crash course + celestial airlines
Ask: Create a visual brand for a fictional airline to be used in a staged production.
Tools: Adobe Creative Suite
Deliverables: Airline branding package including logos, color schemes, fonts and brand voice; show logo; show poster; 12-page show program styled as an in-flight magazine; airline-branded props to be used on stage; show creative for social media and website
Timeline: 1 month
Two of my favorite things: designing brands and travel! When DJB Design was asked to design a brand for a new airline, I was in heaven — quite literally. The founders of this new airline, Celestial Air, wanted the branding to evoke aspirational travel. Think 1960s travel agency posters that made you pine for a far-off destination.
You’re floating on the clouds, bathed in hues of purple, peach, and pink. But it’s probably called “sunset” because on this particular fake flight, you fake die. You might be dead, but that ethereal feeling takes over any dread you might be feeling.
If you haven’t heard of Celestial Air, well, that’s because it’s not a real airline. It’s part of “Crash Course,” a new storytelling show by Nicole Hardy and Jennifer Warnick. So while the airline wasn’t real, my branding efforts most definitely were.
The show included branded boarding passes, signage, airline logos, color schemes for posters, costumes, multimedia screens, etc. But you can also read Crash Course’s show program, Beyond, branded as Celestial Air’s inflight magazine.
brand storytelling +
Rivian
In 2022, I joined Rivian’s brand team as senior manager of storytelling and social. In my year there, a major goal of mine in my year was to elevate the design of the Rivian Stories blog and social media posts. This happened in unison with Rivian’s production ramp, its joint venture with Amazon to produce electric delivery vans, and the company’s efforts to take meaningful steps to curb climate change. I also produced and designed pieces for company narratives for software updates, Ask Rivian (similar to a Reddit AMA), vehicle spotlights and updates from the assembly plant.
Ask: Create visuals for Rivian’s official social media accounts (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn) and support blog design. Find ways to leverage Rivian customer “user-generated content” into on-brand content.
Tools: Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Slack, Asana
Deliverables: Regular cadence of posts on Instagram and Facebook Stories, in-feed posts for Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn and design blogs about company updates and customer journeys.
Timeline: 1 year
New Orleans Pridefest
New Orleans Pridefest started in 2015 as a bar block party as a precursor to the city’s annual pride parade. As the years went on, its popularity grew and the festival expanded its footprint, adding vendors and entertainment. The festival’s organizer approached DJB Design to create a brand identity that would establish an easily identifiable brand for attendees, vendors and sponsors, and one that would facilitate the festival’s growth year after year. Time to meet Gautreaux!
Gautreaux the Gator was born, featuring their fabulously manicured claws and sunglasses adorned in the colors of artist Gilbert Baker’s original 8-color Pride Flag and scutes in the colors of Daniel Quaser’s Progress Pride Flag. Their toothy grin spells out New Orleans in folksy, fun typography.
Since Gautreaux was introduced to much fanfare in 2024, merchandise sales help fund the festival, and the festival’s newly created social media channels are gaining traction. We continue to solidify the brand voice as the festival has grown into a booming festival with 6,500 attendees (New Orleans & Company, 2024) and is a tourism draw for the city of New Orleans and the LGBTQIA+ community.
