The Grape & the Grain is a glorious annual summer festival offering made-in-B.C. spirits, wines and beers from more than 50 vendors. This outdoor gathering is targeted at foodies aged 24-50 years old who love free samples, live music and deliciously unpretentious appetizer pairings from award-winning food trucks.

The Goal

I had the pleasure of building the brand identity for the first-ever iteration of this festival from the ground up, including the logo and supporting brand materials. My goal was to create an aesthetic that would embody the festival’s core attributes: festive, casual, fun and outdoorsy. It would also have to be distinctive and memorable so that it could stand out from the other tasty festivals that flourish during the summer season.

The Strategy

A Luscious Logo

I decided to go with a logo design that was both descriptive and playful. The circular shape and warm mulberry colour, inspired by ripe vineyard grapes, pairs swirling graphic elements with bold typography as it calls foodies to the table. There’s also a touch of vintage styling reminiscent of the stamps once used to mark high-quality products.

A Palate-pleasing Poster

Taking my cue from the festival’s mission to celebrate local products outdoors, I created an illustration that echoes B.C.’s famous landscape in a trio of wine bottles rising from the sea. The wine bottle silhouettes, which are recognizable from a distance, are designed to attract thirsty Vancouverites’ attention. A closer look reveals that each bottle is a map of playful icons representing the enormous variety of food and beverages served. These versatile icons can also be used for other brand materials, like festival swag and site signage.

Paula is an incredibly hard-working, detail-oriented, and talented designer. She led a major design initiative at the East End Food Co-op to recreate our logo and refresh our brand (…) We are grateful for her support and I would be happy to recommend her to any other organization looking for a professional graphic designer. 

• Graham Anderson, President at East End Food Co-op

La Boussole is Greater Vancouver’s only French-language community centre, focused on supporting francophones in need. This non-profit organization offers an abundance of essential services that help participants thrive physically, socially, economically and mentally.

The Goal

The La Boussole team was moving to a new space and looking for ways to freshen up their brand, declutter their website and cultivate a youth-friendly vibe that better reflected their dynamic community. They loved their original logo, so all of the new brand materials (business cards, promotional flyers, postcards and website) grew out of this visual memento of the organization’s roots.

The Strategy

Web designer Marie-Claude DiCesare and I selected crisp, minimal typography and a vibrant colour palette designed to stand out from the crowd. We created a bright, contemporary set of graphics that would catch a younger audience’s attention. Then we added easily-recognizable icons to keep the text organized and easy to read.

This self-directed project was an ode to one of my favourite foods: pasta! With the iconic Whole Foods aesthetic in mind, I designed a series of single-serving packages that housed both my beloved carb and its accompanying sauce in one delicious kit.

The Goal

I challenged myself to design packaging that would appeal to young, health-conscious urban professionals aged 25-45 who wanted easy, hearty meals to fuel their busy lifestyles.

The Strategy

A combination of hand-drawn illustrations and rich colours produced an earthy, artisanal brand identity that was aligned with, yet distinct from, the packaging used by similar all-natural products. A small “Ready in 5 minutes” feature in the top right corner let buyers know that these fresh, flavourful ingredients were designed to fit seamlessly into their schedules.

I like to save my juiciest creative energy for my clients, but even then, my appetite for graphic design extends well beyond the traditional 9-to-5 work day. One of my favourite ways to celebrate the holiday season is to combine vector and hand-drawn designs to create homemade cards for my loved ones. Here’s a sample of my latest treats!

American Crew is a professional grooming product company for men. This self-directed project was aimed at creating a fresh new design to liven up their product line and expand their customer base while staying true to the brand.

The Goal

To branch out from the classic American Crew packaging and appeal to young, urban creatives looking for a product that offers a more modern take on masculinity.

The Strategy

I paired soft jewel tones with a dark grey background that enhanced rather than muted them. To balance this brightness, I chose a clean, authoritative logotype. A visual ranking system of Hold versus Shine added both utility and aesthetic appeal. 

Back in Montreal, I worked with a lively design studio as part of the team responsible for Mieux-Être magazine’s layout design. Mieux-Être, which is French for “Better Being” (like wellbeing, but better!), is aimed at female readers aged 25-55 and covers the subject of health from every angle. Here’s a little taste of some of the pages that I designed!

Hot July is a new company producing gorgeous, high-end spreads sweetened with agave syrup. This self-directed project grew out of my appetite for delicious design. (And my love of jam.)

The Goal

I decided to design a packaging series for three of Hot July’s flavours. The flavour of each jar’s contents would have to presented in an appetizing and easily identifiable way, all while establishing a brand identity that would inspire trust in new customers.

The Strategy

I showcased the freshness of Hot July’s natural ingredients by picking a vibrant lime green, reminiscent of spring, as the main colour. The reusable jars and vintage-inspired silhouette of the labels were a subtle reminder of simpler times, when food was prepared locally and made with real ingredients. 

Counterterrorism and Identities presents a detailed analysis of Canadian public opinion on questions of national security, terrorism, and counterterrorism. Where we live, our religious identification, our age, gender, and values all have an impact on our views on these issues, as do events such as 9/11 and more recent terrorist incidents in Canada and abroad. With the safety of the public and the fight against terrorism increasingly regarded as a responsibility shared between government and its citizens, it is vital that the public support our institutions and have confidence in their approaches to counterterrorism. This groundbreaking assessment is essential reading for researchers, policy-makers and community leaders looking to comprehend the mindset of Canadians on this critical aspect of our wellbeing.

180 pages

A francophone-specific job fair at Simon Fraser University’s Harbour Centre location needed a poster that would share a lot of information clearly, on a limited budget.

The Goal

To create a poster that would serve up all of the essential details in an attractive, legible way.

The Strategy

A typography-focused approach helped us keep the project on budget. Combining a crisp apple-red with sleek black in an assortment of font sizes established hierarchy and tone. To make it even more inviting, we finished off the fruits of our labour with a handful of friendly stock images.