hoodie design

Being part of the dog world myself, giving back where I can is very important to me, beginning at the end of 2023 leading into early 2024 I offered to help the Saratoga Kennel Club (SKC) replace their old website with a new product to help the club improve communications with group members as well as the general public. I built the website around the main club offerings with secondary emphasis on dates for such events, club gatherings, meeting, and more. To get to our result I built the new website using WordPress for quick and easy content additions from various club members which has been a great resource for the club. The new design pays tribute to the club identity to-date using their logo and the colors from within it as well as organizing the content hierarchy to support the overall goal.

I’ve been photographing my dogs for as long as I can remember, it’s something I love to do, as well as share with others. After repeated requests from other dog people to offer photo services to others, in 2022 I took the plunge and open the doors to this little pet-project I call Dogs In The Wild, a subsidiary of MWH Design. Dogs In The Wild is a tiny dog photography business where I help other dog owners create memories that will last forever.

Under new ownership, Smiles for Life Saratoga came to me with a vision to build a web presence that fit well with a logo they had done, and to better represent the direction they were taking the business. The owners and I worked together to simplify, plan, design, and build the new website complete with a customized WordPress admin developed to easily keep content up to date. The result is an easy to use, to the point, responsive, visually pleasing website with a little photography speckled-in custom-made just for them.

I kicked off 2023 with this super fun illustration for professional retriever trainer, Bob Owens of Lone Duck Outfitters. The illustration features a Labrador Retriever wrangling in a Mallard duck like a cowboy taming a ducking bronco. I provided both a full color version, and outline version of the artwork.

Proposed logo design for a surfboard maker who’s been perfecting the craft of building surfboards in Hawaii for fifty years. My vision was to design custom lettering that felt fluid and free-flowing, almost like the lettering could have been formed by drops of saltwater on the surface of a surfboard. I then capped-off one version of the logo wrapped in a surfboard shape for applications that required a bit more contrast.

In 2022 a few South and North Carolina members of the United States Air Force got together to develop a new idea to support veterans through the means of a Brewery. I was asked to help develop design concepts for the brand, below is some of the work I provided.

For me, it doesn’t get much better than dogs and design. Not only was this project both of those things, it was also for a performance Golden Retriever breeder, something that is very close to my own heart. Nelson Retrievers of Ramsey, Minnesota needed a strong logo to help them elevate their breeding program identity, they needed a design that is memorable, trustworthy, and one that quickly communicates who they are. After several rounds of revisions we landed on a beautiful type-face that is clean, crisp and a bit playful, and a hand-drawn silhouette of a Golden retrieving a pheasant on an upland hunt.

I’ve never been to Hawaii, but that didn’t pose a problem for me when it came to developing graphic design packaging solutions for Aloha Farms Cafe. Rather than traveling halfway across the world I put on a Hawaiian shirt and the sounds of tropical ocean waves to get me in the correct head-space, the result reflects a super-fun project that left me dreaming of a vacation in paradise. Until I’m able to get there in person, I’ll have to enjoy the flavors of Aloha Farms Cafe Coffees, Macadamia, Honey, and their delicious Sea Salts all wrapped in brand new packaging designed by yours truly.

A local favorite under new ownership wanted breathe new life into this restaurant staple with a fresh brand identity to accompany physical renovations. I absolutely loved work on this mouth watering design project which included an all new logo and type, a menu design, business card design, and large format menu board design.

In 2022 Fierro’s Pizza expanded to offer mobile Wood-Fired Pizza, once again I was given the opportunity to do what I do best. We utilized the new branding from 2021 and added a red-hot update complete with flames and a not-so-hidden slice of pizza and updated text. Tell me this doesn’t make you hungry, I’m salivating!

I recently worked with Richmond Community Services to help them develop new recruitment advertising materials. The project consisted of graphic design to create an overall theme that was then carried over to a tri-fold brochure, a poster for outdoor advertising, and a banner for the side of city buses of Westchester County, NY.

Peanut butter and Jelly, that’s how I jell with pet projects that pertain to dogs and animals in general. For this project I was honored to once again work with this client to help them develop a visual identity for their startup, a veterinary specialty center serving Upstate New York and Saratoga Springs. More specifically I helped the client with appropriate font selection and colors for their brand. I also designed a logo with the request to avoid overused cliché pet likeness, and incorporate an element of the local region, for this case we chose a sunrise behind a mountainous skyline symbolizing the Adirondacks. In addition to the logo I also provided illustration design of the company mascots, their two French Bulldogs to be used on clothing, stickers, and more.

In early 2023 I was honored to work alongside Josh Martin to develop a new logo for his start-up, a mental health counseling company called Fork In The Road. The logo symbolizes pathways and choices people take on their mental health journey. The break in the path to the left represents a change with the “right path” continuing forward–the colors when used also add to the symbolism with dark (down, moody) to light (peace, happiness).

I was honored to work alongside the owners of Maine Backwoods Kennel to create a new logo for their dog breeding program. The logo incorporates both dogs the breeder specializes in, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons and Golden Retrievers, as well as a rustic, outdoor theme appealing to dog outdoor enthusiasts, hunting, recreation and more.

New website in August 2021 complete with a fully customized CMS using WordPress and a hand-crafted front-end. Plus, branding graphic design for two separate logos and merch design such as t-shirts, dog bandanas, a mug, dog towels, and more throughout 2020. For those who may not already know, design and dogs are both a passion of mine, anytime I get to combine these the result is golden! Visit the website now.

MWH has a few things in common with Architex, we’re both small businesses who offer our clients exceptional creative services accompanied by good old-fashion customer service. This is exactly why we were a perfect fit to work together and why Tim and his team once again chose to work with me to redesign the website I originally built over ten years ago. The goal of the new website was to enhance Architex online identity with a visual facelift as well as create a modern web experience for users on all devices with responsive web design.

What began as a walk in the woods with my dogs has turned into a passion project that keeps me busy, active, and my design skills fresh. Shop for Dog Crazy goods at DogCrazy.co

The owners of PetSwag were struggling with their company logo, after designers from websites that promise great work for low cost could not meet their quality expectations, they came to the realization that if they wanted their company to be taken seriously, they needed a professional who could seriously deliver. Below are examples of the selected logo artwork as well as samples I provided during the design process.

Small business logo design along with a simplified mark for use in social media, and a business card. This branding design project was completed August 2019 for Santy Contractors, a building contractor near Bozeman, Montana.

Swany is a pillar in the ski industry, known worldwide for some of the warmest, most comfortable gloves on the planet, Swany has certainly earned their market position with over 100 years of proven performance in the snowy peaks.  When I was asked to help Swany–a company with roots in our own backyard–develop a modern web solution for today’s ski enthusiasts, I was truly honored!

I’ve been working with coach Rich Johns since 2010, together we’ve made several renditions of his Act With Respect Always mission website as well as many logos and symbols that help support the mission.

Dog trainer logo design along with a simplified mark for use in social media. This logo design project was completed in January of 2020 for Happy Trails Dog Training of Oakland California, a positive reinforcement dog trainer who uses humane, reward-based training techniques to achieve training goals rooted in the science of how dogs learn.

I was asked to help design branding materials for a nutritional supplement startup, Emergent Nutrition. The challenge was to develop a high-energy, strong, business identity with powerful a color palette that would compliment the graphic design, and appeal to the target demographic. The idea of using the letter “E” forming a lightning bolt came to me that would symbolize super-hero like strength, the mark would be very recognizable when used in many different applications. Along with the logo, I helped to design a template for product packaging, and a graphic style that the company would use when building their website, and social media presence. Below are some examples of the completed work.

Can a logo be beneficial to the health of a dog? While the logo itself is not a physical tool a Veterinary Radiologist will use when examining a pet, it is a vital tool when it comes to connecting the people who need help, with the people who can help, and I can take great pride in being part of that process. So there you have it, can a logo be beneficial to the health of a dog, YOU BET IT CAN!

I’ve helped Aztech Geothermal develop two websites, first in 2012, then a responsive redesign in 2016 build using WordPress as a content management system.

Simmons Recovery Consulting recently came to us to help conceptualize, and design new print marketing collateral that would assist in client onboarding after a Natural Disaster occurred. The marketing collateral was designed as several interchangeable pieces to be used on their own, or together. The individual pieces were made up of; a small handout, a custom die-cut presentation folder, a brochure, business cards, letterhead, and various case study inserts.

Nokona is a true American brand for America’s favorite pastime. Headquartered in Nocona, TX, the brand has been handcrafting ball gloves since 1934. With an impressive legacy and amazing product to back it up, Nokona came to us to help develop a long-time vision of the company and fans alike, a web-based, visual glove configurator.

There’s something magical about being in the mountains surrounded by the sounds of babbling waterways and nature’s wonders. In contrast to the busy lifestyles most lead these days, being in a setting like this, even for just a short time, does wonder for the soul. Nature has a way of inspiring art too, whether that means painting a landscape, photographing wildlife, or wading in a river casting gorgeous loops in hopes to find a trout or two, humans are meant to embrace the wild as a way to keep our lives in balance. The Wulff School of Fly Fishing understands this, their facility is located in a tranquil setting surrounded by the Catskill Mountains and bordering the Beaverkill River–in NY, but a world away from noisy city life. It’s a place people come to learn the proper technique and artform of fly casting and fly fishing, techniques perfected by the legends themselves, Lee and Joan Wulff.

As a self-proclaimed outdoor addict myself, when I can spend my indoor time working on outdoor projects I’m a happy guy! The Wulff School website project fit that bill perfectly. The project began in 2018 when I was hired by the school to give their (very old) homepage a facelift. The website design update was so well received the owner hired me once again at the start of 2019 to update the design for the rest of the website utilizing vintage photos with newer photos taken by yours truly.

I helped veteran Golden Retriever breeder, Adirondac Golden Retrievers design a print ad campaign for their puppy program. I worked with the breeder to develop a theme that highlighted that Golden Retriever puppies from Adirondac Goldens were not your average pup, but small packages that grow into something much bigger. With a 30+ year proven track record, pups from Adirondac Goldens become champion gun dogs, search & rescue dogs, therapy dogs, drug/bomb-sniffing dogs, and most of all, best friends.

The logo I designed for Nicole combines elements she holds in high regard. The crescent moon symbolizes her connection to South Carolina, the color palette was chosen due to their unique combination and soothing qualities, and finally, Nicole’s initials were combined in a similar manner that she’d done for years to complete the mark.

The website is a simple, informational website using the same elements chosen for the logo. I designed a mobile-first interface with an emphasis on the ease of new clients finding important information quickly, as well as offering current clients quick access to online appointments and Nicole’s client portal.

Akadema makes baseball gloves, bats, and uniforms. They came to MWH with the vision of an online configuration tool that would enable their customers to visually design and order custom baseball gear online. We worked with Akadema to plan, photograph, design, code, and integrate the builders into their eCommerce software.

I was asked to help a local Veterinary Clinic design a new logo. Under new management, the veterinarian wanted a modern logo that would work in modern applications while preserving a 20-year-old business identity. In addition to the logo, I also collaborated with the client to produce a few photographs featuring our very own Adirondac Marty Moose to be used in social media promotions. Below are examples of the final logo and a few alternate versions.

Brochure graphic design for Vermont Timber Frames, yet another project. To say I’m a fan of timber framing would be an understatement, but who doesn’t love the ancient craft and beauty of post and beam construction.

When I met with the client they gave me a sneak peek of their prototype product. They described that it was the only product of it’s kind and that it was built to be durable withstanding traffic and extreme weather conditions, while also being super simple to install and use. The logo was developed to represent the strength & durability with sharp angles, bold lines, and typeset in all caps. The colors chose were a deep asphalt grey along with a bright orange like that typically seen in traffic and safety applications. The mark sits above the text symbolizing their product concept—an above-ground traffic loop vs. saw cutting.

In 2014 I was asked to contribute graphic design work for the branding of small start-up distillery in upstate, NY. I submitted various logos for the company and their liquors, as well as various label design concepts for Moonshine, Vodka, and Bourbon. The project was a tremendous amount of fun, but unfortunately, none of the work was chosen for final production.

I have worked side by side with JAT construction since 2009 starting with their first company website and a presentation folder to hand to perspective clients and for job estimates. Over the years JAT has continued to rely on me for all their business graphic design and marketing, we’ve developed print brochures, stationery and business cards, we redesigned and developed their website, we’ve worked on an employee time tracking web application and we’ve redesigned the companies logo. There is no bigger compliment to a designer than repeat business and I’m proud to have been part of JAT Construction for over 15 years.

Vogt Toolworks makes The Super Shoot, the slickest shooting board on the market along with other tools for custom woodworkers. The company needed a logo with a strong brand mark that was easily reproduced and that could be applied by a wood branding stamp. The result is a custom mark comprised of the letters V and T using precise angles emphasizing the accuracy of their products.

In 2010 I was asked to help Schenectady Steel design a new logo, the company has been delivering quality steelwork to building sites throughout the Northeast since 1924.

A new pet-safe rodent trap housing. The name Mousieleum was the client’s creation giving an otherwise grim subject matter a light-hearted vibe—the logo needed to support this but also convey what the product was. Below are the selected logos, a full-size logo, and a minimal mark for usage where less space is available such as on social media networks.

I kicked off 2015 with a fun project from the gracious folks at RedFeather, a green energy development startup providing solutions to hoteliers in the Caribbean Islands. The company brought me in to design a new logo to kickstart their identity. The logo brought some much needed fun-in-the-sun spirit to a bitter cold January in New York. The final logo combines a red feather with a green leaf that can easily be used in a number of configurations.

Louden Ridge is a community of custom-built green homes in Saratoga Springs, NY by Capital Construction, Inc. In 2013, I worked with the home builder to plan, design, and develop a new website. The project goal was to help interested home buyers locate Louden Ridge via search engines, and offer valuable information regarding building a custom-built green home in Saratoga Springs, NY. The new website was developed from scratch complete with custom responsive design powered WordPress for content management.

In addition to Louden Ridge, I also build the original Capital Construction corporate website in 2009, then performed a mild, mobile-friendly design refresh in 2017.