Melissa Showalter

Agency: TODA
Client: AIGA
Creative Director: Marcos Chavez
Photographers: David Amichai, Walter Smith
Videographer: Christophe Tedjasukmana

I was thrilled to work with AIGA to revamp its new membership campaign. The goal of the project was to reflect the new mission of the organization, which is centered around creating a more “bottom up” community, into their new membership campaign. Together with the others at TODA, I helped create what we have come to know as the AIGA Manifesto, and utilized it across many different mediums. The manifesto is a call-to-action that asks other designers or members of the design community to join in the AIGA conversation. Through the manifesto, we use typography in an objective, timeless way to communicate verbally the mission of the organization. Materials for the campaign include; a mailer that was sent to new and lapsed members across the country, print ads that have been featured in Print Magazine, HOW, and Design Bureau, as well as new membership cards, a sketchbook, emailers, and videos for the web.

Agency: TODA
Client: MENSDEPT.
Creative Director: Marcos Chavez
Photographer: David Raccuglia

Over the past years, TODA has been developing the MENSDEPT. brand through creating the identity, print campaigns, signage, and web experiences to give shape and voice to the next evolutionary step in men’s grooming. I worked on the design team that launched the MENSDEPT. product line, an exclusive brand of grooming products that targets a high-end male clientele. From the ideation to overseeing production, I was involved in every step of the launch. Additionally, I oversaw the Art Direction and production for the MENSDEPT. brand brochure—a 44-page comprehensive publication for stakeholders involved in the national expansion of the brand. The brochure includes photography by David Raccuglia that features the most recent trends in men’s grooming, product information, and details on marketing packages for salons.

Agency: TODA
Client: Shaw Family Archives
Creative Director: Marcos Chavez

We created a new visual identity for Shaw Family Archives, who preserve the work and memory of Sam and Larry Shaw. As a nod to the classic photography of Sam Shaw, most notably his iconic images of Marilyn Monroe, the visual identity mixes classic design principles with inspiration from Sam’s forward-thinking perspective. Bold typography, vivid colors, innovative cropping techniques, and metropolitan influences come together to form the new branding system. The website design, in addition to keeping its visitors up-to-date with the Archives’ upcoming news and events, pays tribute to Sam and Larry Shaw’s lives and their extensive body of work. The audience gets an inside view into their personal and professional lives—revealing stories from the past. The physicality of the site is inspired by the experience of working with prints on a lightboard, how Sam and Larry would have experienced their work. At TODA, I was able to provide Art Direction throughout the different phases, and manage production and client communication.

Agency: TODA
Client: Johnson & Johnson
Creative Director: Marcos Chave

Rogaine recently transformed it’s packaging to a new look that updates the brand and broadens it’s appeal to new audiences. The new packaging is an evolution of the past look with a graphic update as well as upgrades in the materials used in to create a more eco friendly product. The new custom secondary package uses less material and significantly reduced the amount of petroleum—transitioning from a plastic case to a cardboard package. I worked on many aspects of the redesign from reworking the logotype, updating the graphics, managing the client relations, presenting our concepts to the marketing team, and working closely with TODA’s London office to come up with new secondary structures.

Agency: TODA
Client: Beth Galton
Creative Director: Marcos Chavez

This year’s promotion for food photographer Beth Galton is an interactive treat. The series of printed pieces highlights each of the four seasons with Beth’s photographs of fresh ingredients and home-cooked dishes. The promotion includes four seasonal recipes which perforate for easy use in the kitchen. It was also my first experience with crafting digital handwriting for the titles of the recipes!