Graphica Design is a sole proprietorship that provides web and graphic services. Here is a sampling of what I have been doing for the last 30 years. This site can be navigated through the links at left, tapping the arrows, or by touch. A simple swipe to the left will take you to the next page in an album. A swipe down will take you to the next project. It was fun for me to make this. I hope it is fun for you to use.  

Direxa Consulting develops and builds statistical strategies for process and analytical development, scale-up, validation and ongoing monitoring for biopharmaceutical companies  

Organization of mental health professionals: https://www.centerpsych.com

A beautiful boat club on Philadelphia's iconic Boathouse Row. Visit at: University Barge Club

A magnificent house museum in Paoli, Pennsylvania, owned by Easttown Township, administered by the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks: www.HistoricWaynesborough.org

World's Largest High School Regatta www.stotesburycupregatta.com

The Schuylkill Navy is an association of amateur rowing clubs of Philadelphia. Founded in 1858, it is the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the United States. Visit the site at www.schuylkillnavyregatta.com

First run circa 1880, the regatta was originally known as the People’s Regatta. The People’s Regatta was run “Over the National Course”. It was open to all. The regatta was re-named the Independence Day Regatta in 1958 in recognition of the Schuylkill Navy’s 100th anniversary. Visit www.independencedayregatta.com

A great regatta for young people! Visit at Philadelphia Youth Regatta.

This site is a collection of photos – images that surprise and enchant me. There are a few drawings and I plan to include videos and sounds when I finish projects and come up for air. Here is the address: www.graphicadesignweb.com/notebook.

Genealogy and history of the Hawley Family. Visit at www.hawleysociety.org

The Gold Cup is the most storied race in Philadelphia’s rich rowing history and one of the most exciting rowing competitions outside of the Olympics. Visit at www.thegoldcup.org

Academic support and consulting services for grades 1 through 12: www.cestutoring.com

Philadelphia's fall rowing classic: www.hosr.org   

Fine art gallery: www.andreadeimel.com

Learn to row and paddle day on Boathouse Row: www.axs2rp.com

Because graphic design is a visual medium, I shan't bore you with lengthy discussions about design philosophy, or strain your patience with elaborate case studies. I will try to clarify what you are looking at. This first image is the front cover and inside gatefold from a 22" x 17" brochure that folds down to 5.5" x 8.5" to fit a standard envelope. The next image is the piece folded in half; the final image is the inside spread.

The configuration of this brochure is the same as the previous one, except the cover opens as do books in Hebrew – left to right – in the opposite direction than books in English.

Capital Campaign Brochure

Good title for a brochure, huh? This adventure is designed for couples and is an offshoot of an outdoor leadership program. The trips are run by a visionary psychologist and his team. Participants are encouraged to challenge themselves and learn new skills in the Great Outdoors. Experiences and insights are shared in a group setting at the end of the day.

This, and the next two orchestra projects, are part of my ongoing effort to make #10 brochures more interesting than the usual 8.5" x 11" folded in thirds. I am still working on the best way to show how these fold.

As an aside, the template I am using for this site (thank you Dmitry!) is still in beta...so if odd things happen, use the menu at left or refresh your browser. This theme is too much fun to use to be afraid of a few little bugs :-o

Lest time wither or custom stale my infinite variety, I include this third piece, similar to the two previous, to demonstrate that a tight budget, which precludes four-color printing, is manageable with two colors.    

The UBC 1871 Foundation is dedicated to the protection and conservation of the historic architectural identity of #7 Boathouse Row. The Foundation, in support of the Boathouse Row community, strives to preserve and improve the home of University Barge Club so that current members and future generations will continue to enjoy the historic site and all the benefits it brings.

When it absolutely, positively, has to be an 8.5" x 11" brochure, printed and folded by the client, we can still have a party.

This is just like origami, a printed square and folded by hand. Sharing the Arts was a cultural exchange program hosted by The Appel Farm Arts and Music Center in Elmer, The Perkins Center for the Arts in Moorestown and The Walt Whitman Center for the Arts and Humanities in Camden. The cover is the state of New Jersey with a squiggle to show the three locations. The purpose of the event was to bring prominent New Jersey artists, musicians and performers to culturally underserved rural, suburban and urban communities.

And you thought the last fold was complicated. This 22.5" x 18" brochure works its way down to an 8.5" x 11" brochure. The panels on the far left include a perforated and gummed envelope for donations. I would bet there is a better way to show you how this works so I will point to this piece as a sample of a well-planned and carefully measured "mechanical." Yes, it did work and looked quite swank when it was printed. Of course, like a travel map, almost no one could figure how how to fold it up again. We thought about offering a free trip to an exotic fishing village like Nordkyn to anyone who could – but that was beyond our budget.

Marci Caterer's brochure is simplicity itself: a straight-up accordion fold printed on one side. That last piece for the Maritime Museum took the wind out of our sails for a week. Plus, the rulers and grid systems went on strike. If you ever need an elegant and imaginative caterer, Marci is the one to call. Remember to ask about her cheese puff squares. I am sure they are served in heaven.

When I began my career, an art director told me: "If a graphic designer gets two or three portfolio pieces a year, he or she should rejoice." So, here is an older piece – included because artist Morris Louis is one of my favorites. (Henri Matisse is my number one.)

The Breezer catalogue was as much of a joy to do as a ride on the open road. Some of the bikes were photographed in Doylestown – where I live and work. One of their folding bikes, named "Ziggy" was photographed around the corner from Ziggy Zygmunt Motors, the shop to which we haul our ailing vehicles. Synchronicities such as that never fail to make me wonder about an organized universe with a sense of humor.    

This, too, is a blast from the past, scanned from the printed piece. The old photo knocks me out. In particular, the short guy on the far left in the second spread, who is a dead-ringer for Marty Feldman. "No, it's pronounced I-gor."

This brochure is a fundraising piece, and like the Breezer catalogue, the kind of work I love to do. During this site creation, I made a decision to show all the pages in each project. Here is why: with a paper portfolio, a designer can choose the best spreads and hide the pages with the niggly bits: the boring things like numbers, charts and price lists. Devoting as much care to "back pages" as to the glamorous "front pages" is part of the practice – pursuing perfection in the smallest details.

This is a two-color booklet that encourages state business leaders to participate in reforming science and technology education in the schools. Although it is an older piece, I include it to prove that white space never gets tiresome.

Another two-color brochure, and the first one I did for the communications director at the school. We went on to collaborate on many projects and do great work together – interspersed with field trips to museums, farmers' markets, and Japanese restaurants. Even after her retirement, I count on her to push me a little further, and correct my Japanese.

Here is a straight forward booklet that is no more than a listing of names. We used this format for several years and changed the color of the field. This piece is an example of taking rather dull text (unless, of course, your name is in it), and giving it the same care and attention as an annual report.

A celebration of color for a colorful and visionary company.

The mission with this office handout was "putting a face" on a renovated facility. That is one thing we have in here – a lot of faces. If you are like me, sitting in a room waiting for a stranger to appear, is unnerving. This booklet served as a friendly introduction to the physicians.

This annual report is one of my favorites – particularly since the clients and I managed the project as a creative team. Many thanks to Lisa Verges for overseeing the work Caitlin Brown and I were so deeply involved with. And a special shout out to Caitlin for hard work; as well as, partnering with me to deliver a book, which accurately, and beautifully captures the essence of the extraordinary work CLS does for the community.

All three of the Girard College annual reports were handled like magazines, and a lot of fun to do. Each article needed its own flavor, but had to fit in with the annual message from the president, details about commencement addresses, financials, and list of board managers. We used a carefully chosen palette to unite the pages.

Our focus this year was on the new roof for Founders Hall. Yes, it looks like the Parthenon, and the interior is as spectacular as the exterior. Stephen Girard's legacy is an excellent read and the school offers tours of this magnificent campus by appointment.

The theme of this annual report was the students. Len Rubenstein did the photography; Zuki McLaughlin art directed the shoot, managed the content, and did all the copywriting. With talent like that on board, the life of a designer is blissful.

Above is a two-color annual report. It was their tenth anniversary, hence the cover graphic, done by yours truly. The art on the inside was done by Murray Callahan; the project management and copywriting by Mari Bernhagen.

And for yet another configuration to fit a budget: a four-color cover with two-color text pages. Overbrook School for the Blind, built by the Philadelphia firm Cope and Stewardson in 1899, is an architectural masterpiece.  To quote Christopher, my friend and client: "You and I do a lot of work for schools behind tall stone walls."

My first annual report project, done many years ago, was designed in landscape view. Back then, the company wanted to showcase some of the entrepreneurs in whom they invested. I smile to see how large they have become since then (no, nothing to do with me or this annual report ;-) The cover, which looks so bland here, was actually blind embossed with their old "lightning bolt" logo. You just have to believe me. Embossing is done when a job goes to press – so you are flying blind until the die is cast.

Designing the art for this shopping bag was an unusual and very interesting project. How to simplify Boathouse Row lit up at night graphically and using three colors was challenging and fun! Making the art for this project was one of my favorite jobs.

One of my favorites. This rack card is a mere 4" x 9" and afforded me the privilege of poking around the Girard College collection. No, I was not allowed to sit in that chair. But I did get to open the armoire. Yes, it was empty.

I can get lost creating graphic moods on small sheets of paper. This insert sheet is an accordion fold.

This map is a web graphic for Camp Kweebec's web site. Every now and again, I take on a drawing project.

I could not resist including this because the concept continues to amuse me. These were the nautical coordinates for the Philadelphia Maritime Museum when it was on Chestnut Street.

There is a certain irony to working on banners. You have a ton of space, but the visuals have to be simple.

Banners for Kelly Drive during this two-day regatta.

When it comes to branding an event, “God is in the details.” ~ Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Independence Day Regatta and Head of the Schuylkill Regatta Limited Edition Tee Shirts.

This 38" x 21" calendar folds down to meet postal regulations. With projects like these, I always visit the United States Post Office to get their blessing before we go to print. If a 10,000 piece run jams their scanners, I fully expect that a muscular woman in a uniform with a badge will show up at my front door with a frown, a lecture, and a large wooden ruler.

This Powerpoint presentation is included to show there is life beyond Microsoft templates.

One of many sponsorship proposals (about eighty-seven of them to be exact) done last year to promote a syndicated sports talk show. The sheets were printed on one side and coil bound with front and back covers.

A sampling of letterhead packages, for which I did the logos. These are tough to show online since paper plays such a big part in the final product. There are more to come under this heading. It seems excessive to create a separate album for each one, and I hope you are not struggling with the navigation for this site. Reminder: this theme is still in beta, and even I alternate between using mouse clicks and touch swiping. Blame it on smart phones and having to retrain fingers. Eventually, there will be a separate logo gallery. Just not today.

These postcards were part of a direct mail campaign for a printing company that could handle anything you asked of them.

I love doing postcards! These were done to promote an online gallery offering Israeli art for sale.

More postcards for a printing company. In addition to eye-catching graphics, we were able to showcase some wonderful papers.

Posters are grouped under one heading. When I go through portfolios, I flip through the pages fairly quickly. Giving you the same ability seems like a good idea. I cannot see a reason to go into a long dissertation about each item. If you are confused, shoot me a note and I will tell you more.

This invitation package included an outside envelope, reply card and inside envelope. The invitation was printed in burgundy, silver and black – then folded in thirds. The die cut edge was set off against the burgundy gatefold.

A difficult configuration to show online, this stapled invitation booklet has a vellum over-sheet and is finished with a gold elastic tassel.  I hired a roomful of teenage boys to affix the tassels and stuff the envelopes. I was sworn to secrecy never to mention they spent an afternoon surrounded by frilly gold tassels.

This invitation was printed on heavy linen stock and folds in thirds. The aleph logo on the front cover is a die-cut.

The art on the cover is a whimsical interpretation of A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat. The invitation was mailed in a vellum envelope so the art showed through. Yes, the post office blessed our efforts before we stamped them and dropped them into the mailbox.

Two-color, eight page newsletter, written by Mari Bernhagen.

We did a number of issues for this newsletter. This one is my favorite because of the "lily feet" shoes on page five – part of the extensive collection in the school's Shoe Museum. From the tenth century until the practice was banned in 1912, wealthy Chinese women had their feet bound and wore expensive and elaborate shoes. Today, I am not convinced that Christian Louboutins are any more comfortable.

Simple, fun, two-color newsletter for a logistics school.

This album includes a few covers for a program book I have done for fifteen years. We used to use Thomas Eakins' paintings and drawings as our theme. Over the last few years, we have used more contemporary graphics. Just so you know, in the next album, I have uploaded the whole book. Fact is, you see one, you have seen them all, but I do want to share the page details so you know I am not hiding behind colorful covers.

The entire program, as promised. Stamina provided by Power Bars and Gatorade.

I appreciate your taking the time to browse my site and hope you enjoyed looking at my work. I promise not to let another ten years elapse before I update this portfolio. I still have things to upload, but I have a feeling I had better get back to work; and, I would bet money you have seen just about enough for now.