Introducing a new mortgage lender in New Buffalo entailed an advertising campaign as well as an open house for centers of influence, such as realtors, builders, title companies representatives, and more. This cozy, beachy space, which I had opportunity to contribute to, was a welcoming setting in which to network with our new lender, processing and, management team.

I was fortunate to oversee the open house event in its entirety. It’s so rewarding to see all elements come together for a common cause; in this case, the invitations, mailing, coordination with the caterer, and the venue (office) layout, with bistro tables and beachy centerpieces.

For the organization’s 125th anniversary, Marketing hosted a special campaign inviting the public to nominate those in the community who demonstrated the Bank’s vision of “helping others live a better life.” From those nominated and voted on, individuals from across the footprint were recognized and celebrated at the banquet.

My portion of this particular campaign was to orchestrate the event. This included reviewing and selecting a venue, identifying a caterer and meal, recruiting employees for designated responsibilities, and developing an event design, consistent in color palette and style with the campaign, while maintaining resources (time, budget and talent). Compliments to our team for this memorable campaign and shared support for a successful event!

Loyal, high-net worth clients and guests were whisked away to the windy city for a day of exploration followed by dinner at the Columbia Yacht Club. The nautical dinner setting established the theme for the day - from the mailed invitation to registration and breakfast, boarding passes, itinerary and even, the hostess’ (captains’) attire.

The table settings, shown here, were prepared for clients and guests and reinforced the nautical theme while they enjoyed a continental breakfast. For visual interest, I enjoy alternating tables and/or centerpieces, as shown here. Some tables display a green hydrangea centerpiece - a nod to the corporate brand - and the other, include a white hydrangea focal point. Nautical knots tied up the vases with beautiful detail.

Elements of this event were executed by a planning committee, which I oversaw. These components included, but were not limited to:

Invitation design, mailing and RSVP tracking

Guest registration, information and transportation

Breakfast selection, décor theme, setup, and tear down

Dinner venue, meal and menu coordination

Email survey

The Chief Operations Officer and Commercial Lending Manager had a very active social and recreational life BEFORE retiring. He’s explored every continent - and likely, more than once! His sense of adventure is matchless and his career, illustrious.

The luncheon included reference to his love of life, travel, favorite (healthier) foods and beverages as well as visual reminders of the organization’s brand. In addition, I contracted the floral design with specific requests, including two heights for visual interest. The buffet and its presentation were provided by Matterhorn Catering.

Entrance into the Fort Wayne, Indiana market came by way of acquiring SummitMortgage, Inc. To affiliate ourselves with the existing and recognizable brand, the new financial center was co-branded and offered a full suite of financial services to Allen County and beyond.

Following the grand opening, we held what-would-become an annual anniversary celebration. For the first anniversary, I coordinated with the Financial Center Manager to help implement her vision for the occasion. To encourage attendance from various audiences and contact points, I designed invitations to mail, email, and deliver in person. The enter-to-win poster, shared here, was on display during the event, inviting guests to enter. The always-important sweepstakes rules were developed in conjunction with Compliance.

Indiana’s north region commercial, concierge, investment, and wealth clients were invited to attend an appreciation event to Chicago. For this trip, the planning committee and I decided to host our guests for dinner at Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse! With this venue in mind, I led the committee to create a basketball theme from beginning to end - invitation, registration process, email confirmation page, breakfast arrangements, itinerary, and electronic survey.

With our organization’s color palette in mind, I weaved both primary (bank) and secondary (financial and wealth) colors into the event palette. You’ll see this in the photos and illustrations provided here.

The invitation and itinerary were enjoyable to create as I placed each of the hostess’ (coaches’) photos in a basketball court setting - the latter of which includes a page for adhering a guest gift card. I hope you’ll enjoy this selection of examples and next time you’re in Chicago, consider ‘hooping it up’ at Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse!

Sponsorships give us opportunities to reinforce organizations that embrace a shared vision or mutual goal. This assortment of ads and efforts represents a small sampling of efforts from northern to southern Indiana.

Going through the process of buying a home heightened my interest in writing copy and designing ads to heighten awareness of our organization’s capabilities and well-known strengths. While I, and other designers, often created with the framework of a provided template, I found freedom inside those limitations.

In these examples, the images reflect the corporate brand with color reference (either original or edited in), image style (capturing a moment in time), and overall, light, bright backgrounds, and generally, a fresh, modern appearance.

In addition to photo choices, I also used corporate standard fonts to create consistency from one ad and one flyer to another.

Wealth, Concierge and Commercial clients, for cross-selling purposes, were communicated with on a semi-annual basis. This template design was created separately (by another designer) and allows for convenient newsletter creation.

I gathered content from contributing authors, edited to shared agreement, copy fitted into this three-column layout, and identified imagery to support the content as well as befitting of this secondary brand (wealth). Finalizing this project included coordination with a printer for consistent, quality results as well as with a mailing vendor for de-duplication of recipients and mailing across the country.

Commercial and Wealth clients were ‘taken to the ball game’ at, what is now known as, Guaranteed Rate Field to see the White Sox play. This networking opportunity helped create and deepen relationships between bank representatives and their clients and prospects.

For those in attendance, my goal was to create an ‘out of the park’ experience! To that end, I designed this memorable invitation, oversaw the printing, mailing, and response tracking, coordinated guest transportation and bus refreshments, and facilitated arrangements with the venue, all while managing the budget. Below, you’ll see the expenses associated with this trip, which is minimal compared to the value of a single client and their success.

Mother’s Day is a beautiful opportunity to create memorable moments for those who serve in maternal roles in our lives. In this banquet, I again, included alternate place settings. One elevated design was intended for mothers, daughters, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, etc. and complementary place settings were provided for other attendees, such as fathers, uncles, brothers, and the like.

The traditional and sweet palette of pinks and greens is modernized with fun florals and whimsical details. While this gathering is feminine and traditional, it packs a powerful and compelling punch. My appreciation to those who assisted with setup and regrets for a few, misplaced utensils.

The transition from one pastor to another was an important and memorable milestone in my life. My grandfather pastored several decades and with his role, came unique opportunities to contribute to the church and its members. Among those was the installation banquet for the former and new pastors, wives, local members, visiting ministers, and guests.

I was fortunate to coordinate closely with the new pastor, his wife and a small team for an elegant banquet at South Bend’s Century Center. The setting is beautiful, banked by the St. Joseph River, and appropriate for a variety of gatherings.

Working on a modest budget, we created centerpieces from natural elements. Small, bare branches, embellished with crystals (name of new pastor’s wife) graced alternating tables. These arrangements were also placed in nearby restrooms to add cohesiveness to the overall space. Lanterns, placed with historical photos, were used as a second centerpiece. With the napkin selection, the color of the church logo was incorporated in the table setting as well.

Church signage is provided for reference of color as well as an example of design.

My father’s recent retirement was preceded by his dear friend and cousin’s retirement as well. As a family, we decided to help them transition with a ‘racing to retirement’ party.

The invitation you see here was designed by an Etsy vendor. Recognizing the design emulated our retro theme, I coordinated with the creator for our event purposes. With changes made, the invitation includes two, classic cars, consistent with our vintage color palette and, references to the theme, in the copy.

My responsibilities on the planning committee included brainstorming, invitation management (mailing and RSVP tracking), collection of inspiration images, agenda development, coordination with guest speakers, venue layout and setup, and preparation of my speech.

The retirees immensely enjoyed the evening as guests shared stories, raced during timed activities, and savored a meal with themed desserts (snow and mud tires - powdered and chocolate doughnuts - and stoplights- brownies with M&Ms).

The ‘most wonderful time of the year’ presents a glorious opportunity to deck the halls with purpose and reflect on a promise delivered more than 2,000 years ago.

The color palette of my home - black, ivory, tans and punches of red - lends itself well to the holiday season. Shared with you are my living and dining space, one room flowing into the other in an open concept. My personal design preference is a bit eclectic, dominated by classic and modern shapes and styles.

Thanks for visiting my Indiana home at Christmas!

The February Florida wedding and reception was balmy, beautiful and beachy. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to experience my loved ones’ special day in that breathtaking, Palm Beach setting, along with about 200 guests. Many from the Midwest were unable to attend, however. So, an Indiana reception was planned and another 200 guests joined for a ceremony reenactment and a reception, similar in style to its original.

The centerpieces were practical in that they served purposes of décor and were edible! This met the wish of the groom’s parents who hosted. The fruit was coupled with decadent cupcakes of lemon, coconut, chocolate, and more. Centerpieces were also complemented with small vases of silk florals - alternating between roses and hydrangeas - layered on small bed of navy tulle.

Co-creating this memorable occasion was challenging and rewarding. Like other events, I oversaw the design of the tables, layout of the spaces (upstairs for children with activities; downstairs for adults), timeline for the event, responsibilities for the volunteers who supported the ‘behind the scenes’ tasks (excluding food preparation), and management of the décor and supply budget.