The project pictured here was done for a special seasonal event at the Red Door, located in the Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego. The Red Door is known for its original seasonal menus based on fresh, local, organic and sustainable ingredients, as well as for offering a unique “casual fine dining” experience. This particular event was to be an all-natural Easter egg dyeing party for children, held at the restaurant and hosted by the Red Door’s chef, Karrie Hills. I met with Kelsey Doonan, the event coordinator, who gave me a rundown on event details, including the specific printed pieces needed. I was excited to start work on these promotional and event signage pieces, which were to coincide with the look and feel of the restaurant’s branding, but also bring to mind the playful fun of spring and egg dyeing, through colorful touches of pastels and watercolor effects.

Kelsey followed up with several digital inspiration boards full of spring party ideas, which helped steer me in the right direction, so that I could quickly create and find the perfect design elements to bring together. Most of the work was done on the computer, including digital brushes I used to create the watercolor effects on the signs. The final pieces were utilized in both print and digital format (e.g., for advertising the event at the restaurant, as well as online). The Red Door has a phenomenal staff, and one of the bonuses of working on this was getting to know many of the wonderful people involved in the restaurant’s day-to-day operations. I was also fortunate enough to work with my sister, Stacey, on this project, as she was brought on to be the photographer for the event; the slideshow above gives a glimpse of the beautiful job she did of capturing the day.

Read about Kelsey’s experience working with me.