• WORK
  • PROFILE
  • CONTACT
  • Lots O' Logos NA     2009 Branding, Graphic Design, Typography
  • Angie's Kettle Corn - Brand Update Angie's main goal was to stand out from thier competition on the shelf. This meant giving them a facelift, but more importantly an attitude adjustment that would make people smile. We refreshed everything from their logo to their packaging, and created a new brand language that was delightfully different from everyone else in the seriously crowded snack aisle.

    Client: Angie's Kettle Corn
    Project: Brand Update
    Agency: mono
    CD: Travis Olson
    Writer: Heather Sullard         2013 Branding, Graphic Design, Packaging
  • Zontik Games - Aristocrat Poker Chip Set As an internationally adored purveyor of luxury board games and gifts, Zontik Games has fostered a reputation as the authority on high-end gaming products, offering wares from the most sought-after companies in the world. In other words these aren't your Uncle Chet's poker chips. These morsels are 9.5 grams of artisanal soft-clay, hot stamped with gold foil and produced as a very limited edition. Game on.

    Get them while you can at Zontikgames.com

    Client: Zontik Games
    Project: Aristocrat Poker Chip Set
    Agency: Soulseven
    CEO: Roman Abromovski (Zontik Games)         2012 Graphic Design, Illustration, Product Design
  • Indian Motorcycle - Brand Campaign Concept This is initial concept work done for a pitch to Indian Motorcycle. Unfortunately the business was awarded to another agency, but I still feel proud of the work and the team. Additional (and better) concepts were created by co-workers Nick Brue and Anthony Cappetta. Curtis Jinkins lent his extraordinary skill to the Indian wood cut illustrations, and Dustin A. Beatty and Falcon Motorcycles photographs were used as FPO inspiration. These dudes are all super solid. Thanks boys.

    Client: Indian Motorcycle
    Project: Brand Campaign
    Agency: Olson
    CD: Ann Bauer Gately
    Writer: Ann Bauer Gately
    Illustration: Curtis Jinkins / www.neighborhood-studio.com
    Photography (Lifestyle): Dustin A. Beatty / www.dustinbeatty.com
    Photography (FPO Motorcycles): Falcon Motorcycles / www.falconmotorcycles.com         2011 Branding, Graphic Design, Advertising
  • Urbis Magazine - Best of the Best 2011 Cover Urbis is a New Zealand/Australia design publication that covers architecture, product design, fashion, and graphic design. They contacted me to do a custom typographic/illustration cover for the annual “best of” issue. Of course I jumped at the opportunity, and can now honestly say that Soulseven has gone International.

    The illustrated icons I created for the cover were also used throughout the “Best of” article to identify the different design categories. I did not design any portion of the interior layout other than the icons themselves.

    Client: Urbis Magazine
    Project: Best of the Best 2011 Cover
    Agency: Soulseven
    CD: Matthew Straker (Urbis)
    Designer: Sam Soulek         2012 Graphic Design, Icon Design, Illustration
  • Phillips - Cheers to 100 Years Campaign “Cheers to 100 Years” is a branding campaign to celebrate 100 years of business for Phillips Distilling Company. It included a celebratory crest, pattern and updated color palette for application on POP displays, liquor cases, and commemorative shot glass on-packs.

    Client: Phillips Distilling Company
    Project: 100-Year Anniversary Campaign
    Agency: Olson
    CD: Jeff Berg
    Design: Sam Soulek         2012 Graphic Design, Branding, Packaging
  • Posters Posters that I have done over the years.     2009 Typography, Graphic Design, Illustration
  • Scotts / Miracle-Gro - Retail Presence The goal was to establish a local ACE Garden Center as the lawn and garden authority through a fresh and innovative retail solution, while positioning The Scotts Miracle-Gro branded products as the category leader. Use of natural materials like cedar, turf and stamped concrete helped warm up the interior of Ace garden centers by bringing the outdoors in. Bold color and iconography in wayfinding signage made the shopping experience easier and more enjoyable for the novice gardener.

    Client: Scotts/Miracle-Gro
    Project: Scotts/Miracle-Gro Retail Presence
    Agency: FAME
    CD: Yves Roux
    Sketch Artist: Conrad Chin
    3D Designer: John Olson
    Writer: Chris Yocum         2011 Branding, Graphic Design, Pattern Design
  • Moss Optical - Brand Update Moss Optical is a small but successful optical boutique in the heart of Minneapolis. They cater to an upper class, business clientele who wants to look the part. Moss also happens to be family owned and operated, so it's important that clients and employees feel comfortable and at home while at the shop. It was important that the brand maintained some approachability and humor in keeping with the business vibe as well.

    The use of premium papers, printing, and debossing techniques in conjunction with the updated brand color palette, completes the new brand essence.

    Client: Moss Optical
    Project: Rebrand
    Agency: Soulseven
    Design: Sam Soulek
    Writer: Kevin Moss         2011 Branding, Graphic Design, Icon Design
  • Re:See - Brand Development Re:See artist, Jay Nuhring takes overstock billboard paper and rescues it from the incinerator by turning it into art. Jay needed a full brand job done, including a press kit booklet and mini-documentary. The business cards and booklet were designed to use actual billboard paper duplexed to heavy, uncoated black stock. In this way, each card and booklet would be unique to it’s recipient. Photography in the booklet shows the “Before” and “After” states of the art, and the documentary follows Jay on his journey from paper mill rescue to art framing. All photography and video has been shot, along with a detailed printing plan. Sadly, none of this has been produced as I’m waiting for the artist to gather funding.

    Client: Jay Nuhring/Re:See
    Project: Branding & Identity System
    Agency: FAME
    CD: Cheryl Meyer
    Writer: Julie Feyerer
    Photography: Chris Sheehan         2011 Branding, Graphic Design, Print Design
  • FAME - Branding Bar Client: FAME
    Project: FAME Branding Bar
    Agency: FAME
    CD: Eric Weiss
    Writer: Chris Yocum
    Printer: Studio OnFire         2009 Branding, Graphic Design, Illustration
  • Smead Retail Presence Smead asked us to help redesign their retail presence for a pitch to Staples and Office Max. This was a full retail branding effort. We designed product icons to educate consumers on product differences, designed a custom reset of the shopping experience inline and seasonal, and extended the brand language to office catalog shopping.     2011 Design, Graphic Design, Icon Design
  • Esquire Magazine - "The Best Bars in America" Coasters Esquire Magazine asked me to do a series of six coasters for their annual “The Best Bars in America” issue. They wanted the coasters to have a vintage Americana aesthetic, but maintain a modern feel in keeping with the magazine brand. The coasters were to be letterpress printed, then photographed to serve as bar category headers. There was a mere 7 days from initial contact to delivery for the photo shoot.

    Client: Esquire Magazine
    Project: “The Best Bars in America” Coasters
    Agency: Soulseven
    CD: Darhil Crooks (Esquire)
    Printer: Studio OnFire         2011 Editorial Design, Graphic Design, Typography
  • Lars Swanson - Logo & Identity System Lars Swanson is a talented young photographer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He needed a brand presence that would help him stand out from the competition, but didn’t have the money to print costly brand materials. So we leveraged traditional photography elements to be the identity materials for him. 35mm slides for business cards and Polaroids for direct mail cards were customized using rubber stamps and handwriting. Stamps were also used to brand the stock envelopes and direct mail holders, giving Lars the ability to create these pieces as he goes. Endless combinations of Polaroid images, paper stocks and ink stamp colors, allows Lars to make each mailer unique to the recipient. No two are alike. Little cost and big impact has been the result.     2009 Graphic Design, Branding, Photography
  • MinuteClinic - Brand Development I was pleased to be part of the development of the MinuteClinic brand a few years back when it was created at FAME - A Retail Branding Agency. MinuteClinic was the first to establish the walk-in clinic model. No appointment necessary. No germ infested waiting rooms. Just walk in, get checked out and receive the appropriate treatment to get better.

    Because it was a new business model at the time, we had to do a fair amount of education about the business itself, as well as the services offered throughout the first couple years of brand development. Because of this, the copywriting had to do a lot of the heavy lifting. In tandem with the educational copy, we had to visually portray the brand as friendly, credible and progressive. We accomplished this with cheerful photography, informative iconography and fun illustration.

    Client: CVS
    Project: MinuteClinic Brand Development
    Agency: FAME
    CD: Bruce Edwards
    Writer: Julie Feyerer
    Photography: Bob McNamara         2011 Branding, Icon Design, Graphic Design
  • Time Warner Cable - Retail Promotions Various promotion concepts done for Time Warner Cable. Some of these concepts were not bought by the client and hence not produced.

    Client: Time Warner Cable
    Project: Retail Promotions
    Agency: FAME
    CD: Bruce Edwards, Cheryl Meyer
    Writer: Julie Feyerer, Chris Yocum         2011 Graphic Design, Advertising, Marketing
  • Time Warner Cable - Product Promo Concept The goal of this direct mail was to create awareness of Time Warner Cable’s new Ultimate Triple Play package, and ultimately drive upsell subscriptions. The mailing was targeted at the most affluent, tech-saavy families in Manhattan, so the piece needed to feel extra premium. Use of metallic ink, clear foil stamping and a luxurious black stock accomplished this. The initial mailing went so well that they needed to hold on further mailings until call centers could be properly staffed. The direct mail is on it’s 3rd mailing of 25,000 currently and has boosted sales of their top-tier product significantly.

    Client: Time Warner Cable
    Project: Manhattan Market Direct Mail
    Agency: FAME
    CD: Cheryl Meyer
    Writer: Chris Yocum
    Printer: Shapco         2011 Graphic Design, Print Design, Branding
  • MinuteClinic - Retail Environment Environmental retail branding for MinuteClinic. This clinic is located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.     2009 Branding, Graphic Design, Interior Design
  • Eco Freako - Brand Development FAME - A Retail Branding Agency was charged by their holdings company to lower their carbon footprint, and needed a brand created to get its employees excited about getting green. It was important to minimize impact when producing the brand materials so great care was taken to calculate the cost of printing, producing and shipping. Printing was done using pieces of leftover office scrap for the invitation/tags, posters and pins. Reusable bags for lunches, water glasses and coffee mugs helped us lower our trash output. A signing system was also created for recycling receptacles throughout the agency.     2009 Branding, Graphic Design, Design
  • C'motion - Catalog C'motion is a program and product line that has brought gaming into the realm of physical education. Using dance games like Dance, Dance Revolution and a proprietary curriculum, C'motion is helping kids get in shape and have fun while they're doing it.

    The Product Catalog covers their entire product line and doubles as a program introduction for teachers and schools. Photography was shot during an actual class period with no models present, just real kids and instructors. The catalog is offset printed on a toothy uncoated stock, using 2 spot colors + 4 color process for the photos, then perfect bound.

    Most grade school kids are exposed to gaudy, overdone graphics wrought with gradients, drop shadows and purposeless 3D shapes. C'motion was seen as a step above their competition at national trade-shows and physical education conferences. The bright orange color and bold, modern graphics grabbed kids attention and got them excited about the program instantly.

    Client: C'motion
    Project: Catalog Design
    Agency: Soulseven
    Photography: Caroline Beard         2011 Branding, Graphic Design, Print Design
  • Vintage - Summer Party Invite Vintage is a concept invitation promoting the annual summer party at FAME - A Retail Branding Agency, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The fact that we are a branding agency meant the invite needed to be, well... branded. And if I wanted any respect from my coworkers at the party it better be done with excellence and a little bit of humor. The party consisted of a vineyard tour and wine tasting along the St. Croix River, so what better way to invite people than a custom labeled bottle of vino. As an added gift to partygoers, we created packaging and a thank you card to accompany a sleek Riedel decanter.     2009 Graphic Design, Branding, Illustration
  • C'motion - Brand Development C'motion is a program and product line that has brought gaming into the realm of physical education. Using dance games like Dance, Dance Revolution and a proprietary curriculum, C'motion is helping kids get in shape and have fun while they're doing it.

    C'motion was an entrepreneurial pursuit and needed brand development from the ground up, including: Logo and Identity System, Product Graphics, Brand Standards Manual, Direct Mail, T-shirts, Buttons, Trade Show Graphics, Sell Sheets, and Product Catalog. The Product Catalog would double as a program introduction for teachers and schools. The catalog is offset printed on a toothy uncoated stock, using 2 spot colors + 4 color process for the photos, then perfect bound.

    Most grade school kids are exposed to gaudy, overdone graphics wrought with gradients, drop shadows and purposeless 3D shapes. C'motion was seen as a step above their competition at national trade-shows and physical education conferences. The bright orange color and bold, modern graphics grabbed kids attention and got them excited about the program instantly.

    Client: C'motion
    Project: Brand Development
    Agency: Catalyst Studios / Soulseven
    CD: Jason Rysavy         2011 Branding, Graphic Design, Print Design
  • Time Warner Cable - Manhattan Market Direct Mail The goal of this direct mail was to create awareness of Time Warner Cable’s new Ultimate Triple Play package, and ultimately drive upsell subscriptions.     2011 Advertising, Graphic Design, Print Design
  • Target - Toughest Cowboy Target Corporation teamed up with a traveling rodeo and reality TV show, called “World’s Toughest Cowboy” and needed promotional materials to drive traffic to the events. Taking a cue from vintage western shirts and bandanas, we created a custom pattern that would be the base for the entire campaign. At first glance it looks like any other bandana pattern, but upon further inspection you can see that the Target Bullseye is worked throughout.

    Using the pattern we created flyers that doubled as hand fans for the hot outdoor rodeos, and bullseye branded cowboy kerchiefs to bring the Target brand presence to the events and to TV audiences. We also created a print ad campaign and a viral online spot to promote the pre-rodea chili fest serving Target’s retail brand chili.
         2009 Branding, Graphic Design, Advertising
  • Start Something - DVD Packaging DVD packaging screen printed on craft cover stock.

    Client: Target & The Tiger Woods Foundation
    Project: Start Something Curriculum DVD Packaging
    Agency: Catalyst Studios
    CD: Jason Rysavy         2011 Graphic Design, Packaging, Branding
  • Snap Industries - Snapwrap Snap Industries created the idea for “The all-in-one gift wrap kit for people on the go.” We made the idea look good. Snap wanted a fresh modern feel with a hint of retro styling, so we hand lettered the logo in a mid century script style. Next came the gift wrap patterns (20 or so) that had to appeal to a broad range of young professional men and women. Finally the gift tags were letterpress printed and matched with hand picked ribbons for each style. All of this neatly packaged for displaying the bright bold designs at retail.     2011 Graphic Design, Packaging, Pattern Design
All works © Soulseven 2013.
Do not reproduce without the expressed written consent of Sam Soulek.