To highlight the fun nature of the Monocle Comics and Coffee shop, it was important to make a brand character that has an element of dynamism while also still fitting the environment of the store. To successfully introduce the character, they were incorporated into various designs and signage. These designs were then mocked up to show how they would work in the store itself, leaving Monocle with an enhanced, cohesive re-brand involving the new character.

My brother, Alex Salazar, wrote his album, Nowhere Else Than Right Now, in the first few years of his music career. In February of 2025, him, Colby Watts (Drums), Matt Esau (Keys), and myself (Bass) had the opportunity to record this album at Cincy Sound Studios in West Chester, Ohio. Three singles were released in the upcoming months to the album: Together, A Song for Her, and Hair Dye, and the full album was released on August 30, 2025.

To portray the handmade feel of Alex’s music, the album cover features a black-and-white sketched version of him with his guitar on a textured chipboard. Other elements of the illustration reference the songs’ lyrics, titles, and significant moments for Alex and the band, The Urban Legend. The art for the single covers continued this trend, the icons become elements of the full album cover upon release.

To create a memorable PSA regarding holiday package theft, Amazon can collaborate with the popular holiday property, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch. Returning to the original book’s color scheme creates a sense of nostalgia and high contrast to draw attention to key parts of the PSA. Keyframe animation through After Effects guarantees smooth movement and cuts down on the time of hand animating while also still leaving room for a handmade feel. I revisited this project to refine some rough edges and guarantee it was in its best format, and it was a great way to learn character rigging, sound design, and proper artwork prep.