CITIZEN GRIT

Branding for a group of magicians who formed the brand The Orange Tree Studio as they build content and products for upcoming and veteran magicians. This branding, alongside illustrations and graphics, went into the creation of two different decks of playing cards along with a book cover design.

Visual Identity - Grayson Stallings

Branding, visual Identity, signage, menu design and placemat illustrations were created alongside the brilliant mind of Chef Jonas.

More images to come.

Visual Identity - Grayson Stallings

Interior Design - Sò Studio

Photography - Philippe Roy, Helki Lin

Somewhere Coffee branding, visual Identity, and impact wall piece were created along with collaborations with the interior designer Atelier I-N-D-J.

More images to come.

Visual Identity and Interior Support - Grayson Stallings

Interior Design - Atelier I-N-D-J

Branding, visual Identity, signage, menu design and impact walls were created that honor the legacy and history of the owners within Vietnamese cuisine. The ‘99’ was created as a nod to the infinity symbol, capturing how noodles bring and represent longevity.

More images to come.

Visual Identity - Grayson Stallings

Sweet and tart desserts from Pie Bird, an American tradition of handcrafted pies made right in Shanghai, China. Branding, copywriting, visual Identity, poster design, signage design and various print collateral were created along with collaborations with the interior designers on two different locations.

Visual Identity and Interior Support - Grayson Stallings

Interior Design - STUDIO DOHO

Photography - Brian Chua and M2STUDIO

In 2014 I began partnering with the brothers of Westwood Ales as their Art and Brand Director. My roles included designing the visual identity all the way through to marketing the brewery as we built a brand from the ground up. The visual identity needed to capture their British heritage while containing an ale-ish folly. The monogram does just this with the slab-serif “W” capturing the Westwood family heritage and a clownish “A” capturing a joker-like spirit. The illustrated characters who appear on the labels also capture this with tongue-in-cheek references and circus blazon aesthetics. 

Westwood primarily sells within pub, bistro and restaurant locations that differ in decor and menu. Consistent but adaptable set of visuals and a visual identity guidelines booklet had to be created. The above prints are among the various visual supports that Westwood Ales offers to its vendors to promote the brand while complementing each vendor and its own branding.

Creative Direction and Design - Grayson Stallings

Label Illustration - Weronika Nosowicz

Photography - Stacey Wei and David Fox

The owners of Catina Agave wanted a fresh and vibrant concept to bring life to a classic corner in Shanghai, China. They sought to introduce various authentic Mexican flavors and dishes not featured in the Shanghai food spotlight. What we created was a chic, “older sister” brand that customers tired of trite branding and food from the Tex-Mex origin.  Using bold aesthetics and vibrant colors I began to embody the characteristics and style choices that I imagined Catina Agave’s “older sister” would have. I wanted a sleekness to the brand contrasted with the natural flavors from the menu.

Visual Identity and Interior Support - Grayson Stallings
Interior Design - Hannah Churchill
Photography - Stacey Wei

Austin Hu and the Madison crew approached me about creating a new concept that revolved around an American deli. I was quite intrigued. After hearing about their concept and the direction they wanted to take the business, I created a straightforward identity using butcher research and paired with the character of Austin Hu.

I pitched the branding direction of “Life’s A Picnic” and the owners loved the nostalgia that it brought. The pattern created hints of this as I recreated a picnic blanket that my own grandma would have used. This concept is all about “good, honest food” and so the identity and branding had to carry this forward with strong typography, sparse embellishment, and straightforward presentation.

Creative Direction and Design - Grayson Stallings

Jonas Emil engaged my studio to produce a brochure for their current products. Instead, I pitched to them a re-branding solution to update and modernize their look while staying true to their Scandinavian roots.

Playing off of their tagline, "for those who know" I created a mark that is both a coffee stain and also a seal of approval. The lettering had to flow with a slight roughness and detail work that pays homage to their craft of roasting and blending coffee beans. This is also reflected in their roasting labels as their blends follow a roughly geometric theme with shapes showing the right balance of elements. The origin blends are inspired by each region's elements and patterns while blending Scandinavian design influences.

All of this was done for a client located in Shanghai, China that is growing the local market's appreciation for small batch roasts in the midst of sugary coffee and tea beverages. The color palette, logo mark, and variety of labels have helped with brand recognition and curiosity in their product.

The final project for my M.A. Design Management course was a final project where I used combinations of skill and knowledge from previous courses and experiences. Following is the abstract and pages from my process book that will show snapshots of my processes and models. For further inquires of this project or if you are interested in becoming a stakeholder of any part of this please contact me.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this project was to explore opportunities in building an experience for men who wish to express affection and thoughtfulness in their relationships.

During a ten week span, secondary research consisted of peer-reviewed, academic papers that explored masculine ideology and behavior while design thinking books provided models for synthesizing insights. Primary research was conducted through interviews, creative thinking activities, and surveys as men shared views of masculinity, relationship experiences, and ideas of how to encourage men in expressive traits. Through analysis and synthesis of insights gleaned I discovered numerous opportunities.

The project concludes with the introduction to a brand called We Remembered that not only offers products that represent men’s affection and thoughtfulness but provides services and experiences that enable men in their expressive traits. What started as a project focused on greeting cards concludes with a brand focused on sparking change, crafting messages of intention, and providing a platform to connect tribes and individuals. As men grow and develop both in expressive traits and in the mastery of skills, the echo of “We Remembered” will be heard as relationships and social norms are changed.

The following prints were commissioned by Yao Lu and Austin Hu for The Union Trading Co. for interior decoration and brand placement. The speakeasy styled bar features 120 drinks that includes their own concepts alongside classic cocktails. I enjoyed collaborating with Yao and getting to know the process, ingredients, and flavors of his creations. I found inspiration in vintage labels, type, and graphics.

Stay tuned for cocktail and print release events in Shanghai, China. I am also considering several online shops to host prints like these on.

The following examples show my work re-branding a condom company aimed at providing a secure product to the modern Chinese consumer in a subtle but vibrant manner. For this project I focused on designing the letters to demonstrate the attributes and the experience the product offers to the consumer. My inspiration came from looking at the experience concerts create through the use of sound and color.

FAMA specializes in creating customized condoms within customized packaging to fit the individual needs of the consumer. With this in mind I created a set of logos that emphasized the different qualities of the individual letters within a uniformed manner. A visual identity system, brand guidelines, and package designs were created for this project.

Creative Direction and Design - Grayson Stallings

I enjoyed collaborating with Deji Odunlami in the designing of three t-shirts for his business Bad Boy Bangers. Deji enjoys crafting authentic British sausages in Shanghai, China. While juggling a full time job, Deji still finds time to make traditional or Asian spiced bangers, attending festivals, and selling products online. Using creative word play in Chinese we were able to produce shirts that can grab attention with vintage lettering and leave a smirk on the faces of bilingual speakers. . Grab one of these tasty guys and email Deji@badboybangers.com if you want one of these limited t-shirts or if you want to collaborate with him!

Deji created the copy for these shirts and it's quite clever.

In November of 2014, Faith Hampton and I had a shared art show at Nade Gallery in Shanghai, China. In our pursuit to find common ground to do our show we found that we both enjoy using linear strokes to create form, motifs, and stories. Thus the style and our interest in creating narratives were combined to create the art show's title and direction.

My work displayed in “Linear Narrative” addresses spiritual themes and ideas using physical media. Primarily using the sharp, design-influenced tools of clear-cut, resolute black lines, I combine patterns and textures within my own lexicon of symbols to embody these stories. These visual cues indicate such concepts as an open soul, growth, and brokenness, among other life themes that have roots in my own spiritual experiences and growth as a man. Narratives should not only entertain and explain, but also challenge and prompt the audience to action in order to have true artistic value. 

Please check out Faith Hampton's website and contact us if you would like to know the pricing on our pieces.

The COB Originals crew approached me to collaborate on a line of graphics for a new apparel line. After several sessions of brainstorming and tons of laughs we came up with three directions.

Creative Direction by COB Originals
Lettering & Illustration by Grayson Stallings
Photography by Eduardo Viero
 

Designs for the second album released, Trajectories, symbolize songs referencing tragedy within the upward struggle.

Close work was done with the lead singer of The Paper Sound; a moody, Americana-influenced indie rock band, to produce pieces for two albums. These pieces were narrative in nature so as to complement the deep lyrics of each album. Lino-block prints  produced raw and weathered visuals. These images gave form to the lyrics and also gave birth to a new set of narratives that the user could interpret while listening to the albums.

FAST: Forsythe Advanced Tire Solution

Within management and design "wicked problems" arise from various channels. This project is an example of a "wicked problem" coming from a client wanting to utilize a new technology and rebrand the company to follow suite. Examples of my work after research, analysis, and synthesis show how I would utilize opportunities within the frustrating "wicked problem."

Two challenges were posed by this project: 1) use a new colored-rubber technology to create a new product and 2) conduct this project where I was in Shanghai, China. Through this I was able to test new methods of design in an industry and consumer base I knew little about. This was a “wicked” problem in many aspects. Traction came during interviews as I turned the problem of distrust of domestic brands into an opportunity to introduce various strategies to inspire brand loyalty. The colored-rubber could now be a marker of pride and security in a “Made in China” product.

Designs for the first album titled The Struggle With Light display various lyrical stories flowing from struggle to hope.

Close work was done with the lead singer of The Paper Sound; a moody, Americana-influenced indie rock band, to produce pieces for two albums. These pieces were narrative in nature so as to complement the deep lyrics of each album. Lino-block prints  produced raw and weathered visuals. These images gave form to the lyrics and also gave birth to a new set of narratives that the user could interpret while listening to the albums.

SCAD students enrolled in Methods of Contextual Research were asked to employ ethnographic research methods to understand a specific cultural group. Grayson, AuBree and Qianqian elected to study individuals who frequent cafes.  Below is the overview of the project, our opportunity map, and selected pages from our process book. Also, I have attached analysis and synthesis models for your consideration. If you are interested in seeing the full process book or wish to be a stakeholder please email me.

Project Overview

Our client is coffee shops who are specifically interested in learning more about customers who spend two or more hours in the shop. These customers are frequently referred to as ‘campers’ and the client wants to better understand their motivations and behaviors during their extended visit.

Campers have grown in number as connectivity (internet connection via hardwire and Wi-Fi) has become more readily available in the coffee shops. Campers are currently perceived as less profitable customers since they tend to purchase only one drink yet occupy a seat in the café for hours.

The relationship between campers and coffee shops tends to be poor because campers are typically one-time purchasers during extended visitations. This is even more problematic when the shops are packed with newly paying customers and campers hunker down in the seat that they have been occupying for hours yet neglect to purchase another drink or food item.

This piece was commissioned by a thoughtful husband wishing to add the final touch to a surprise birthday party for his wife. The illustration became a gig poster for the concert he and his friends put together. It was a pleasure moving away from corporate level work and doing something more illustrative.

My personal definition of Innovation is as follows: the utilization of a new idea or invention, the diffusion of it through adoption, and the sustaining of it through adding value. Another working definition helps in seeing the difference between invention and innovation: Innovation comes when taking that which is physical, an invention, and applying mental intention in making the methods of implementation and utilization new. When discussing invention and innovation the following three points help me: 1) that innovation follows invention, 2) that both need each other in order to be successful, and 3) that both are defined as distinctively different. The second point comes from the reading of Diffusion of Innovation by Everett M. Rogers as he led me through the elements, history, decision, and adoption processes of an innovation diffusing among populations and cultures.

Th first poster was created to visualized the reading, Steel Axes for Stone-Age Australians by Lauriston Sharp, we did concerning the diffusion of the steel axe into the Yir Yoront tribe and the destruction this technology had upon their culture. For this poster I wished to use images, colors, and techniques from Aboriginal culture to show the the disequilibrium that was created socially by change agents. The totems represent the before and after periods of the tribe’s totemic culture. Pro-innovation bias is harmful as 1) you cannot please everyone with your creation, and 2) lasting marks on a society can result from cultural ignorance. The poster, like the reading, is a graphic reminder of an innovation’s destructive power when used without sensitivity and forethought.

The second poster is in response to the reading of the Technology and Heterogeneous Engineering: The Case of Portuguese Expansion by John Law. The reading claimed that inventions, innovations, and systems are built and diffused through struggling through hostile elements. Without these elements, actors, or heterogeneous engineers many technologies would have been created and developed without the speed and determination the Portuguese had in wanting to achieve a successful trade route. I decided to use all of these factors to create not only a poster but a card game that uses “leveling up” phases to show how the Portuguese increased their trade earnings and route strength by innovating with a purpose in mind.

During Character Development classes we had the opportunity to challenge students to consider present choices by having them take part in a game that presented future choices and possible consequences. The challenge for us was to present situations, choices, and consequences that were not stereotypical or conservative in nature. The students enjoyed the game as the situations were interesting because they came from real life experiences from the teachers.

This was a game designed by myself along with a team of teachers who wrote scenarios and content.

Chris Munn, Peter Ting, and I were tasked with creating a week long activity for our students during Leadership Week. As Yew Wah Education is a holistic based school we wanted to incorporate various learning possibilities in our activity. We created The Better World Game to provide students with the opportunity to implement knowledge and skill from various subjects, form new relationships with other students, and experience leadership moments. Using printed material designed by myself, legos as building developments, poker chips as resource points, and army pieces as military units, and scenarios we were able to creatively educate our students through experiences.

As an art and design educator in Shanghai I am constantly asked, "How do you teach creativity to Chinese students?" and my response is, "How do you teach creativity to anyone?" The answer to both questions comes in the form of teaching process thinking.

The below diagram is what I use with students as they walk through research, analysis, synthesis, and prototyping in order to deliver a creative work. The size of the circles illustrate the amount of time, energy, and focus each category. The colors illustrates what will be done: defining, growing ideas, refining concepts and so on.

This process is the result of accumulating experience in my teaching, articles on design and creative thinking, and insight from professors. Using process thinking has greatly inspired my students as they connect ideas and harvest concepts from their first attempts. If you are an educator and find this helpful please copy and share.