2021 Grad Show

Mikey Fritz

VCD – Advertising & Graphic Design

dbmikey.com

I am known to my friends as the “tedious designer,” as I incorporate and revise the smallest details in my work, that apparently no one would notice but myself. This especially occurs when it comes to typography in instances such as kerning letters, leading, attention to hierarchy, or whether or not something is conforming to a grid. Paying close attention to detail is what turns my design problems into solutions, and put’s my work at the top of the rest.

People describe my personality as colourful, and they aren’t wrong. On top of that, I would describe myself as curious, intuitive, innovative, and ambitious. I have a strong intuitive sense that allows me to think critically and craft creatively while aiding in my ability to communicate across a multitude of audiences.

Apart from the fact that I put my heart, soul, and countless amounts of time into my projects, what separates me from others is the fact that I’m colourblind. I’m red/green colourblind and for some 20+ years I have been colouring trees with a brown pencil crayon. From a very young age in Kindergarten my teachers were aware of this condition, and in life, it has never set me back. If anything, it has made me a stronger designer and communicator, and with the help of my trusty colour-correcting lenses and colour theory class, I just might be seeing colour better than you can! Not only am I able to design for those who can already see colour just fine, but I am better able to design for a broader audience so that everyone is capable of seeing what I create.

Last year I had the opportunity to travel to New York with my AUArts fam to visit some of the top design firms in the world such as Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv, Golden Wolf Studios, and Buck Design. I’ve had the pleasure of connecting one-on-one with industry leaders and conversed with some of the top design firms in the world, and made valuable networking opportunities within the design industry.

If you like my work and want to connect, follow me on instagram or visit my online portfolio and send me a direct message. :)

AUArts Grad Show closed-catalog-mockup-lying-on-a-solid-surface-a15098

The Art of the Taco Cover The cover is designed to look fresh and appetizing while bringing some of that hand crafted aesthetic to the table.

You, Me, and Tacos! With a fresh colourful palette of delicious ingredients, the opening spread is meant to be inviting while quenching your tastebuds.

Introduction Spread The cook book is meant to give readers a feel for a true hand crafted aesthetic. Making tacos isn't a one man job, it's an experience thats meant to be cherished with your closest friends and family.

Shrimp and Mango Tacos Throughout the magazine I have utilized a clean modern aesthetic thats easy to follow while allowing the reader to be engaged through the mouth-watering visuals.

Grilled BBQ Chicken Tacos By utilizing icons it allows the reader to easily comprehend information that is essential to the experience of the recipe without having to skim though the text to identify what they are looking for.

AUArts Grad Show 33mockup-of-a-set-of-postcards-and-booklets-over-a-plain-surface-1125-el

The Art of the Taco Spreads Here is a quick visual on the aesthetic of the cook book.

Mexico: The Art of the Taco

Let's taco-bout Mexican cuisine.
This cook book sparks nostalgia, bringing it's traditional Mexican aesthetic to the splendour of your own home, while awakening one's tastebuds to the realities of the most delicious taco recipes. The Art of the Taco is meant to inspire individuals who love to cook for their friends and family and often like to identify with a modern aesthetic.

Yola Customs Brand Identity Nostalgia. Rebranding Yola in a way that will engage their clients to create an emotional bond by throwing things back to the 80's.

AUArts Grad Show Yola Customs Final Presentaion2-04

Yola Logo Design

Customize My Ride In order to fill a brand gap for Yola and their clients, Customize My Ride allows guests to see what their vehicle will look like before having to stop by the shop.

Customize My Ride Clients get to experience the products Yola offers in an engaging way and may request a quote right from this page.

Exterior Design

Interior Design

YOLA Customs

"Your trusted one-stop-shop for all your custom needs"
Yola Customs specializes in automotive customization and offers a wide range of services including window tinting, vinyl wraps, plasti-dip, paint protection film and more! I rebranded their company identity, redesigned their website, and gave their interior and exterior a facelift.

AUArts Grad Show Three Bars Standing Drop Shaddow copy

Three Kind Bars The new KIND bar is for everyone. With a transparent wrapper, consumers can see exactly what they're consuming while becoming emotionally engaged with the new bar design.

Design for the Blind I utilized a natural and fun-looking typeface for the identity of the bar while incorporating a typeface that was specifically designed for the blind where smaller text is placed.

AUArts Grad Show Rolled in a glass jar, spilled cereal, the concept of healthy food, space for text

One-of-a-Kind The new package design contains a kind bar wrapped in a transparent sleeve that is contained within a cardboard/plastic shell.

Side-View The shell provides a hard and smooth surface to allow the blind to easily read the package information in braille.

A T-OAT-ally Great Snack

A New Design for the One-of-a-KIND

KIND Bars are a natural and healthy alternative to snack food, providing consumers with a wholesome and delicious refreshment. 14% of adult Canadians have a disability or condition that limits their ability to eat and read packaging and label information, especially those who experience blindness in it's many forms. This project focused on re-designing three KIND Bars for an audience who is affected by blindness in their daily lives. I used my typography and design skills to come up with a solution that responds to the audience’s condition by communicating essential product information.

AUArts Grad Show Cannaccino Covers Laid out

Cannaccino: Front and Back Covers

AUArts Grad Show Mikey Department Strain o’ The Mag

Strain of the Mag The magazine is inspired by the 70's with a modern twist that features a bright colour palette to help create an immersive experience.

Beans 'N Buds

Feature: The Truth Behind the High

Feature Spread: Anxiety The content of my feature is about revealing the truth and facts behind the high such as the munchies, anxiety, time, memory, and sex.

Feature Spread: Sex I utilized duct tape as a header for each section and manipulated it to represent the content.

Cannaccino

Cannaccino is here to wake you up and get you high by fusing the worlds of both coffee and cannabis. If you love smoking blunts and sipping on a cup of black coffee, we have the news and most relevant content crafted for 'cannasseurs' like you. But wait that's not all! The Summer Sizzle edition is trippier than ever as it comes with a pair of 3-D glasses to make it more engaging and interactive than ever before.

Butter

What's Butter than Butter?

Here I created a motion piece for a new children's app that's geared towards teaching kid's about gender. Children get to join their animal pals on an adventure throughout Butters world where they meet new friends, listen to stories, and engage with interactive activities to help aid in their learning experience. Not only does the app cater to children who wish to have fun while learning about gender, it allows parents to be part of the experience while providing them with the tools necessary for them to help create a gender-creative household for their family.

Roadrunner Logo The logo features our mascot Rudy running across our word mark.

How the App Works

App Video

Website Video

Road Runner Vehicles Each Road Runner vehicle is recognized by the magnetic decal that is placed on the vehicles side when navigating your way around town.

The Lender Kit When you become a lender, you are provided with a lender kit that contains your decals and all the info you need to know!

Road Runner: The New Car Share Experience

AirBNB, but for vehicles. Road Runner allows anyone to make some extra cash by offering their vehicle to those who need one when they aren't being used. Road Runner is the new way to car share in Canada. This mutually beneficial car rental service goes through the owner of the vehicle one on one instead of experiencing a highly intimidating rental company who is simply after your money. Functioning through a similar business style as AirBNB, Road Runner car rentals allow people to offer up their own vehicles for use. Customers in need simply log onto an app, search for the car that fits their need, and further get in touch with the owner directly to discuss details.

The Great Barrier Reef Legacy

Together, there are no barriers too great to save our reefs.
Through a motion graphic video the goal is to raise awareness around the declining populations among the coral reefs that surround the Australian landscape and provide the audience with a call to action. The Great Barrier Reef Legacy is an innovative leader in collaborative coral reef research expeditions, education, stewardship and multi-media engagement. A not-for-profit social enterprise, Great Barrier Reef Legacy was created to address the urgent need to secure the long-term survival of the Great Barrier Reef and coral reefs world-wide.