FiftyThree was founded to build tools that work the way we do. Tools for the creative space–the 53 centimeters that link head, heart, and hand. Tools as simple as pencil and paper.

The FiftyThree brand was designed to communicate and capture that vision. Technology is changing the way we get inspired, think up ideas, and collaborate with others. FiftyThree’s vision is to break down the barriers to creation with beautifully simple tools that enhance the creative process.

Desktop wallpapers, for many people, are a place to add a personal touch to their machine. When HP asked me to create the wallpapers that would ship with a new line of notebook computers, I felt I was being asked to bring out the character of that machine, to reveal it’s personality. 

I began by taking cues from the notebook’s form, recapturing it’s structure, and celebrating it in a new way. 

Later projects involved adding graphics into the computer’s outer shell, and then continuing the aesthetic onto the screen. 

While working at LUNAR Design, I had the chance to create product stories, to be used in marketing materials for the studio. These projects required location scouting, prop shopping, talent sourcing, art directing, and retouching. Here are three of my favorite images.  

ORAL-B CROSSACTION TOOTBRUSH

The image captures the curious bond between owner and pet. If brushing with the Oral-B CrossAction is good for her, it must be good for her best friend. 

Shooting this image required a dog actor, which is difficult to find outside of Los Angeles, so we moved the shoot there. The dog in this photo turned out to be the chihuahua from the blockbuster “Transformers”, and therefore the most famous actor I’ve ever met. 

MODU PHONE

A tiny modular cell phone with an iconic simplicity. Designed for a magazine advertisement, I used the full page as the phone form, and four cappuccinos to represent the iconic button layout. The café setting also allowed me to show scale of the Modu phone, and how small it is compared to an everyday object, like a coffee cup.

HP MEDIASMART SERVER

At the time of it’s release, the HP MediaSmart Server held a ground-breaking amount of storage for the home. I created a his & hers story around having more storage space than anyone should need. 

FiftyThree rethought print-on-demand publishing with the same eye for simplicity that creators love in the Paper app. With BOOK, Paper creators could choose 15 pages of sketches to print on rich, sustainable, matte paper that’s specifically designed to match the iPad’s 4:3 aspect ratio. BOOK could be customized with color and artwork options on the cover and spine, or as a classic black Moleskine hardcover.

1:1 EXPERIENCE

I created the physical book to feel as close as possible to what Paper users experience in the app. The way the pages fold, as well as 1:1 proportions, were painstakingly refined in the physical manufacturing process to feel beautifully simple. 

WHY PRINT A BOOK? 

You experience a book with more of your senses. It’s more personal, more tactile. Passing a book hand to hand feels very different than sending a digital file. And a physical book will change over time.  A loved novel is well worn because someone has spent time with it. Use can bring out beauty in a physical book. 

Pencil's package has had two forms. One package was created at launch, and a second clear package was created when Pencil reached the retail shelf.

Albert Einstein said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” This quote sums up the diving force behind the packaging solutions for Pencil. The designs are both smart structural engineering, and playful experiences.

The retail package allows consumers to see the wood grain through a clear sleeve, while the previous tube package had it’s hero moment in the product reveal. Removing the tube’s cap revealed Pencil floating, centered in the tube. 

The tube was also designed to be a durable Pencil case, harkening back to those nostalgic days when you carried a pencil case as a kid. 

MADE FOR PAPER

Pencil’s natural and expressive features for drawing, sketching, and writing are built for the app, Paper by FiftyThree. Package graphics make a clear visual tie between Pencil and the app, strengthening the brand’s visual identity. 

Product imagery plays a huge part in conveying brand values, and brand look & feel. FiftyThree has two talented photographers on the team, that helped me to create and maintain a consistent photography point of view.

A collection of identities I’ve created for a range of brands, from hardware, to software, to services. 

A glimpse of original concept sketches for the brand. Exploring the logo concept on varied surfaces, and in varied contexts. Looking at color and typography.

While working for Xbox, I had the chance to create the package for a Star Wars Edition console. The concept generation phase was my favorite part of the project, bringing up fond memories of collecting action figures, and hoping C-3PO and R2-D2 would get rescued from the scary red-eyed Jawas.