DIA Invitation

Detroit Institute of Arts Invitation
Design by Claire Nelson (2011)

This was an invitation for a special event to celebrate the Detroit Institute of Art's "Be a Part of the Art" program. A quickie design job for my friend Peter Van Dyke. Because I'll do pretty much anything Peter asks me to. Pretty much.

Let's Get it On

Let's Get it On
Design by Claire Nelson (2006)


Total knock-off of Knock Knock. A fill-in-the-blanks notepad (top) and double-sided doorhanger (bottom) that I made for my sister before her wedding. She's always such a wonderful hostess and generous friend, so I wanted to make sure she would steal some time for newlywed bliss.

Mabel Claire

Mabel Claire
Design by Claire Nelson (2009)


Birth announcement for my darling niece, Mabel Claire Graham. They called her the "lil rocket" because she arrived a month early and shot out in just three and a half hours. Clearly, she was eager to get goin'. (Like mother, like daughter.) You might say "hmm" about the color blue and rocket ships for a girl. But Mabel's a very modern woman. Photograph by the talented Sung Kokko, I believe.

Patrick Thompson Design

Patrick Thompson Design
Design by Claire Nelson (2009)

Just a simple website for my talented interior designer buddy, Mr. Thompson. He could use a professional web designer now that he's so fancy. But this was a start.

Dear Denise

Dear Denise

Design by Claire Nelson (2004) 

This was a postcard we printed to appeal to the Ilitch family to not tear down the historic Madison-Lenox Building in downtown Detroit. Was it effective? Sadly, no. But it was fun designing something that said, "Please, Ms. Ilitch, do the right thing. Do the classy thing." They promised to build something new there, but it remains a surface parking lot six years later.

Oregon Wedding

Oregon Wedding
Design by Claire Nelson (2006)

Just a few pieces from a collection of wedding papers (invitations, menu cards, programs, stationery & more) I designed for my sister's nuptials at a gorgeous camp outside of Portland, Oregon. It is important to note that the birds & branches motif had not yet swept every design store and product collection in the land. The teal & brown color combo was also new, too. (Brooke has always been ahead of her time.)

Doghouse

Doghouse of Barrington

Design by Claire Nelson (2006)

My brother Dylan opened his business right around the time I was opening mine, so I didn't have a lot of extra time to help him out with design. But we created some simple materials leading up to his launch, and then afterwards we came back and developed the doghouse icon he continues to use today. Later I would help him open a small boutique with dog treats and animal-themed gifts for children. That was a real family team effort, with lots of help from Mom & Dad.

Sixtieth Birthday

Sixtieth Birthday #1

Design by Claire Nelson (2007)

Invitation to the surprise party my mother planned for my father to celebrate his 60th. This was a lot of fun to make, and with a lot of help from mom who uncovered great old photographs, like the one of him skiing topless.

Sixtieth Birthday #2

Design by Claire Nelson (2008)

Then it was mom's turn the following year, and dad planned a surprise party for her. It's always fun to be the designer for secret family stuff, because you get to know all the good scoop before other people.

Carola Collection

Carola Collection

Design by Claire Nelson (2004) 

I created these greeting cards for my mother (nicknamed Carola), who is the best note-writer and card-sender ever. She asked me to make her some for different occasions, and the original collection included a dozen different designs. We pared it down to these four cards for an American Cancer Society benefit at the request of friend and all-time best client, Kim Duchossois. Over the years, Kim would become one of my very best design "patrons," commissioning and referring me for several philanthropic and charitable projects, from ACS to Hospice of NE Illinois to the Barrington Area Community Foundation. Years later I would rediscover a box of Carola leftovers and repackage them for the shop.

Special Tree

Special Tree
Design by Claire Nelson (2005)

This was one of several pieces we created at Refuel Media for Special Tree, a local rehabilitation center. I really loved working with the awesome Jen Atwood on the logo refresh, identity system, brochures and folders. Good photography makes all the difference. For this piece, I had to "paint" the nail color because it was a deathly shade of brown in the original. (Jen was clever to spot that before we went to press.)

Rowland Cafe

The Rowland Cafe 
Design by Claire Nelson (2004)

When I worked with Kevin Borsay at Refuel Media, I would sometimes design emails and postcards and signage for their other businesses, including Pure Detroit and The Rowland Cafe. Working in their office at the top of the Guardian Building was a dream. Spectacular views upstairs and that amazing mezzanine space downstairs, where I would enjoy afternoon coffee & chocolate-chip cookie breaks with my buddy Paul Royal. Plus warm daily greetings from the lovely doorman, Chris.

Source: The Detroit News

InVivo

 

Karmanos Cancer Institute

Designed by Claire Nelson (2004)

This was a magazine prototype I designed for the Karmanos Cancer Institute while at Refuel Media. I'm not sure what became of the publication -- I think they changed the name and went in a different direction. But I loved, loved, loved working on this -- I think it was my first magazine design. And, you know, it's fun to play around with stock photography and layouts before there is any real content.

Sweetspace

Sweetspace
Design by Claire Nelson (2003)

Package design proposal for a new organic chocolate company. I still think this is one of my favorite design concepts. I'm not sure what happened with this -- I think they changed their name and went in another direction.

Identity Designs

Identity Designs

Designs by Claire Nelson (2002-10)

A collection of logos created for small businesses, non-profits and other initiatives over the last decade. Mostly independently, some during my time at Refuel Media.

Gemini Birthdays

Gemini Birthdays

Design by Claire Nelson (2010)

It is one of the great mysteries (and joys) of my life that so many of my Detroit comrades are Geminis. I don't know how to explain why so many of us gravitate to each other and the city, but there's definitely something fishy going on. There have been some nights while drinking at the Park Bar that I've looked around and realized I'm completely surrounded by fellow Geminis. Joe Posch, Peter Van Dyke, Patrick Thompson, Kelli Kavanaugh, Nancy Sizer -- and this is just to name a few. Anyway, Joe & Peter share the same birthday just one day before mine, so this year we gathered at Tom's Tavern for drinks. I chose that photo of me from another lifetime in honor of Michigan's newly minted smoking ban. Someone once told me I looked like Cruella de Vil in that photo -- damn, I was going for more of an Audrey Hepburn look. But that's a whole 'nother story...

Archive Design Studio

Archive Design Studio

Design by Claire Nelson (2004)

New website design for this Detroit architecture firm, as well as a new suite of letterhead, envelopes, business cards and a mailer to announce their move to the landmark Guardian Building.

Detroit Waldorf School

Detroit Waldorf School
Design by Claire Nelson (2004)

These postcards and print ads were created with Michael Ban at Refuel Media. (We kept it simple to let those precious student portraits speak for themselves.) Detroit Waldorf School is a much-beloved private school located in Indian Village. Alumni include friends Emily and Andy Linn of City Bird. Oh, and the singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens.

Carte Claire

   

Carte Claire
Design by Claire Nelson (2002-4)

When I moved to Detroit in 2002, I started taking on little freelance graphic design gigs to pay the bills. Mind you, I had never taken a single graphic design class in my life, but my dear mother and her friends kindly commissioned me to create custom invitations, stationery, holiday cards, that sort of thing. One project led to another, and pretty soon I had quite the little collection of card designs. Nothing original in this idea -- I was following in the footsteps of my talented friend & mentor, Melissa Wood, who showed me the ropes during high school summers. Seemed like a fun way to work for myself and tinker with software, printers and web design. Over time, it became clearer that a greeting card empire was not in my future. Even still, I'm so grateful to all my family and friends who paid me to learn and experiment, not always with the best results.