These are a collection of custom illustrations I created for a theater production company called R.E.di Foundation, directed by Kimberly Farah and Diana Martinez. The illustrations depict American youths and the risks they face in today’s world. The art was used to compliment the stage play and used as backdrops during the performance. The illustrations process was started by hand drawing the concepts in pencil, I then transferred the sketches into my computer with a scanner and touched up the line work. Before adding any color, texture or details, I sent preliminary proofs to the client for them to review and approve- there were a few minor revisions- but for the most part the art was just as they wanted it. I then brought the sketches into adobe Photoshop started to add color, I used a muted pallet on all the illustrations to maintain consistency throughout, I then overlaid some textures of old weathered paper and coffee stains to give it a rich depth. I also added a grunge black border around the illustrations to isolate the image and to ground the action/characters within the frame. The stage play was a huge success and is now being performed throughout the Midwest at middle schools and highschools.

The name of this band is Lunno which means beauty. This band from Indonesia wanted a cd cover with a photo of the band combined with a steam punk styled design. I gave it a vintage look by overlaying aged textures and a yellow tint, however I kept the yellow tint bright and saturated in order to maintain a level of modernity. I superimposed several gears in the background and on the borders I overlaid blueprint drawings of a locomotive steam engine. The collection of design elements came together well to create this organized mess and most importantly the band was happy with the final design.

For this cd cover design I created a geometric symbol logo to represent the band. The band can reuse this emblem on other promotional material such as tshirts, stickers, and maybe even tattoos. I first sketched out a general idea for the logo, I then created it digitally using adobe illustrator, once I had the look I wanted I created a 3D view of it to give some depth, lastly I brought it into Adobe Photoshop to add the stone texture and colors. I overlaid several textures atop the logo to give some tangibility and make it look aged. I also overlaid a golden sepia color tone over the whole thing to help bring it together. Below you can see the traycard design in which I incorporated a photo of the band members with the track list above them and the logo structure in the background.
Below are some images of the design sources before their completion phase.
As you can see I cut the background out and desaturated the colors, I also adjusted the lighting by tinkering with the levels and deepening the dark’s and lights. You also see the black logo before being rendered into it’s 3D state, along with another unused logo design. Hope you enjoyed the insight- check back soon for more design blog posts.

This is the front side of a 4 panel cd insert, which is the cover (on the right) and the inside cover (on the left). The band wanted a design that reflected the album release name- “Road to Nowhere” so I created the scene from a collection of photo sources and added rain with photoshop. The tornado was actually not part of the original concept, at first there was a city scape back there and menacing clouds only, but I felt it lacked dramatic effect- so then I tried the tornado in the background and it worked perfectly. I later started adding objects in the air around the tornado like cows, tractors, houses and other random debris- but it made it look to comical so I toned it down a bit and only kept the blurry debris.
For the band photo on the left- i cut the band members out adjusted the levels on the photo to enhance the light and dark values- this gives it a more dramatic effect, and makes the photo look more rugged. I also added the worn out rock texture on the background along with the bands name painted graffiti style on the wall.

This is a baby shower invitation design card that I created for a client who was expecting a baby girl and was organizing a little party to commemorate this momentous occasion. I created the invitation card design using soft colors and a playful font selection to reflect this special event. She had some text she wanted me to incorporate into the design including time, place, date, as well as a list of stores she was registered at. She was very happy with the invitation design and she received many compliments on it. As a graphic designer I love when I can flex my creative muscle and design a heavy metal rock poster one day and the next day design an invitation for a baby shower. This work schedule assures that I will never get bored because every day brings a new challenge.

Reggae ska music isn’t a genre a music you would think is popular in the midwest, however this band is changing that mentality. I did the cd cover design and the entire cd packaging design. This client had specific requests, but sometimes that brings out the best in me, the graphic designer. The cover design above was my first attempt, however they wanted something that reflected reggae roots music a more. I then created the cd cover below, which they loved.

I continued the design theme throughout the rest of the packaging including a t-shirt design.

This is the cd package design for a DJ mixtape (I know it’s a cd and not a tape- but strangely that’s still the terminology used today). Anyway, the artist dj didn’t have any photo’s he wanted incorporated into the design so he asked me to come up with a character that could represent his music. The mix-tape consists of hip hop music, r&b, rap, etc… The beats are actually quite good- I enjoyed them. He had a bunch of text files he gave to incorporate into the design, such as- the track list, production credits, thank you’s, etc. He just gave them to me in a word file, and I placed them into the design. I also added the copyright info and FBI anti-piracy logo, along with the barcode, this all helps in establishing the professionalism the client wanted to portray in his album release. BLee is a very talented DJ and beat maker- I’m sure he’ll be going place real soon- and hopefully he’ll remember who his graphic designer is.

This is a cd cover design for an amazingly talented Christian band based out of Chicago, IL. I created this cd cover design after discussing the concept with the art director (band member). He had a very specific idea in his mind and just needed me to bring it to life- fortunately we achieved the perfect design within the first round of design proofs. The client really wanted the city of Chicago represented in the background and so I designed a fitting cityscape with some dramatic clouds and scattering pigeons. The client also supplied me with a photo of neon signage for me to reference when designing his cd cover.

I usually utilize this blog to rant about graphic design projects I’m working on or other creative tidbits- however today I’d like to take the time to introduce you all to my good friends over at AV Digital Pros- they do awesome work. AV Digital Pros is fast becoming the premiere choice for audio and video services, offering professional audio mastering as well as video editing, authoring and restoration. Their team of experienced engineers will put their years of experience to work for you.

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I created this poster design for a fashion show that took place in Aurora, IL at the Walter Payton Roundhouse Complex in 2006. It’s now 2009 but the design still looks fresh and holds up to today’s design standards. As a graphic designer I enjoyed working on this project especially since the event was showcasing some t-shirt designs I created. I utilized digital software to created this poster design, which is common for fast turn print designs like this one. The event went very well and a good time was had by all. Chicago, IL.

Fernando Creative, located in Aurora, IL, is celebrating over 10 years of award-winning graphic design for some of the most respected businesses and organizations in the Fox Valley area and throughout the world. Catalogs, ads, direct mail, logo & corporate identity, signs and banners, website graphics, photo retouching, art direction, consulting and more. I service clients in the Chicagoland area, including Naperville, Oswego, Montgomery, North Aurora, Yorkville, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, Downers Grove, Lisle, Joliet, Plainfield, etc. As well as clients throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.