A couple of passion projects!

I'm fortunate to have worked with two military units now, and the experience is something I will always treasure. Their workflow, expectations, dynamics, and more are so different, yet just as important as someone in the creative field.

One day, a lieutenant approached me and asked if I was interested in designing a logo for his platoon at the local Army fort. As one of my professors, Casey Nelson, always told me, “Be the bandaid to someone’s problem.” So I stepped up. I had never done anything like it before; my concentration was in concept art. Still, I was determined to unite the two and create a visual story. I listened to the Platoon Leader’s vision, combining it with the name of the unit, Distro Demons. It was inspiring; everyone cared for a different reason. So I got to work and created a unique piece to represent the Distro Demons.

Once completed, they immediately set the shirts to print, and I even own one. The soldiers were ecstatic, so happy to have an identity and be united. It was so satisfying to see everyone bonding over a simple logo on a shirt, but it warmed my heart, and a passion was born.

The next job I got was from a step above in the chain of command, but this time it was a logo redesign. They wanted a logo that tells the story of their identity. Some units have logos from the last century that are outdated and no longer represent current morals and identities. I got to talk to soldiers with different experiences from all over the US and their leadership, who had a passion to represent everyone in their unit. One Executive Officer I spoke to wanted to represent the cooks and mechanics. In his eyes, they are underrepresented when it comes to logos and military marketing and understood their importance to the unit. He wanted them to feel included in his vision for the squadron. His passion for the project inspired me, fueling my desire to help and be the solution they needed.

I finished this logo after many renditions with the executive officer, and it was immediately used for email footers, social media profile pictures, and much more. I love seeing how my art can fill a void and be used to represent people in their daily lives.

People say find something you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life; working with the military to create these logos has been the most fun. I hope to do more someday. I also wish everyone can find what they love to do, creative or not, because the fullfillment is well worth the work.