I admit, I am a graphic design nerd and I get way too excited about typography and circles.

I’ve always been a visually creative lad, and right through school I took as many art and design classes as I could. Naturally, straight out of high school I started an advanced diploma of design and multimedia, and went on to get the Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging.

Proof of my graphic design addiction: even the humble flat chores roster shall not escape judicious use of circle-based illustrations and a split pin. The post-it reflects a necessary design iteration.

My favourite aspect of design is logos. They’re microcosms of all that is good and holy in graphic design.

Shiny is my experiment in freelance web designing. Naturally the first task is a logo. The name Shiny is derived from my nickname, and the icon references my obscene love for hats. And for blue.

Manawatu Musician Makers is a company of dedicated music teachers of a variety of instruments. The new name and logo’s purpose was to show they’re more than just the guitars they used to be.

My once-upon-a-time band-mate is now going solo, and was in need of a logo at about the same time as I needed a subject for a branding assignment.

Why a jam jar? I needed to something to represent simultaneous seriousness and playfulness. Jam is that thing. It posses a certain iconic quality. It has the same incongruent humour as much of his verbal and written branding at this point, and it’s fun.