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In a world of shortcuts... demand excellence!

With nearly two decades of design and art direction experience, I’ve been creating meaningful design for meaningful brands of all shapes and sizes within agency, freelance, and in-house capacities over the course of my career.

 

Yep... that basically means at face value, people pay me to make things look pretty... but then hopefully realize that there are years of expertise, knowledge and purpose packed into their brand which paves the way to strong and cohesive visual communication that helps them be successful.

 

I’m currently the Lead Designer at a fantastic agency in NY called Rabe x Birch, and this is where I spend my days. TGIM, aka Thank God It’s Monday, is my portfolio of work and the name I design under independently. 

 

Design to me is about communication, problem-solving and strategy just as much as it's about being creative and making something look good. It needs a concept behind it in order to accomplish a specific goal. For that reason, I believe in "creativity with purpose," where I constantly strive to find the balance between design and strategy. ​I enjoy creating meaningful design for meaningful brands of all shapes and sizes; whether it's helping build a small startup or adding additional value to a larger, well-established brand.

 

Video clip courtesy of Fraternale Films

01
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SELECT BRANDS*
I'VE WORKED WITH:


* agency / inhouse / independent

Food + Bev

Breza Birch Water

Brodo Bone Broth

Herbal Mist Teas

Hudson River Fruit

Inca Gold Chocolate

Lagusta's Luscious

LL Energy

Omni Bev Coffee

Pepsico (Pepsi / Dew)

Ready Coffee

Saratoga Spring Water

Saveur

Well Up Water Co

Beer / Wine / Spirit

Anheuser-Busch

Aperitivo & Co

Beam Suntory

Benmarl Winery

Cappelletti

Concrete & Clay Wines

​Courvoisier

The Craft & Co

Dainton Brewery

Gypsy Hub

Industrial Arts Brewing

Mill House Brewing

Yarra Brewing Co

Yonkers Brewing Co

Cannabis

​Forbidden Fruit

Healthy Market

Hudson River Hemp

Hybrid Tonic

Soft Power Sweets

Community

Goshen Church

Hope Church of Lincoln Park

Hope Church of Wilton

Walnut Hill Church

Product / Service

Dicks Cottons

GoPro

Grenade Gloves

M&T Bank

Maton Guitars

Nike 6.0

Original Skateboards

Puma

Rocket Film

ShadesClub

Sonance

Dining + Hospitality

Baxter

Fit Social Studio

Heritage Food + Drink

Hudson West

Kitchen & Coffee

Lagrange Farms at Overlook

Mill House Brewing Co

Red Robin

Retail + CPG

Allstar Innovations

Bed Bath & Beyond

Beekman 1802

Buy Buy Baby

Cabin Creek Supply

Chef Central

Dansk

Macy's

The Sharper Image

Tommy Hilfiger

TJX Companies

Ugg

Recreation

Blue Mountain

Camelback Mountain

Kittatinny Valley State Park

02
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NOTABLE PRESS, PUBLICATIONS
& AWARDS

Digital Press

The Dieline

World Brand Design Society

The Quickie Podcast

Hudson Valley Magazine

Packaging of the World

Wix's Inspiring Websites

Cotton Bureau

Teepublic: Editor's Pick

Lovely Package

Froth Magazine

Print Publications & Books

GDUSA

HOW Design

Branders Magazine

Retro Graphics by SendPoints 

Design & Design Book: Vol.7

Favourite Design Books (2)

Awards

Craft Beer Marketing Awards (3)

HOW Design Awards (5)

GDUSA Awards (11)

   American Graphic Design Awards

   American Package Design Awards

   Health & Wellness Design Award

   Cannabis Graphics Industry Award 

Communicator Award

Hermes Creative Awards (24)

Marcom Awards (13)

IDA Design Award

Wix Stunning Web Award

Pepsico "Regional Dew" Award

Favourite Design Awards (3)

Design & Design Awards (2)

03
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TALKS & TYPES: SPEAKING & WRITING

2024

GDUSA Magazine

June Issue- 61th Print Design Survey;

Commentary in: "Is Print Important in Your Professional Life?"

2024

SUNY New Paltz Design Week: 

"Slide Slam" speaker

2024

Craft Beer Marketing Awards

Judges Panel

2024

AIGA UPSTNY's Emerging Designers’ Portfolio Review

Reviewer

2023

GDUSA Magazine

June Issue: 60th Print Design Survey;

Commentary in: "Is Print Important in Your Professional Life?"

2021

GDUSA Magazine

June Issue- 58th Print Design Survey;

Commentary in: "Designers Debate the State of Post-Pandemic Print"

2019

The Quickie Podcast for Designers

2019- Episode 64

 

2019

Branders Magazine

Issue #12 Article: "Creativity + Strategy in Packaging: A Perfect Pair"

 

2015/2016

The Pursuit Collective Magazine

"Brand Design Reviews" &

"Monthly Spread" Articles

04
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WHERE I'VE BEEN

Thank God It's Monday

Principal Designer; 2008 - present ​

 

RabexBirch

Lead Designer; 2019 - present

 

FAI Design Group

Designer; 2015 - 2018 ​

 

Safari Sundays

Freelance Designer; 2015 ​

 

Original Skateboards

Art Director; 2013 - 2015

​H2M Beverages

Senior Designer; 2010 - 2013 ​

 

TSAS

Designer; 2009 - 2010 ​

 

Straus

Designer; 2008 - 2009

Agency Partners

Dada Design Studio

FAI Design Group

Pr%f Agency

Pepsico Design & Innovation

RabexBirch

Red Tettemer + Partners

Safari Sundays

Skies Fall Media

Volum8

05
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WHAT I DO

Branding + Design

Visual identity​

Logo development​

Brand guidelines

Packaging

Print

Web & digital 

Product graphics

Illustration

Brand Strategy

Discovery

Naming

Positioning

Architecture

Rebranding

 

Art Direction

06
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WHAT I'VE HEARD

"Craig is a talented packaging designer. Whether an assignment is simple or more complex, Craig provides innovative solutions and high-end comps to ensure tight presentations. I recommend working with him."

 

- BETH POSITANO- JIM BEAM BRANDS

"Investing in quality graphics is as good as any marketing campaign or sponsored athlete. There is a trove of creative (received) that I am very pleased with. Craig has been the first source I have been able to get A++ work from, so I'm grateful."

- THOM GRIDLEY- PUMA

"Craig is the man! He is imaginative, concise, professional and extremely easy to work with. We are extremely pleased to continue the partnership into the future."

- DAN DAINTON- DAINTON BREWERY

"WOW!  What a pleasure it has been to work 1-on-1 with Craig at TGIM!  Our idea went from vision to concept in such a short timeframe due to his attention to clear communication and planning.  He certainly exceeded our expectations, and provided a number of high quality concepts for our new fitness studio.  Brand recognition is so important to our business, and Craig certainly delivered more than we could have hoped for!"

- STEVE FARRIS- FIT SOCIAL STUDIO

“Craig was able to make our vision a reality. He listened closely, creatively executed each design with precision and professionalism, and always submitted his work before deadline. I would highly recommend Craig to anyone, I think his portfolio of work at Mill House Brewing Company speaks volumes.”

- JAMIE BISHOP- MILL HOUSE BREWING CO.

"When it comes to communication and working with clients, Craig is one of the best guys we have had the chance to work with. He has been extremely reliable, quick with projects, and always super easy to communicate with. With many creatives, it's hard to find someone with his caliber of talent who can also manage projects and stay on task."

 

- MARK KOCH- RIDE NATURE

"One of the most recommended traits Craig has mastered is interpretation of creative vision for a project. His ability to visualize design from inception and close with a premium finished project is by far my favorite attribute. With which is comparable to his timeliness, professionalism and phenomenal work." 

- TJ EATON- SHADESCLUB / DICKS COTTONS

"TGIM  / Craig  exhibited excellence in every component of our branding design journey. Deadlines were met, communications were clear, and feedback was implemented with intentionality and care. Not only are we ecstatic with the outcome of the project, but we’re still impacted by the user friendly experience Craig provided. We only hope we can deliver same level of care and service to our own clientele.  Resources and time well spent!"

- TYLER DAM- CABIN CREEK SUPPLY

"The end result was amazing. From the moment we first spoke he listened to what I was looking for but offered his professional insight as well. He was willing to make changes and edits and sometimes just go in a whole other direction - all without hesitation."

- JACKIE RUBBO- YONKERS BREWING CO.

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