self-directed – isabel k. hughes design https://isabelkhughes.com digital designer and illustrator Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:09:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 232255191 Drift Brewing Brand Identity https://isabelkhughes.com/drift-brewing-co Sat, 07 Jun 2025 19:27:37 +0000 https://isabelkhughes.com/?p=226732

BRAND IDENTITY, ILLUSTRATION, PACKAGING DESIGN

Drift Brewing Co. Brand Identity

Created as a part of the Briefbox bootcamp, this brand & packaging identity for a fictional brewery takes its inspiration from SoCal skate culture. Using a mixture of graphic design and illustration, I created a unique and refreshing brand identity for Drift.

As the birthplace, and a bastion of the sport and subculture ever since, California and LA specifically are synonymous with skateboarding. This unique sport has its own fashion, style, and aesthetic, with ties to the punk and DIY communities. The skate community is welcoming to all, and skaters of all levels are known for their perseverance to try over and over again to land a single complicated trick.

Like brewing that perfect sip, skateboarding takes craft, dedication, and skill.

Client

Self-directed, Briefbox

Scope

Brand Development

Logo Design

Overall Brand Identity

Packaging & Merchandise Design

Brand Identity

By adjusting the font Chennai, I created the Drift wordmark, choosing to keep it lowercase and laidback. With some further stylizing, the wordmark emulates the iconic skate brands of the SoCal area.

I also replaced the tiddle of the i with a moon, harkening back to the name of the brand itself, as the moon controls the tides, which might cause you to drift away.

Label Designs

As I was provided the names of the individual brews as well as some details of the brew itself, I wanted to challenge myself to create illustrations with a minimal palette, incorporating only the established brand colours. Primarily drawn in Procreate, I added the finishing touches to the illustrations and labels in Photoshop to add some depth and texture to them.

I kept the back labels simple, to give the illustrations space to shine as the stars of the show.

I also designed some simple coasters to go alongside the beer bottles, likely as a freebie.

other projects

]]> 226732 Shift – Two-Colour Branding https://isabelkhughes.com/shift-two-colour-branding Mon, 10 Mar 2025 17:49:08 +0000 https://isabelkhughes.com/?p=226389

BRAND IDENTITY, BRIEFBOX BOOTCAMP

Shift - Two-Colour Branding

Created as part of the Briefbox bootcamp, this identity for a fictional science event at the Tate Modern was a challenge of simple shapes and a very limited colour palette, showcasing minimalism in design.

Client

Self-directed, Briefbox

Medium

Printed Advertisements

Web Design

Software

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

other design projects

]]> 226389 Resolute, 2095 – a cyberpunk-inspired future https://isabelkhughes.com/resolute-2095 Sat, 17 Aug 2024 20:56:36 +0000 https://isabelkhughes.com/?p=224997

ILLUSTRATION, VISUAL NARRATIVE

Resolute, 2095 - A cybernetic-inspired future

Originally created during my master’s degree, “Resolute, 2095” explores a wintry, wind-swept future set in the Polar North. Inspired by solarpunk and cyberpunk aesthetics, as well as a reckoning with what harsh changes in climate could look like in the Arctic Circle, “Resolute, 2095” explores a vivid near-future fictional setting of a sprawling city in Canada’s far north.

Client

Centre for Digital Media
Self-Directed

Medium

Digital Painting

Digital Collage

Software

Adobe Photoshop

Jeep In Snow
Nanuq, The Port Bar
The Chief's Office
A Nighttime Sail
Resolute Skyline
The Seaport
The University of Resolute

other illustration projects

]]> 224997 Party Birds, an Illustration Series https://isabelkhughes.com/party-birds Sat, 13 Jul 2024 01:11:38 +0000 https://isabelkhughes.com/?p=224858

ILLUSTRATION, SELF DIRECTED

"Party Birds", An Illustration Series

This project was created after a friend mentioned seeing a nuthatch that looked like it was ‘late for a party’. After the nuthatch illustration was finished, I began polling other friends for what birds they’d like to see with party hats. Before I knew it, I had a fleet of party-ready birds on my hands.
 
The Party Birds series was soon translated to greeting cards. To date, they are one of the most popular items I have sold online and in-person, and I have gotten numerous requests for lots of other birds!
 
Client

Self-directed

Medium

Digital Painting

Printed Material

Software

Procreate

Adobe Photoshop

Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Raven
Baltimore Oriole
Eurasian Magpie
American Robin
Mountain Chickadee
Blue Jay
Northern Cardinal
New Zealand Tui
American Goldfinch
An illustration of a mother loon and a loonling on the water. The loonling is riding on its mother's back. They are both wearing blue party hats, and their reflection is showing on the water's surface.
Get your party birds in the shop!

other illustration projects

]]> 224858 Retro Toronto Illustration Series https://isabelkhughes.com/retro-toronto-series-illustration Fri, 12 Jul 2024 14:35:34 +0000 https://isabelkhughes.com/?p=224805

ILLUSTRATION, SELF-DIRECTED

Retro Toronto Illustration Series

An ongoing series of retro-inspired illustrations of various locations in Toronto, primarily based off of old photographs and postcards. Influence heavily drawn from retro-style comics.

Client

Self-directed

Medium
Digital
Software

Procreate

Adobe Photoshop

"Maple Leaf Gardens"
An homage to the former home of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Created in Procreate and Adobe Photoshop, 2023.
"Sam the Record Man"
Inspired by Albert Kish's photo of the original store on Yonge St. Created in Procreate and Adobe Photoshop, 2023.
"Queen and Parliament Street"
Queen and Parliament Street, based on a postcard from the mid 1960s. Created in Procreate and Adobe Photoshop, 2023.
"The Zipper"
Inspired by the famous ride at the CNE. Created in Procreate and Adobe Photoshop, 2024.
All of these illustrations are available as prints in my shop under Retro Toronto Series.

other illustration projects

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