trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains Click on a link to the left to view some of my samples.

ari curtis design

aricurtisdesign@gmail.com | aricurtisdesign.wordpress.com | 970.391.0796

ari curtis design

As the Art Director for Urban Plains, a senior capstone magazine for Magazines majors at Drake University, I created the look of Drake’s first all-digital publication.trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

Urban Plains | Cover

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The beautiful cover illustration was done by John Vogl, a Drake graduate and owner of The Bungaloo. He based the design on a photo done by Anna Jones/ , a local photographer who documented journalist Allison Maze’s transformation from shy girl to painted lady (artwork by Emily Svec, a local artist).

ari curtis design

As the Art Director for Urban Plains, a senior capstone magazine for Magazines majors at Drake University, I created the look of Drake’s first all-digital publication.trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

Urban Plains | “Almost Famous”

This article by Skylar Bergl featured some of the best up-and-coming bands of the Midwest.

see the magazine

ari curtis design

As the Art Director for Urban Plains, a senior capstone magazine for Magazines majors at Drake University, I created the look of Drake’s first all-digital publication.trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

Urban Plains | “Tri, Tri Again”

see the magazine

This article by Caitlin Berens featured Charlie Whittmack, a world triathlete.

ari curtis design

As the Art Director for Urban Plains, a senior capstone magazine for Magazines majors at Drake University, I created the look of Drake’s first all-digital publication.trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

The opening spread to an article by Emily Cook, featuring an Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage in Rutledge, MO.

Urban Plains | “Down to Earth”

see the magazine

ari curtis design

As the Art Director for Urban Plains, a senior capstone magazine for Magazines majors at Drake University, I created the look of Drake’s first all-digital publication.trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

This is a page from a fashion spread featuring Midwest designers. I took these pictures among many others in the magazine.

Urban Plains | “High Fashion Next Door”

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ari curtis design

Problem: Redesigning the Downtown Des Moines Trail Map for a class project. The original trail map didn’t separate the individual trails and didn’t show any detailed areas. Also, the map lacked a definite way to measure distance.

Solution: A booklet with a built-in key to show each trail individually, with a composite map of all the trails on the back. There is a color-coded key that delineates each trail on the front and back, so it is visible however the map is used.

The audience I had in mind consisted of Downtown Des Moines residents, so they would be familiar with the landmarks I used as distance markers. I imagined this booklet being distributed at newsstands, coffee shops, or quick-serve restaurants.

Rather than use a scale on the map, I figured it was more intuitive for people to think of distance in terms of the space between destinations. I also included the distances of frequented trail loops.

trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

ari curtis designDowntown Des Moines Trail Map

ari curtis design

Problem: Redesigning the Downtown Des Moines Trail Map for a class project. The original trail map didn’t separate the individual trails and didn’t show any detailed areas. Also, the map lacked a definite way to measure distance.

Solution: A booklet with a built-in key to show each trail individually, with a composite map of all the trails on the back. There is a color-coded key that delineates each trail on the front and back, so it is visible however the map is used.

The audience I had in mind consisted of Downtown Des Moines residents, so they would be familiar with the landmarks I used as distance markers. I imagined this booklet being distributed at newsstands, coffee shops, or quick-serve restaurants.

Rather than use a scale on the map, I figured it was more intuitive for people to think of distance in terms of the space between destinations. I also included the distances of frequented trail loops.

trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

Downtown Des Moines Trail Map | Trail Spread

Problem: Redesigning the Downtown Des Moines Trails Map. The original trail map didn’t separate the individual trails and did not show any detailed areas. Also, the map lacked a definite way to measure distance.

Solution: A booklet with a built-in key to show each trail individually, with a composite map of all the trails on the back. There is a color-coded key that delineates each trail on the front and back, so it is visible however the map is used.

The audience I had in mind were residents of Downtown Des Moines, so they would be familiar with the landmarks I used as distance markers. I imaged this booklet being distributed at a newsstand, coffee shops, or quick-serve restaurants.

Rather than use a scale on the map, I figured it was intuitive for people to think of distance in terms of the space between destinations. I also included the distances of frequented trail loops, as people are likely to start and stop at the same place.

ari curtis design

Problem: Redesigning the Downtown Des Moines Trail Map for a class project. The original trail map didn’t separate the individual trails and didn’t show any detailed areas. Also, the map lacked a definite way to measure distance.

Solution: A booklet with a built-in key to show each trail individually, with a composite map of all the trails on the back. There is a color-coded key that delineates each trail on the front and back, so it is visible however the map is used.

The audience I had in mind consisted of Downtown Des Moines residents, so they would be familiar with the landmarks I used as distance markers. I imagined this booklet being distributed at newsstands, coffee shops, or quick-serve restaurants.

Rather than use a scale on the map, I figured it was more intuitive for people to think of distance in terms of the space between destinations. I also included the distances of frequented trail loops.

trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

Downtown Des Moines Trail Map | Full spread

ari curtis design

Problem: Redesigning the Downtown Des Moines Trail Map for a class project. The original trail map didn’t separate the individual trails and didn’t show any detailed areas. Also, the map lacked a definite way to measure distance.

Solution: A booklet with a built-in key to show each trail individually, with a composite map of all the trails on the back. There is a color-coded key that delineates each trail on the front and back, so it is visible however the map is used.

The audience I had in mind consisted of Downtown Des Moines residents, so they would be familiar with the landmarks I used as distance markers. I imagined this booklet being distributed at newsstands, coffee shops, or quick-serve restaurants.

Rather than use a scale on the map, I figured it was more intuitive for people to think of distance in terms of the space between destinations. I also included the distances of frequented trail loops.

trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

Downtown Des Moines Trail Map | Detail

ari curtis design

Problem: Redesigning the Downtown Des Moines Trail Map for a class project. The original trail map didn’t separate the individual trails and didn’t show any detailed areas. Also, the map lacked a definite way to measure distance.

Solution: A booklet with a built-in key to show each trail individually, with a composite map of all the trails on the back. There is a color-coded key that delineates each trail on the front and back, so it is visible however the map is used.

The audience I had in mind consisted of Downtown Des Moines residents, so they would be familiar with the landmarks I used as distance markers. I imagined this booklet being distributed at newsstands, coffee shops, or quick-serve restaurants.

Rather than use a scale on the map, I figured it was more intuitive for people to think of distance in terms of the space between destinations. I also included the distances of frequented trail loops.

trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

Downtown Des Moines trail map | Back spread

ari curtis design

Problem: Creating an identity system for an invented restaurant.

Solution: I created Raíz, a modern Mexican restaurant, based on real-world restaurants run by a Mexican chef. For the name of the restaurant, I chose the Spanish word for “root” to allude to the restaurant’s authenticity.

I hand drew the typography with extreme x-heights to push the idea of a root, and chose to create an abstract carrot illustration (because it’s a root vegetable) for a quirky and modern mark.

trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

modern mexican cuisine

Raiz | Logo

ari curtis design

Problem: Creating an identity system for an invented restaurant.

Solution: I created Raíz, a modern Mexican restaurant, based on real-world restaurants run by a Mexican chef. For the name of the restaurant, I chose the Spanish word for “root” to allude to the restaurant’s authenticity.

I hand drew the typography with extreme x-heights to push the idea of a root, and chose to create an abstract carrot illustration (because it’s a root vegetable) for a quirky and modern mark.

trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

Raiz | Stationary

ari curtis design

Problem: Creating an identity system for an invented restaurant.

Solution: I created Raíz, a modern Mexican restaurant, based on real-world restaurants run by a Mexican chef. For the name of the restaurant, I chose the Spanish word for “root” to allude to the restaurant’s authenticity.

I hand drew the typography with extreme x-heights to push the idea of a root, and chose to create an abstract carrot illustration (because it’s a root vegetable) for a quirky and modern mark.

trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

Raiz | Signage

ari curtis design

While I consider photography a hobby, post production is one of my skills as a designer.

trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

This photo was a part of a series featured in Urban Plains. The series won 3rd place in feature photography for the Society of Professional Journalists Region 7 Mark of Excellence.

Photography | “Skin Deep”

ari curtis design

While I consider photography a hobby, post production is one of my skills as a designer.

trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

Photography | “Ascension”

This photo was a part of an assignment for a digital photography class. It is an exterior wall of the Des Moines Art Center.

ari curtis design

While I consider photography a hobby, post production is one of my skills as a designer.

trail map

raíz (identity)

photography

urban plains

Photography | Untitled

This photo of a building in downtown Des Moines was a part of an assignment for a digital photography class.