The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs has a rich history of serving local veterans. Their current logo, the state seal, didn’t represent the diverse population of veterans that they serve so we set out to change that.
In-depth research, strategy, interviews and surveys were conducted to determine what best represents the veterans of Illinois. The components that make up the V in the logo contain important symbolism that reflects the mission of the IDVA and who they serve. The six stripes represent each branch of military service (Army, Marines, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard & Space Force). The star represents the “North Star” of IDVA and the focus of their mission, the Veteran. The silhouettes represent Veterans who have served, of all genders, ethnicities and service branches.
A robust style guide and design system was created to support the IDVA and their various needs for veteran outreach and governmental business.
I got to creative direct a series of 50 videos for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. GCFD visitors were more likely to not use produce they were not familiar with, creating a gap in service. With these videos our goal was to help provide education around how to use all of this lovely fresh produce. Tips on how to cut complicated veggies like butternut squash - paired with recipes helps ensure that the community can make the most of their basket with GCFD.
Full library of videos here.
Creative Director: Jessika Savage
Producer: Elina Marchenko, Slightly Happy
Photographer: Ryan Van Ert
Stylist: Molly Kom
Daytrip is a company that believes that Happier is Healthier - and their product promote a happy mind and a healthy gut thru the power of plants. Since starting with the brand in 2019 they have grown from CBD sparkling waters, to CBD & THC infused gummies, to probiotic sodas. And as the product lines have continued to grow I have had the pleasure of shaping the creative direction of each arm of the brand to create consistency across all touch points. With the team I have built out brand standards for the look and feel of each product across websites, social platforms, in store signage and apparel. It has been exciting to be part of this growing brand that is breaking boundaries in the beverage category.
As an avid skater I was thrilled when I was asked to create the branding and wheel art for skateboarding brand 606 Wheel Company. This company has it’s roots in Chicago and the branding and wheel art needed to pay homage to the skaters who brave not only the weather but the concrete streets of the city.
Creative direction for recipe website The Cocktail Project - a destination where every cocktail enthusiast can explore our curated collection of incredible cocktails and learn how to make them. Try a new spirit or put your own unique spin on one of the hundreds of drinks you find. Discover the art of cocktails by learning a new technique “Behind the Bar,” or just let the stunning, colorful drink images inspire your next big occasion or casual evening at home. Search hundreds of recipes for every spirit type, from sweet Tequila to smoky Bourbon. There’s something for everyone, from Margaritas to Martinis, party punches to seasonal favorites, old-fashioned classics to the latest mixologist concoctions.
Agency: Slightly Happy
Client: Beam Suntory
Photographer: Ryan VanErt
Stylist: Molly Kom
Producer: Elina Marchenko
Illustrations created for Dogdays Magazine, an international publication celebrating roller skating sport & culture.
The Women’s L Project was created by Janet Volk and designed by Jessika Savage. It honors women of Chicago's past who persevered in a male dominated world to do amazing and life-changing work in the fields of social work, justice, the arts, writing, politics and science.
Sadly, most of these women were not given credit for their work and have been overlooked in history.
The Women's L Project also recognizes contemporary Chicago women who, despite hurdles, are making strong contributions to the city, to society and to the world.
By symbolically renaming L stops after these women and telling their stories, The Women’s L Project hopes to inspire all people to strive for greatness in their lives and positive change in their communities and the world.
Learn more about the Project and who it supports by visiting womenslproject.com
The documentary film, Represent, follows two parallel stories of women stepping up for the first time to run for local office across the Midwest: Myya Jones, a 22-year-old recent graduate running for Mayor of Detroit, and Bryn Bird, a produce farmer in rural Ohio fighting for progressive values as township trustee. Represent sets these deeply personal stories of triumph and tragedy against a backdrop of the current women’s movement for equal representation in our democracy.
As a part of the Represent movement I was tasked with designing a poster & yard sign to help get out the message that we need more women in office in the US. I wanted to create something that felt bipartisan and spoke to the need of more balanced representation of the sexes in politics.
Learn more about the Represent Film here
Superfit Hero is a size premium plus size active wear brand that believes that fitness is for EVERY body. They had and incredible product and a loyal customer base but needed a consistent visual identity that could communicate their brand mission across all touch points. In this project we created an overall style guide for the brand’s look and feel that could be executed by the team across the website, social platforms, as well as on product tags and in store signage for partnerships at large retailers like Kohls.
Identity system created for Silverman Productions - an integrated producer of commercials and brilliant advertising pieces. You can learn more about what she does here.
Cocktail recipe videos for Effin and Pinnacle Vodka.
Creative Direction: Jessika Savage
Producer: Elina Marchenko, Slightly Happy
Photographer: Ryan VanErt
Cheers to the Queers is a femme queer-owned online boutique that is focused on products that uplift the LGBTQIA+ community and anyone who needs a little extra bit of sunshine in their lives. The branding highlights the quarky and inviting tone of the boutique - bringing together the iconic rainbow symbol with a groovy retro twist.
The branding suite was designed with merchandise in mind - knowing that stickers and apparel would be top of mind for the brand.
As a true child of the 90’s - I had an obsession with tuning in every Sunday night to see what new conspiracy Mulder & Scully would uncover on The X-Files. My love for the show has never gone away - and my admiration for the character of Dana Scully has only grown as I come to realize what a powerful role model she’s been for myself and girls everywhere.
I started this project as an excuse to do some regular sketching exercises - and from there it became a full fledged project. A visual evolution of the copper locks & 90’s hairstyles of Scully - Scully Hair Don’t Care can be found in it’s entirety on Instagram and for the super-fans, Scully Hair merch can be found here.
The project went from being a passion project to a viral hit amongst fans - and was even brought onto the live stage by Gillian Anderson & David Duchovny themselves at Chicago ComicCon. It was successfully deamed “pretty fu*king cool” by Gillian Anderson (Scully herself).
For Walmart, we created a custom extension of the national campaign with our own celebrity spokesperson who is passionate about fitness. We partnered with country music star Jana Kramer to show women that nothing has to hold you back from your fitness goals. Not your schedule, your budget, or your period. This series of content videos offers Jana's fitness tips that can be used by anyone, anywhere. And gives fans a glimpse into her life on the road.
Creative Director: Kari Haley
ACD: Jowita Kostek
Director: Amanda Marsalis
Reveal the Proof
When L’Oreal needed to launch their new Elvive line it was essential for customers to understand that they would see proof of repaired hair damage in just 1 use. We invited shoppers to reveal the proof with a never-been-done-before peel & reveal experience. By peeling away a tile from a “before” image of damaged hair, shoppers experienced the beautiful effects of Elvive by revealing a portion of an “after” image showing healthy, revived hair. With each tile of the peel & reveal removed, shoppers were delighted to find a redeemable coupon on the back of their tile and were invited to discover the proof in just 1 use for themselves.
This activation was scaled from Times Square, to big box stores, to corner drugstores - with an interactive iPad quiz & handouts to help shoppers find the perfect Elvive product for their specific hair needs.
Everyone wants to feel like a VIP - even if they are on a budget. That’s why U by Kotex teamed up with Dollar General to make the CMA music fest even more special, by giving guests the VIP experience at our booth with 2 minute mini makeovers (using products available at Dollar General), custom flash tattoos, glamour shots on our “Pink” Carpet and VIP access to artists preforming at the CMA music fest.
Creative Director: Kari Haley
ACD: Jowita Kostek
Art Director: Jessika Savage
