URL: potluckfoodrescue.org
PROJECT TYPE: website redesign
TOOLS: WordPress, Divi Builder
DETAILS: I designed this website early on in my career, and Potluck remains one of my very favorite clients to ever work with. The mission of diverting food waste and redistributing it to folks who don’t have enough is a big one, and I was happy to create a website they love and can be proud of. This project was also what cemented my role as The Problem Solver at Rock City Digital. They had a very powerful but complex CRM that they wanted connected to their various website forms, so they could make sure that the records for donors and volunteers stayed clean. I had to do a deep dive into integrations and webhooks and learn all the cool parts of Gravity Forms, which was my nemesis until that point. It was very satisfying to get it all to work together!

Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence
URL: www.domesticpeace.com
PROJECT TYPE: website redesign
TOOLS: WordPress, Divi Builder
DETAILS: ACADV came to us with several different needs as many different nonprofits do: they needed to speak to survivors, shelters, shareholders, law enforcement, donors, educators, etc. They wanted their website to feel empowering and be a collection of all the many resources they use to do their work. One of the things I’m proudest of with this site is figuring out how to set up and code the safety exit. Most safety exits I saw while I was doing my research was just a prominent button one could quickly click to get them off the page. The part that was normally overlooked was that if someone really wanted to see what you were doing, all they had to do is click the back button or look in your browser history. I figured out how to add some javascript to the header so the page you were on becomes an empty google search, and a new tab for the weather channel opens, with no trace of the ACADV website in the history. I hope that no one has ever had to use the safety exit, but if someone did, I feel good knowing I did everything I could to help them stay safe in that moment.

BONUS: Watch this testimonial from my client talking about her (wonderful) experience working with me!

URL: lcsh.org
PROJECT TYPE: website redesign
TOOLS: WordPress, Divi Builder, Twilio
DETAILS: As part of some grant funding left over from the original ACADV website redesign, they got two templates made by me so their shelter sites could get their own websites redesigned for a discounted price. I made one in a “light and airy” style and one in a “vibrant and bold style” and they chose the template of the latter one! For this version, I wanted to lean into the feeling of being a survivor, someone who can get through one of the hardest periods of their life and still come out okay. One feature I added for the first time on a website was a Twilio integration, which is a connection with Gravity Forms that allows a text notification to be sent when a contact form is submitted if someone selects that they need help immediately.

URL: this client is sadly no longer in business :(
PROJECT TYPE: new website
TOOLS: WordPress, Divi Builder
DETAILS: The client wanted a website that was “loud and bold and luxurious with an edge, not like those other airy Barbies” They were the type of client that genuinely thinks you can stop visually aging and still look hot at 100 years old. They honestly kind of scared me. BUT their website was SO FUN, and I’m grateful that they saw my vision and went with it. Though it was not long for this world, it was a good time while it lasted!

URL: cantrellgardens.com
PROJECT TYPE: website redesign
TOOLS: WordPress, Divi Builder
DETAILS: Cantrell Gardens specializes in rose varieties and loving the grateful dead, and this combination made them the perfect candidate for a pink background gradient. The client didn’t give much direction at all, so I kept this one simple and sweet!

URL: apaulingproductions.com
PROJECT TYPE: new website
TOOLS: WordPress, Divi Builder
DETAILS: Paul is one of those dudes who wears all black, all the time, no exceptions. For his videography website, he didn’t want any color, he didn’t want want anything too jazzy (maybe one little silly element) and he wanted the work to really shine. And he wanted it to be COOL. When he told me this, I kind of started to panic. COOL??? And with no color??? I’d been doing websites for elevator companies and garage door guys and lawyers and steel fabricators for so many clients in a row at this point that I wasn’t sure I had it in me. But I persevered! I added some movement! I played with hover effects! And we all think the website is cool! (the contact page image is actually a video, go look)

URL: nicholsfamilydental.com
PROJECT TYPE: new website
TOOLS: WordPress, Divi Builder
DETAILS: This client’s website has changed a bit since it was first launched, and UNFORTUNATELY I don’t have record of the original anymore. C’est la vie. What’s shown here is its current site and though the layouts have changed, what remains of the original design I implemented is the colors, the font, the bullet point shapes, and the photo frame shapes. All of these elements work together to create a sort of retro looking vibe that the client wanted, letting patients know before they walk in the door that she is friendly and approachable, with a fun personality and easygoing team.

URL: lilerealestate.com
PROJECT TYPE: property filter/query loop rebuild
TOOLS: WordPress, Divi Builder, Divi Machine, Advanced Custom Fields
DETAILS: This client’s website was originally built by another member on my team, and they needed a solution for viewing and filtering property listings. The client was extremely particular about they way they wanted things to look and function, and the plugin that was chosen for the property listings was eventually not a good fit anymore, and was a real pain to use and maintain over time. So when everybody finally had enough, they brought me in to build them a custom solution.

I built them a query loop filter using Divi Machine and Advanced Custom Fields since the website was built on Divi 4 and did not yet have native query loop capability. I still feel very accomplished for meeting every one of the client’s specific requests for the single page layout as well as the filter itself. This project was very satisfying to complete, and I know the client has really enjoyed using their custom solution instead of the old one that was clunky and really ugly.

URL: laketownwellnessltd.com
PROJECT TYPE: new website
TOOLS: WordPress, Divi Builder
DETAILS: The client came to us with basically a logo from fiverr and that’s it. No branding, no building, nothing to speak of as they were just getting the business going. Dr Stephanie said she wanted her website to look “modern yet classy boho.” Her goal was to be visually comfortable and relaxing, not stuffy or overly sterile like a typical doctor’s office. Her office was going to be set up more like a living room than a waiting room, so we wanted the website to reflect that, but at the same time not feel too “woo-woo". I really love the classy and warm website we ended up with, and Dr Stephanie says it fits her perfectly!

Designing Girl Scout patches are, without a doubt, the best part of working at Girl Scouts.

On a Girl Scout’s vest or sash, there are badges on the front and patches on the back. Badges are made by Girl Scouts of the USA and are official symbols that indicate an increase in knowledge or skill in a particular subject. Patches (sometimes called fun patches) are emblems signifying participation in a Girl Scout activity or are earned by completing a set of steps and can be made by anyone.

Each council makes a large number of its own patches. The most popular patch at Girl Scouts - Diamonds is our CEO patch. Most councils have a patch that is given to girls when they meet the CEO. This patch is NORMALLY the same every year and has a picture of the state or even the CEO’s face. The Girl Scouts - Diamonds CEO, Dawn Prasifka, has a unique patch. Hers gets redesigned each year to correspond with a life lesson she wants to impart to the girls.

I start the process of designing this patch (and most others) by having a meeting where we discuss the specifications and the patch vision. In the case of the CEO patch, Dawn tells me her story, and I have to translate that into a visual. Sometimes she has an idea of the look, sometimes she does not. I also have to make very important decisions regarding how girls are depicted in these patches. I want everyone to feel included in Dawn’s patch story.

The group of seven squares is all CEO patches. The first two were designed before my employment, so when I started with the third one, I wanted to make the rest look like a continuation of the first two. I make small tweaks along the way to make the girls look more realistic than the girl in the second patch (whose body is shaped like a lollipop) and our CEO has loved them so much, she often remarks that she wants the first ones to be redone by me.

The following image is a small selection of patches I have made over the years. These were made for various events or accomplishments achieved by our members. My personal favorite is the New Leader Patch, which features a leader stargazing with her new troop.

The Field Guide is my largest project of the entire Girl Scout year. It is between 80-100 pages and is a troop leader’s guide to their entire year of Girl Scouting. It includes all events for girls and troops to attend, and information on camp, the STEAM center, volunteer resources, training dates, higher awards, service opportunities, product selling, travel, fund development, traditions, etc.

For the 2020 edition, we decided to make it more interactive and fun, since there were significantly fewer events available for girls to participate in. I convinced my organization to change the name from the ambiguous “program resource book” of the years prior to the more direct “field guide.” I taught myself how to use Procreate and illustrated a large amount of that 98-page book by hand. It was an enormous undertaking with many edits and very late nights, but I was extremely pleased with the outcome of the book, and with expanding my skillset.

For the 2021 edition, we reduced the “extra” pages and really simplified the design. Girl Scouts as a whole is going through a significant rebranding over the next few years and the Field Guide for 2021 is a great way to introduce our members to the new look and feel of the branding that they will be seeing from now on.

Check out the evolution:
2018-2019 Program Resource Book
2019-2020 Program Resource Book
2020-2021 Field Guide
2021-2022 Field Guide

Girl Scouts has three major seasons: recruitment, cookie, and camp. At the beginning of recruitment season, there is a mini-season called spring renewal. This is the push to get members to renew their membership before the official Girl Scout new year starting October 1. The campaign is separate and looks different from the fall recruitment campaign, plus it includes incentives for members to renew within a certain time period.

I suggested doing a suncatcher as an incentive after enjoying my beautiful Bless the Daylight suncatcher from Ann Lettering while working from home. It was a great incentive and many troops renewed just for the suncatcher alone.

The Courageous and Strong shirt was inspired by the Girl Scout Law. Last year’s On My Honor spring renewal shirt (below) was inspired by the Girl Scout Promise, and both shirts were a huge hit among our members.

When I was hired as a graphic designer for Girl Scouts, I thought “Sweet. Girl Scouts already has a logo. Therefore I will never have to make another one.” I WAS WRONG! I had not yet discovered that everyone wants a logo for their campaign even if it doesn’t need one. Here is a selection of logos made for my Girl Scout council.

1. Girl Scouts - Diamonds crest: In general, the organization has a hard time with older girl retention, so the retail department wanted a more “collegiate” looking crest to put on merchandise to appeal to those older girls. It was used on a t-shirt, a notebook, and a very cool patch tumbler.

2. Horse Adoption Stamp: The horses at Girl Scout camp are up for adoption! The purpose of this campaign is to offset the cost of the care and maintenance of the horses. The mark is placed on the photo of each horse that has been adopted. Included is a screenshot from the horse page on the website of my favorite horse, Chili.

3. Girl Scouts Give: This mark was made for our annual employee giving campaign. It was used on forms, certificates, and one-pagers asking for employees to donate money to the Girl Scouts - Diamonds membership, camp, or greatest need funds.

4. Girl Scouts Happy Mail: The Happy Mail logo was created to unify the materials used in the Happy Mail campaign. The communications team created a paid social media advertisement for girls not yet in Girl Scouts to receive some “happy mail” to entice them to become a member.

5. Girl Scouts Unplugged: Girl Scouts Unplugged is the overarching theme for a patch program created to give Girl Scouts of all ages something to work on that does not involve screens. Girl Scouts can earn fun patches (different from badges) in a variety of ways, and these are earned by completing a series of steps. The logo was used on all materials relating to this patch program. Check out the full Family Camping Club patch program here.

These items are one-offs and are and are either not part of a larger collection, or the collection at large was just a printed word document with zero fanfare.

Items included are a “Greetings from Girl Scouts” postcard, a Science in the Woods Day Camp t-shirt, a Space Science patch kit, a Chalk Art patch kit, two birthday cards, and the 2019 Annual Report.

My favorite season is camp season! The camp guide is released every year in January, one month before camp registration opens. In previous years, the camp guide was a physical booklet and was mailed out to previous and prospective campers. This year, the camp guide was kept digital-only to save on printing costs. Sometimes, we have a camp theme to unify our marketing efforts across our multiple camps. Given the state of things, Girl Scouts - Diamonds summer camp capacity was reduced to only one camp but for a longer amount of time. The camp director suggested the theme simply be “back to camp” as camp was canceled for the 2020 season. I wanted to keep it simple yet groovy and fun. The sun image was the patch for resident camp, and the same design was printed in white on a white shirt, perfect for tie-dyeing!

The BIG (Believe in Girls) Brunch is the second in a trio of philanthropic events Girl Scouts - DIamonds began planning for in the 2019-2020 membership year. This particular event was a huge challenge for me, as I was instructed to make something “elegant” while still staying within the Girl Scout brand, which, at the time, was distinctly NOT elegant. Since the initial BIG Brunch in 2020 (March 12 to be exact) Girl Scouts has begun rolling out a complete rebrand. Among the new guidelines are the instructions to discontinue the use and creation of any new logos within the Girl Scout brand, which meant getting rid of the logo from the previous year. Everyone on my team was bummed by this except me (I never liked the original logo).

I have since proven to my team that an event can have a distinct branded feel without having a whole separate logo that dilutes the Girl Scout brand. Included here are a few elements from the formation of the 2021 BIG Brunch event. Invitations and signage are to come!

When I was tasked with designing a wrap for our transport vans, I panicked. It was my first time, and I wasn’t exactly sure how to even start. I took a deep breath and thought about other wrapped vans I’ve seen while driving. I did a quick google search and I didn’t like what I saw. They all looked like cheesy commercials with really flashy graphics. Not very on-brand for Girl Scouts. We didn’t want any pictures of Girl Scouts on it (creepy) and we didn’t want anything extravagant (in the middle of a re-brand). I considered what makes ME really notice a vehicle: the color. I personally don’t give a white van with words on it a second thought. But a weird colored van? That’s what I like. So I started with Girl Scout green, added the quick info that reminds people that Girl Scouts is alive and well, and pointed them to the website. These vans transport shop merchandise or cookies or other miscellaneous stuff, not girls, so I was even able to wrap the windows. Phew, that wasn’t so bad!

Did you know there is a prolific kickball association in Little Rock? I discovered it last year, but the LRKA has been going strong for something close to 17 years now. I almost always have a scheme going, and in February of 2020, I schemed to convince my coworkers at Girl Scouts to form a work kickball team on the laid-back league. As the head captain and the resident graphic designer, it was my job to design our team t-shirts. The team decided to call ourselves the “Sash Kickers” as a nod to our Girl Scout origin, and we incorporated Camp Kick-A-Hiney for a little summer camp flair. We even made buttons to give to team members and the opposing team once we “kicked their sash.” Unfortunately, our first game was on March 8, 2020. You know what happened after that.