Business

Fjord brings breakthrough digital services to life by redesigning people’s relationships with the world around them. 

Note: This project is still in development and non-disclosures prevent showing the full actual work or disclosing the name of the client. More work was produced then what I am able to show here.

Summer Intern: Designer June 1– August 15, 201 New York, NY

Project
Worked as part of the collaborative team of designers and developers to visualize & map the guest journey from booking to departure and develop a Property Engagement Platform, a leading edge interaction platform that will revolutionize the guest experience, delighting the user while dramatically enhancing the ability for properties to deliver superior service.  The final solution will be rolled out to properties worldwide. 

Challenge
The traditional hotel guest experience has become inefficient, cumbersome and stale, lacking any excitement or joy for the user. The journey from booking to arrival to stay to departure is fragmented and each is riddled with customer frustrations and inefficiencies compromising the overall user experience and the service that the company can offer. 

The Fjord team was asked to re-imagine the entire customer journey and re-design the guest experience integrating technology in ways that make it more exciting and convenient for guests and allow hotel management to personalize and increase the quality of their the service.
  
  
  
  

Methodology/Role
Worked with the team of Interaction Designers in a  series of ideations to translate the human-centered research Fjord had done in the field to develop solutions for a "future state" guest experience. 

• Created a visual language and animated wire frames to visualize the user journey within the app.
• Designed and produced a set of large-scale interactive storyboards, each illustrating a different step in the customer journey and showing wireframes and the visual language.  
• Designed and produced a companion set of cards used interactively with the client team in a “Rumble” session to iterate and refine the design solutions for a final prototype.
• Filmed and edited the client “Rumble” session to create a final set of video products of the outcome. 
• Worked with Visual Designers to refine final prototypes of the "Future State" 

Solution
The new Property Engagement Platform integrates new technologies and transforms the hotel experience for the guest into a streamlined, engaging and personalized experience with a high level of service.  It is still in the final stages of development and is expected to be rolled out first across its newest brand and then across all properties worldwide over the next 5 years.

“Noah was a great addition to the team that easily adapted to our design methodology. He quickly ramped up […] always provided thought provoking ideas […] His skill set is very diverse and he was able to take on any re-quest. Noah was a instant cultural ft and a rising star. He will be an incredible addition to any team.”
— Ivis Mas, Design Director, Fjord

"Noah's willingness to learn and his flexibility to develop new techniques within his craft made him a pleasure to work with. He is a highly motivated team player with great collaboration and communication skills."
— Hideki Aono, Visual Designer, Fjord

2017

Business

Innovation Builders is a new division of spark!Consulting, an 18 year collaborative innovation consultancy to Fortune 500  Healthcare and Consumer Goods Companies. 

Project
Develop a full design package including branding, identity, business cards and digital badges as well as create a promotional short film to be used for revenue generation and funding.

Challenge
Innovation Builders is an innovation consultancy focused on the public sector (Universities, Schools, Libraries, Museums and Non-profits), providing professional development in 21st Century skills as well as consulting, facilitation and strategy development. They wanted to communicate their identity as a new, fresh company but with deep innovation expertise, their mission-driven orientation and the human impact of their work. They also needed an engaging promotional film that they could use to secure grant funding for large clients. 

Methodology
Conducted An Immersive Needs Analysis by participating in the company's signature “EXCITE Bootcamp” and talking with participants. Interviewed participants of the pilot "EXCITE Transformation For Libraries" and interviewed the founder and employees. 

Worked iteratively with the founder and select customers on branding to integrate specific design details and to insure the branding communicated the value proposition of the company. 

Traveled to 8 locations to interview and film participants of the 6-month "EXCITE Transformation for Libraries" pilot training program. Fully responsible for the storyline, filming, editing, integration of b-roll, soundtrack and mastering  for the 10 minute short film. 

Solution/Impact
The company logo emphasizes how IB empowers people and includes a reference to their central circle theme which also expresses the transformative nature of the program. The tagline “Building Collaborative Innovators for the 21st Century” further emphasizes their commitment to developing people and having impact into the future. Innovation Builders' target customers feel the branding is attractive and stands out as a differentiator.

The short film has been shown at several industry events, has been successful in gaining client projects and was a key element in the company receiving a highly competitive national grant of  $387,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to bring the EXCITE Transformation program to Libraries across the Eastern United States.

Produced
Logos, word-marks, business cards and other collateral materials, presentation graphics, and a short film.

"Noah is a true, client-centric professional. In this work he was able to translate what we wanted to convey into great visual assets and was easy to work with.  Noah had to interact with everyone from Executive Directors to new hires and was able to work seamlessly with each one and develop something productive and engaging with each. He also understood our product very well and was a valuable contributor to our EXCITE Bootcamp!"
-- Jeanine Esposito, Founder & Managing Director

2015-17

Startup

This start-up research group focuses on computer security, privacy, and human-computer interaction (HCI).  

Their  focus is to use data-driven methods to help users make better security and privacy decisions, as well as to greatly improve the usability of complex computer systems for non-technical users. 

Projects
Work for this on-going client includes branding and identity for UChicago SUPERGROUP overall as well as branding and identity for suite of research products that make cyber security easy and useful for the user and were each awarded a Mozilla Research Grant.

Challenge
(Overall Branding) The internet research landscape is crowded, particularly for cyber security. The client operates similar to a B2B relationship with little external promotion. They needed branding that would quickly and clearly identify the name and purpose of the research they offered, be easy to use on materials and differentiate them from other research labs. 

(Research Projects) The SUPERgroup won a Mozilla Research Grant for three development of three products that would improve user-centered internet privacy. The client wanted simple and direct branding that communicated the overall concept and each product quickly and functionally. 

Solution:
Worked through several iterations with the client to understand the products. Developed 3 levels of branding and identity for the various facets of research products for the Mozilla grant products. 

• Protecting users privacy on the web
• Browser Communication To Users and how that is interpreted by users
• Browser Extension Tracker that tracks and visually displays to the user what information advertising agencies are tracking on them

"Noah is my go-to designer for branding my research lab's projects. He is always responsive, professional, and creative. I appreciate his keen sense for distilling the essence of what I'm working on into graphical form." — Blase Ur, Founder

2016-18

Nonprofit

Beechwood Arts & Innovation is a multi-arts non-profit that is redefining what the arts experience can be for the 21st Century.

Project
Develop new branding, identity, business cards, collateral material  and create a promotional video to launch its 5th year. 

Challenge
Beechwood Arts is a 501(c)3 whose mission is to change what the arts experience can be for the 21st Century by creating community and bringing together artists from many fields to collaborate. They integrate cutting edge technology into their events and into the artworks to bring visual art to life as well as conduct 2-way streaming with other locations around the world. 

Despite the cutting edge technology and completely innovative approach, their branding was old-fashioned and evoked history rather than the future. The challenge was to pay tribute to the history of the arts, to their 1806 space and the signature 300 year old Copper Beech tree, while making it clear that Beechwood was focused on the future.
 

Methodology
Used immersive techniques of attending events, talking with patrons and collaborating with the founders to develop a fresh new logo that integrates the Copper Beech tree and calls out the mission and value propositions of the organization. Created a 3-word tag  "Intimate. Immersive. Innovative" in the logo, communicating the essence of the organization which is clearly about innovation, multi-arts and personal connection.

Filmed, edited and created story line for a promotional, documentary-style short film featuring participants and patrons of all ages and backgrounds talking about their experience. The film brings to life the collaborative, innovative nature of the organization, the founders and the place. 

Produced
Logo, Business Cards, Promotional Mailer, Documentary Short Film

2015-17

Nonprofit

“A sophisticated catering company with a social purpose”

Project
Create a promotional video that tells the story of the social mission of this innovative start-up.

Challenge
Ratatouille & Co is a catering company that provides opportunities for women who are facing challenges in their lives including refugees, immigrants and women who need help with financial independence. They are also a high-end catering company so the challenge was to tell the story of the mission-driven side of their business while also making it clear that the focus is equally on delicious, high-quality food and customer service.  

Methodology/Role
Listened to the company's story and attended several events, first observing then filming. Interviewed employees and worked with a translator.  Edited footage, overlaid translations, integrated music and fully produced video.

Impact
The video is featured on the website’s landing page. It tells an emotional and uplifting story and has generated many leads and contracts for the founders.

2017

Retail

Arogya is a high-end tea shop and holistic healing center.

Their premium, healing, artisan teas were selected by Martha Stewart to be served in her NYC Cafés.

Project
Full-line package re-design to improve the customer shopping experience for complex assortment of high-end teas.

Challenge
While customers loved Arogya’s teas, the current shopping experience was confusing and uneven, due primarily to the existing packaging.  The existing packaging did not distinguish between tea varieties, communicate the benefits of each tea, offer information on how to prepare the tea or communicate in the multiple languages needed. Functionally, the client wanted labels that were affordable and easy to apply.

Methodology
Observations of customers shopping, interviewing customers about their experience, design iterations with the client. 

Solution
Designed an intuitive visual labeling system that guided the customer through the shopping experience through color. Created a label that communicated “natural” as well as “quality” by using brown paper label with a sophisticated but natural color palate. The label placement and the dual label system created a simple and easy to shop experience, with the category-coded color visible across all packages so the customer could quickly distinguish them from each other. In addition, The button label contained critical information about the use of the tea and also handled the second language elements. 

Produced
Re-designed packaging labels and logo treatment across all tea lines  and managed printing 

2013