One of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States, Trinity College was been a force in the redevelopment of its Hartford community. The college’s goals were to restore the quality of its site and physically engage the surrounding neighborhood as a catalyst for local area improvement—Trinity wished to take down the barriers that too long held Hartford at bay. A monumental discover for this designer was recognizing that the college was indissolubly linked to health of Hartford, and that Trinity could be a catalyst in strengthening ties with the city and local neighborhood groups. Signage aside, this designer also bore witness to the importance of and interdependence of collaborative work, and the multi-year project ignited a personal interest in furthering the my education.

This 4.9 acre State Park in Long Island City was considered one of the most significant New York public works since Central Park. In 1998, Gantry Plaza’s two-and-a-half acres on the East River was the first phase of the planned development that opened up the Queens waterfront in Long Island City. Its award-winning design has transformed former industrial space into a flourishing public park with tremendous views of Manhattan. It was the first in a series of residential developments and public parks for what is currently a thriving community on the East River in Hunters Point, Queens. For this designer, it was an opportunity to collaborate with renowned landscape architects and contribute to conversations about cultural heritage landscapes.

Over the span of a few years, New York's Two Twelve Associates worked on two significant commissions for the City of Chicago. First, the Chicago Park District sign system, followed by an ambitious project to redesign street regulatory signage. Chicago's extensive urban park system is one of the nation's finest and home to many cultural institutions and landmarks. At the time, the system comprised 552 parks, sports fields, and playlots. From landscape features to signage, the system in multiple languages helped users easily navigate the park setting while not distracting from the public spaces. For his designer, numerous professional accomplishments, observations, and experiences came out of this experience.

In 1996, I worked on three software packages for mutual fund titan T. Rowe Price of Baltimore. NSCAD alumni David Peters, who managed the three projects—Retirement Savings Analyzer, Decisions (401k), and a third for track IRAs—saw the project through the lens of the user. David recognized there might have been TRP investors who would use all three. This approach told us one thing: no matter what application, the results (output) had to be the same if the input was consistent among all three. If not, it could be a catastrophic failure for the investment firm. Thus, all three software applications—that fit on a single floppy disc—use the same calculation engine.

The ‘decisions’ software project represents the first time I worked with illustrators, from reviewing portfolios to art direction. The project also went through extensive user testing, a process I had never experienced. However, working with the content architect and writer was when I truly understood how language, illustration, organization, and graphic design are inextricably integrated; mainly, it revealed the importance of editing everything; after all, this complex software fit on a single floppy disk. A year after launch, the program had staggering results of up to 40% of investors changing their investment strategy resulting in significantly higher personal gains. As a result of this project, I realized the power of design and how my profession could bring about change in a meaningful way.