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nathan alexander Grimoire of Visual Art

my COLLECTION of oddities A portfolio of my graphic design, illustration, client work, personal projects, and art from the past several years are now available between your finger tips for your viewing pleasure. Go ahead, have a peek.w Cobwebs over the Catacombs �� 5

Costume Changes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Brain and Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Witchcraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Frankenstein. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Into The Woods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Smudged Eyeliner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Cooking in the Cauldron �� 31

An Encounter to Remember �� 13

Burned to a Crisp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Touched by an Angel �� 15

Touch of Vintage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Slice of Paradise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Modern Hieroglyphics �� 37

Golden Affair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Consume the Children ��39

Make Your Choice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Creatures in the Lagoon �� 41

Mother Nature’s Bite ��23

Wicked. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

cobwebs over the catacombs A luxurious grave robbing experience Illustration, Photoshop, Branding, Marketing

2021

Cobwebs Over The Catacombs is a fictional album I created and illustrated the cover, back cover, and came up with a fictional tracklist to accompany it. Album covers are extremely important to the music that accompanies it. They act as the main marketing tool for the album and branding scheme for the cycle of that era. I personally love seeing gorgeous artwork and aesthetic imagery on the cover. Especially when you pick up a vinyl record and it has the album artwork on it. The ideas that I had in mind when creating this artwork and album concept were luxurious rich women decked out in expensive pearls, fashion, and jewels who have kept their wealth and status for generations due to a little family secret. That secret being that they maintain their status by being immortal creatures who feed off the life of the lower class. The accompanying music would be in the glam rock genre among other artists such as Marilyn Manson, Yung Blud, and The Pretty Reckless.

SU C DE Suicide and feeling suicidal is a huge struggle both mentally and physically on not only the victim who is carrying the weight of the thoughts and actions, but the people around them who care and love them. As a whole society, we need to come together and support our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends, and strangers in their mental health journeys to prevent the loss of more innocent people. Suicide is not a joke.

The official Rhode Island health website reports that in 2017, around 18% of Rhode Island middle schoolers reported having serious suicidal thoughts, almost 12% had made a serious plan to carry out the suicide, and almost 7% had made an attempt.

It was also reported that in 2017, 15% of Rhode Island high schoolers had reported having serious suicidal thoughts, almost 14% had made their plan, and almost 11% had made their attempt at completing suicide.

15%

18%

rhoDE iSLAnD

UnitED StAtES

15-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55+

& by SEx KEy ri fEmALE

KEy

2015

2016

13 15

2014

ri mALE

SUiCiDES by AgE

16 16

17 20 20

(Rhode Island, 2016)

whAt DoES ALL of thiS mEAn? These statistics go to show that the typical person you see completing suicide is not the profile you might be thinking. Most people think teenagers are the highest prone to having suicidal thoughts and making suicide attempts, however, these statistics show the average person to complete suicide is actually a 45-54 year old man. Did you know that before seeing the statistics?

how DoES rhoDE iSLAnD ComPArE? Rhode Island’s suicide death rate is lower than the national rate

Rhode Island’s self-harm injuries rate is lower than the national rate

Rhode Island saw an overall decrease in it’s rates of encounters resulting from a suicide attempt in RI hospital emergency departments and in-patient facilities between 2010 and 2014

how CAn i hELP? We need to make therapy, counseling, health insurance, and perscriptions more afforable and accessible to everyone who might need them to help improve their mental health and stay on this planet longer We need to destigmatize expressing our struggles and being open about our mental health. We need to stop teaching our children to bottle everything in because “nobody else cares what you’re going through” because “they have their own problems”

PLEASE

BRAIN AND HEART Various work created for BH Link

Illustrator, InDesign, Flyers, Infographic, Social Media, Client

2021

All of these pieces were created during and for my internship at BH Link in Rhode Island. The purpose and function of the pieces are meant to bring awareness to various topics that can all be tied back to the betterment of your mental health and overall living situation. Your brain is just as high of a priority when you go to the doctors, so we need to remember that on a day to day basis. My internship gave me the opportunity to experiment and have creative freedom to talk about and research different topics and find issues that I was passionate about and wanted other people to see and feel passionate about as well. In the end, I created over 50 social media posts, several fliers, infographics and worked with an external client during the process. This internship taught me how to professionally work with deadlines, other coworkers, and clients.

FRANKENSTEIN The newest global smash hits all in one album Illustration, Photoshop, Branding, Marketing

2020

This project is a concept album complete with an album cover, back cover, tracklist, storyline, and animated trailer. I pulled most of my great inspiration from one of my favorite bodies of work from Lady Gaga, Artpop as well as the visual aesthetics from Alice in Wonderland. Frankenstein is a neon, dance, EDM, and trap inspired record. The visuals shown in the artwork definitely reflect the contents of the music. I approached this project by brainstorming ideas and coming up with different resources I wanted to emulate and take inspiration from. All artwork shown in the photography was created by and illustrated by me.

smudged eyeliner You go back to her and she goes back to... Photoshop, Print, Posters

2018

The assignment I was given was to pick a musician and create a series of three cohesive posters to promote their tour. The artist I chose was Amy Winehouse. I chose her not only because I love her music as well as her as a person, but also because she doesn’t have many well designed posters to promote herself or her amazing music. I approached this task by creating a mood and a message revolving around the album that this tour poster was going to promote, which was “Back to Black”. The meaning behind that title song is Amy being left by someone she loves and she turns back to her destructive habits and my goal was to make the posters tell the same story that she wanted to with the album.

an encounter to remember The latest sensory dining experience, Ambedo Branding, Print, InDesign, Illustrator, Client

2020

This project is a client project for a group of chefs who were in the process of creating a restaurant and needed branding, menus, merchandise, cheese cards, stickers, and several other deliverables. This project was created in Design Team I. I was personally responsible for creating the main menu design for the restaurant. I approached this task by sketching out various drafts based on the decided upon branding and overall vibe of the restaurant. Thinking of different ways to deconstruct the logo and incorporate the elements into the menu design. Inspiration for this project came primarily from the inspiration provided by the clients. They wanted to make sure they were connecting to each of our tongues tastes which sparked the idea of having each color represent a sense of taste and then we incorporated this into a minimalistic yet effective design.

touched by an angel Concert posters for Sevdaliza Photoshop, Print, Posters

2020

The assignment I was given was to pick a musician and create a series of three cohesive posters to promote their tour. The artist I chose was Sevdaliza. I chose her not only because I love her music as well as her as a person, but also because she doesn’t have many well designed posters to promote herself or her beautiful music. I approached this task by creating a mood and a message revolving around the album that this tour poster was going to promote, which was “Shabrang”. The message of the album is all about personal healing and beginning the healing process which is represented through the bruised imagery in the album’s cover and back cover.

Amuse Bouche Mushroom Ceviche

Oyster Mushrooms, Avocado, Green Papaya, Grapefruit, Cilantro

Appetizer

Lumier de la Mer

Garlic & Cilantro Shrimp, Squid Ink Chip, White Wine Poached Scallop Potatoes, Roasted Red Pepper Purée

Entrée

Lechon Kawali

Fried Pork Belly with Herbs, Mango Salad, Pommes Rosti, Soy Glace de Viande

Dessert

Paradise Dome

Mango Bavarian Cream, Minty Chantilly Cream, Dark Chocolate Dipped Raspberry Cake, Vanilla Sable Cookie

Drink

Calamansi Smoothie

Calamansi Juice, Papaya, Banana Crème Anglaisé

Consumer Warning

Some foods may contain raw meat, uncooked meat, or nuts. Consuming these may increase your risk of acquiring foodborne illness or having an allergic reaction.

slice of paradise Enjoy a little getaway, but only for lunch...

COLOR

Print, Branding, Illustrator, InDesign, Client

PALETTE CHOSEN LOGO

RGB: 240 140 51 CMYK: 3 53 91 0

RGB: 61 148 194 CMYK: 73 29 9 0

RGB: 130 173 64 CMYK: 55 13 100 0

CHOSEN FONT

Raspoutine Classic, Demibold, and Medium

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

2020

Phare De Lumier is a new restaurant created by the culinary students at Johnson & Wales University. Their idea for the launch was to be a mini vacation experience when dining at their restaurant. While teaming up with the graphic design department of the school, we were tasked with creating their visual identity. This included their logo, menu, stickers, business card, and advertisements. I approached this project by looking at all the resources they provided us and coming up with a strong and relevant branding guide to set the tone and mood of the project. We then proceeded to create the other deliverables in the style and branding that I had set forward at the start of the project. I was responsible for creating the logo, stylescape for the branding, business card, and menu.

Golden affair Taste the flavors of your favorite Asian countries Illustrator, InDesign, Branding, Marketing, Client

2021

This project was assigned to me and a group of other designers in my Design Team II course. Golden Wok is a restaurant by culinary majors at Johnson & Wales University and they needed us to create branding standards, a logo, promotional fliers, several menus, television ads, stickers, etc... for the launch of their restaurant. Our team divided the deliverables and all presented logos to the team. My logo was the logo that they chose to make their official symbol and we built their branding around it. Utilizing the colors and other decorative faceters, we created the deliverables as a team.

Please take a moment to complete this survey

Food Quality Good

Bad food apperance

Good

Bad service

Good

Bad atmosphere

Good

Bad CINTAS DINING HALL TUESDAY APRIL 2 7 @11:00am

I was responsible for creating the promotional fliers. I took inspiration from the moodboard they had sent over to me and tailored it to meet their needs for the restaurant. I came up with nearly 20 different layout options for them to look at and the flier shown here is the final version that they decided upon. The comment card and television advertisement were created by my teammates using my branding and logo.

make your choice Social media posts for Tides Family Services Illustrator, Social Media, Client

2021

I had the opportunity to work with Tides Family Services during my internship. These pieces were created as social media posts to represent several of the programs that Tides offers it’s clients. I got to work with another talented graphic designer to split the posts and do half of them. Each of the posts needed to represent the programs in an obvious and family friendly way while still navigating the somewhat darker subject matter. Dealing with topics like addiction, dropping out, failure in life, prison, etc...

DELISH!

YUM!

PASS!

EW!

COURSE 1 COURSE 2 COURSE 3

AN EXPLORATION OF NEW ENGLAND’S SPRING FLAVORS THROUGH THE LENSE OF FERMENTATION We would be honored to have you as a guest at our Chef’s table...

COURSE 4 COURSE 5 ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS?

WHEN?

WHERE?

April 22nd, 2021

333 Shipyard Street

10:45 am Eastern Standard Time

Providence, RI 02905 Floor 4, Dining Room

mother nature’s bite Fervé, a new restaurant keen on sustainability Print, Illustrator, Typography, Branding, Client

2021

I approached this project in a way that was intended to showcase some of the darker, creepier, and more conceptual artwork that artists around the world create. Darker artwork is often blacklisted from mainstream audiences because people like to live in the delusion that the world is all peaches and rainbows all day long. My inspirations for this project came from people who are notorious from not shying away from dark subjects and visuals in their own artwork, this includes Lucas David, Fernando Monroy, Lana Del Rey, Marilyn Manson, and myself. I created all artwork featured in the magazine myself through the means of digital painting and the visions in my own mind.

COSTUME CHANGES A showcase of logo variations and adaptability Branding, Illustrator

2020

For this assignment, the goal was to create different logos for a singular brand in some of the most common and unique design styles for logos. I wanted to test my creativity and ability to think outside the box with these logos. I approached this project with a bit of research on the different creations people have already make in these specific styles to gather inspiration and references to work based off of. For these logos I took a lot of inspiration from other luxury clothing brands such as Fenty, Chanel, and Versace. The goal was to create some simplistic logos with straightforward and recognizable designs as well as more intricate ones with a mascot of this night goddess based off of the Roman goddess of the night, Nyx/Nox, from whom of which I named the brand after.

witchcraft Visual interpreations of a news article. Print, Photoshop

2017

The challenge presented to me for this project was to create photography collages based on a news article of our choice. I approached this project with a concept style in mind that I wanted to experiment with, which was inspired the illustrations of a fellow artist named Fernando Monroy and the styles of Lucas David. The audience for this project is for the reader of articles on the same topic it was created for. The article I chose to create artwork for was a recap of the time Lana Del Rey practiced and encouraged witchy and mystical fans to put a hex on Donald Trump.

into the woods Conserva, eating consciously

Natural Preservation

Print, Branding, Illustrator, InDesign Client

Dehydrate

2021

Squash

Tofu, Yuba, Cumin, Pepitas, Nutmeg, Lace, Beets

The team from Conserva needed a whole branding identity for their new restaurant and we’re very specific as to what they wanted. They wanted minimalism, elegance, and to have a down to earth vibe.

Ferment

Sourdough Gazpacho

Sourdough, Garlic, Almond, Fresno, Grapes

Cure

Duck

Cherries, Salsify, Herbs, Honey, Vinegar, Black Garlic, Seeds, Koji

Conflit

Pork Belly

Persimmon, Beets, Egg Yolk, Soy, Mustard Seeds, Scallion

Smoke

Creme Brulee

Rose, Pistachio, Raspberry, Caramel

Drink

Dehydrate Squash

Tofu, Yuba, Cumin, Pepitas, Nutmeg, Lace

Working on a team with other graphic designers, we created this visual branding for the logo and then applied it to all the other deliverables this restaurant needed. I was responsible for creating the description cards for each item on the menu. All team members had to create our deliverables in a way that were consistent and cohesive with one another to make everything look seamless and perfect for this client.

Kombucha

Lemon, Mint, Sugar

Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.

COOKING IN THE CAULDRON The best new pizza place in town. Print, Branding, Illustration, InDesign

2017

The task at hand was to create an entire brand identity and menu for a new restaurant that was about to open in a month’s time. The audience for this menu is for primarily people who enjoy eating pizza, but also for the trendy adult who enjoys going places and doing this that visually stimulate them. Personally, I love pizza and all kinds of mythology and folklore, so my decisions for this project were no brainers. With this project, I also decided to step out of my comfort zone and try a different technique and style of design that I usually don’t gravitate towards.

burned to a crisp Crispy Biscuit, a local brunch restaurant in Maine Branding, Print, InDesign, Illustrator, Client

2020

A client had reached out to my teammate and I about potentially helping them with the branding, menu design, and flyer design for their upcoming brunch restaurant that would be opening in Portland, Maine. With this, we were able to have several meetings with the client and pinpoint the visual identity they wanted to achieve for this restaurant and bring it to a reality. We approached this project with an inviting and playful vibe in mind. Creating these deliverables was difficult to capture this in without it turning too childish and ruining the professionalism that all restaurants should maintain when creating their visual branding.

Gas Range to Honorary Degree 1887

JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY

William Montgomery Crane founded the W. M. Crane Company gas range and appliance manufacturer in New York, NY

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS MAY COME: GREETING UPON RECOMMENDATION OF THE TRUSTEES AND FACULTY AND BY AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND THIS INSTITUTION HERBY CONFERS UPON

Henry T. Coletti Baltimore Gas Appliance & Manufacturing Company acquired the William M. Crane Company becoming the Standard Gas Equipment Corp

1924

Thank you to the students from the course JWU Graphic Design program for creating the panels for this exhibit. GDES3025: Design Team II

1949

1984

Mr. Coletti named President of Vulcan-Hart

Johnson & Wales University awarded Mr. Coletti the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration in Food Service Management Honoris Causa

2020

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF WE HAVE HEREUNTO SET OUR HANDS AND AFFIXED THE CORPORATE SEAL OF THIS INSTITUTION AT PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND THIS TWENTIETH DAY OF MAY, NINETEEN HUNDRED AND NINETY-FIVE

CHANCELLOR

Hart Manufacturing Company acquires Vulcan brand name becoming Vulcan-Hart

Henry T. Coletti joined Vulcan-Hart

1991

the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration in Foodservice Management Honoris Causa

1995

Mr. Coletti’s honorary chair was returned to the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University

Students Samantha Joslin ‘21 J’Asia Mackey ‘21 Nathan Alexander (Nickerson) ‘21 Faculty Jeff Drury Deana Marzocchi

PRESIDENT

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

Chancellor Emeritus John Yena (right) Mr. Henry T. Coletti (left)

HENRY T. COLETTI Before joining Vulcan-Hart in 1984, you were already a seasoned leader, as president of Moffat Deltarex of Canada. Prior to that, your 12 successful years as Vice President of Marketing for Market Forge Company were proof of your determination, savvy and efficiency. Your early background in labor relations, as well as your education at Boston University in Harvard Business School, combine to bring relevance and real world experience to your current roles as company president and industry spokesperson. You are a born manager, and natural organizer, and a man of vision. As regional manager of Vulcan-Hart, you turned around the company’s largest sales region, initiating a substantial growth in sales that continues today. Later, as Vice President of Sales, you developed and implemented a Customer Service Department which is considered one of the best in the industry. Since you were named President of Vulcan-Hart in 1991, your $100 million cooking equipment company has increased its sales force by 50% and significantly increase the bottom line; at the same time, you modernized a factory and totally redesigned the product line. With a finger on the pulse of the industry, you continue to lead your company’s R&D and sales departments into the future with the latest in high-technology equipment. Your company’s ingenious designs are the present and future of culinary arts in America. For your contributions to culinary education over many years, including your sponsorship of the revolutionary CAFE, Johnson & Wales University gives you thanks. For your leadership in the food service industry, and your pioneering contributions to new equipment technology, we are honored to recognize you today. Henry Coletti, Johnson & Wales University is proud to confer upon you the degree of Doctor of Business Administration in Foodservice Management, honoris causa.

touch of vintage Museum exhibit design for JWU in Providence Print, Branding, Client

2021

The director of the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University requested that a few graphic designers from the graphic design program, including myself, create several deliverables for a redesign of an existing exhibit in the museum. Our team approached this task by creating strong visual branding guidelines and keeping constant communication to ensure the cohesiveness and effectiveness of our work.

W. M. Crane Co. - Vulcan Brand

Standard Gas Equipment Corp. - Vulcan Division

I was responsible for creating a large scale timeline panel detailing the rise and life of the Vulcan-Hart brand and the life of Henry T. Coletti, as well as a credit panel for the design team that worked on this project. Other deliverables included a vintage advertisement panel, graduation degree and photos panel, and exhibit labels.

modern hieroglyphics Informational posters for two classic typefaces. Print, Illustration

2017

The challenge presented in this project was to create two distinct informational type posters for one serif font and one sans-serif font of our choice. Serif typefaces personally remind me of the medieval ages or just older times in general. This was incorporated into my design for this poster by laying it out to resemble an ouija board. The Franklin Gothic type poster style was inspired by the aesthetic of the 1998 cartoon, The Powerpuff Girls. This is one of my favorite projects I’ve done because I personally really enjoyed creating them and the feedback I received from my professors and classmates validates them.

consume the children A new approach to the opening credits of It. Illustration, Motion Graphics, AfterEffects

2018

The original opening credits for It, in my opinion, aren’t quite up to par with the film as a whole and I don’t believe it draws the viewer in or clues them in to what they’re about to see; which inspired me to create something that did. I approached this project in a purely illustrative way and created everything short of the typeface myself in the film. My inspiration for the artwork came from two of my favorite artists, Lucas David and Fernando Monroy; and the inspiration for everything else was from the actual film itself.

creatures in the lagoon Informational posters for two classic typefaces. Print, Annual Report, InDesign, Editorial

2020

The challenge presented in this project was to create a minimum of a twenty-four page redesign for a company’s annual report that we thought would use some touching up and an overall remodel. The company I selected was the Amphibian Survival Alliance after reviewing their annual report and noticing that it had no real graphic design or the thought of a designer put into it. The pages were filled with a lot of body copy, little to no graphics, and a bunch of oddly placed photos of amphibians to pad out the space. I approached this project by planning a complete redesign with a more modern, friendly, and fun aesthetic that still maintained the information and showcased it in an easy to read way.

WICKED A magazine for the shadow lurkers Print, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustration, Editorial

2020