A simple yet versatile logo was needed by the travel agent to represent the company's easy going/fun style. The logo had to be easily reproduced on canvas bags, as well as pens, calendars, luggage tags and other promotional items. The client loved the idea of a dark business card, so a white logo was used on the front with the logo in the three color branding on the back. Beach photo by Maria.

The Sapphire of NY logo was designed for a drywall contractor. A drywall screw was used for the "i" and screw head in the "o". The business does commercial work rather than residential and the business card had to reflect a "tougher" feel, represented by the metal plate. 

Clients: Just travelin'; Sapphire Interiors of NY

Project: Logos and business cards

Golf and Project Management! 

This book involved meeting with the author, hearing an abridged lecture on how golf relates to project management, taking notes and photos of his white board presentation and translating those to illustrations for the book interior.  While this has not improved her golf game in the least, Maria did learn a few useful tips on managing projects.

Client:  International Institute for Learning (IIL)

Project: Book cover and interior design, illustration of over 40 charts.

Maria has worked with LB Graph-x and Golden Krust on numerous design and production projects including ads, brochures, take-out menus, menu boards, signs and posters for their over 100 franchise restaurants. One of the most extensive projects was revising existing packaging for their frozen patties sold in grocery stores. This involved among others, new box mechanicals for a dozen varieties of patties. Additionally, Maria had the opportunity to design 2 new patty boxes that were to be taken in a different direction from their existing branding. The boxes were bright, vibrant and enticing, with delicious product shots of the patties prominently featured on the front and side panels.

The marketing manager for online products at McGraw-Hill wanted to do something different for a giveaway at MLA one of the largest trade shows for the medical education community. The idea was to give away boxes of animal crackers to pediatricians advertising McGraw-Hill's online pediatric resources. The design was simple — two photographs of a row of children jumping and playing that ran along all sides of the box. It was a huge hit at the conference, and yes, they enjoyed the cookies.

Clients: LB Graph-x for Golden Krust; McGraw-Hill

Projects: Patty boxes to be sold in Costco; Cookie box—trade show give away

Tackling tough subjects with care and sensitivity is Maria's specialty. She creates eye-catching designs while respecting the topic, keeping the delicate balance. In order to find the right photo, Maria will pour through thousands of stock photos in search of the image that will best portray the content, while other times a typographic approach is more appropriate. 

Client: Demos Health

Project: Book covers for health and wellness trade market

Icon Illustrations by Maria, pie charts designed in Adobe Illustrator and imported into PowerPoint.

Info graphic flyer using dingbat font to illustrate food items and tooth decay.

Client: Schechtman Orthodontics

Projects: pie charts; info graphic flyer

McGraw-Hill Medical needed booth signage/posters for the Medical Library Association (MLA) Annual Meeting and Exhibition, a conference for medical librarians and related health information professionals. The graphics were focused on the columns of the booth for which 8 narrow posters were created with images depicting successful students and physicians exemplifying the highlighted phrases. One year the conference was in Hawaii and a new booth was designed with a special tropical theme.

Maria has designed banners on stands for a variety of clients from beverage start-ups to non-profits to investment firms, and many more. Additionally, she has done the production for an assortment of vehicle/van wraps for Golden Krust and Ruby & Jack's Doggy Shack.

Clients: McGraw-Hill;
Candid Worldwide for Frava, Ascent: A School for Individuals with Autism, KKR;
LB Graph-x for Ruby & Jack's Doggy Shack 

According to the client's website "The MY ECO Shopping Bag Sets were created to make using reusable bags easy, efficient and fun….  (The) 2-in-1 MY ECO Bag Set: This stylish duo was designed to meet the needs of the urban shopper." 4 bags were designed with their own t-shirt bag that have a different eco-quote screen printed on front. The overall look for the bags were to be bold, graphic and eco-themed. The bags fold easily into a self-zippering bottom that doubles as a pouch making it easy and convenient for city shoppers to carry the bags to the corner bodega.

This project included design/mechanicals for inserts, labels, tags and advertising involved in initial launch of product. 

Client: My Eco

Project: Re-usable printed plastic shopping bags and screen printed t-shirt cloth bags

Office contest promotion flyers announcing prizes as incentives for new and existing patients. Travel/beach photos by Maria.

Client: Schechtman Orthodontics

Project: Flyers

Series of flyers designed as handouts to advertise the ESL college based in Manhattan with campuses around  the city, Miami and Toronto. Maria art directed the illustrations, which were also used on the school's website. The Empire State Building photos were shot by Maria.

Client: Zoni Language Centers

Project: Flyer handouts

Menus designed for celebrity chef "Culinary Bad Boy" Chef Chris Nirschel. The Taphaus menu was designed for the restaurant's grand opening and was produced in part with Chris sitting next to Maria coming up with dishes to add to the menu on the spot. The experience was inspiring, fast-paced and challenging — not one to be forgotten. 

Client: Candid Worldwide for "Culinary Bad Boy" Chef Chris Nirschel

Projects: Menus/banner/poster

Book series re-design for test prep guides for med students. The design had to accommodate a wide variety of title lengths/subjects of the first 25 books and needed to be flexible as additional titles were added to the series. Extensive medical stock photo research was undertaken to ensure that the image reflected the subject precisely.  

Client: McGraw-Hill

Project: Book series design and production of 25 titles

Designed as a flyer, poster and social media posts to encourage students to participate in this extra-curricular activity. Boardwalk photography and flyer copy written by Maria.

Client: Zoni Language Centers

Project: Flyer; Poster; Social Media Campaign

A variety of ads for print and web. 

Clients: LB Graph-x for Safari Murano, Candid Worldwide for CaroTrans; McGraw-Hill ad placed in Architectural Record; McGraw-Hill Medical

18 Targeted mailings were adapted for areas of Westchester, Rockland, Fairfield, and Putnam counties. The reviews quoted on the cards were from local customers specific to a particular town to give the recipient the feel that the recommendation came from a neighbor. The coupons were updated multiple times to reflect new expiration dates and the response was extremely positive. The cheerful illustrations were supplied by the client but mixed and matched at Maria's discretion. 

Client: Maid Brigade

Project: Post cards/ads

Client: International Institute for Learning

Project: Book cover and interior design

Maria has designed numerous covers for McGraw-Hill Medical, Professional and Business books.

Client: First Hebrew Congregation of Peekskill

Project: Book cover design

Program brochure with advertising. Each year the dancers/judges photos change, the information is updated, the colors are changed and a new cover photo is chosen. 

Client: LB Graph-x for VKIBC

Project: Program brochures 32 pages + cover

Download the 2018 program brochure

Demos Health trade books are marketed towards the average consumer and not necessarily health care professionals. The direction of the catalogs are friendly and nature/leaf/green themed. The challenge of the catalogs is to fit a lot of information in a small amount of space and still keep the design open, inviting and legible. In addition, Maria has designed a number of catalogs for Demos Medical which are for medical students, physicians, nurses and professionals. These have more copy, list the TOC, and use illustrations from the books. 

Initial series concept, cover, interior, choosing appropriate stock photography for each subject while in keeping with series guidelines. 

Client: Hames Design

Project: Book series design

This project involved guiding the church office through every step of the event invitation and 56 page program book. It required daily communication and organization to stay on top of the numerous photos and ads, and to keep within the strict budget. They were extremely pleased with the final and recommended Maria and LB Graph-x to other churches for similar events.

Client: LB Graph-x

Project: Commemorative program/journal with advertising

This book was very near and dear to the author's heart. Much effort and detail was paid by all involved with this title. Unfortunately, the budget did not allow for an illustrator, so the book was carefully decorated with royalty free art, which proved to be quite a challenge. The end result was extremely satisfying to both the author and the designer.

This title is in the process of being translated into Portuguese and will be re-laid out and printed again.

Client: International Institute for Learning

Project: Book cover and interior

Summer reading materials for children's librarians. Brochure and bookmarks listing books appropriate for each grade level. The illustrations were supplied by the client.

Logo concepts for Pearl River Public Library. The direction was to explore ideas based on 'PRPL" initials and also to incorporate an existing illustration of the outside of the building. 

Clients: Mid Hudson Library System; Pearl River Public Library

Projects: Tri-fold brochure, 4/1 bookmarks, Logo design

Camp yearbook comps for potential re-design of existing yearbook. The idea was a reflective/nostalgic/rustic theme.

Client: Candid Worldwide for Camp Laurel

Book designed as an e-book, to be distributed via web a a PDF and not printed. The project revolved around illustrations provided by the authors and the colors and the whimsical design was inspired by the art. The overall look is bright and clean with elegant typography.

Client: Abbie Moore Design

Project: e-book design/production

Invitations to corporate parties and cards designed for hand outs and booth giveaways are a part of putting together a package for trade shows. The materials coordinate with the ads, posters and other branding that is developed for the particular theme of the show.