This short publication was created with the goal of making transportation, particularly public transit, less daunting to those traveling around Japan. Navigation through these systems is not only integral to exploring new locations, but also to engaging in a community of people. Therefore, feeling comfortable using it is incredibly important. The design goal of “A Visitors Guide to Transport in Japan” was to evoke a sense of comfort and warmth. In order to do this, a universal welcoming character was created, similar to those appearing in numerous advertisements and visual identities throughout Japan. It is vibrant and colorful to pay homage to signage design in Osaka and Tokyo, and even the vivid red Torii gates in Kyoto.

This extensive re-brand for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts came to 15 weeks of research, ideation, exploration, and conceptualization. What began with looking at the museum’s values and aesthetics formed into a full branding package based a deep understanding the corporation inside and out. While this was a personal exercise rather than a contract with the museum and is, in total, not affiliated with them, the experience presented an in-depth lens of the process and nature of a formal branding partnership. This was especially true given the feedback of my professor who guided me through this project and challenged me.

This website was made with the intention of not only introducing users to Kyoto Station located in Kyoto, Japan given all of the various amenities located within the building, but also some of the incredibly experiences located only a train or bus ride away. This premise was inspired by the efficient and well organized public transportation that exists in Japan, and its essential place in everyday travel. This project was created with the help of two other people as well, which worked to create a supportive and inspiring environment. I worked as the project manager, organizing tasks, creating wireframes, generating copy text, and helping to manage and work on designing the Figma file. This then went into our developer coding the website and bringing it to life.