DESIGNS THAT DIDN'T JUST PROMOTE - THEY PROVOKED (GRAPHIC DESIGNS)
🎨 Case Study: “The Leftovers” Inspired Graphic Design (in partnership with HBO)
🎯 The Challenge:
We were tasked by HBO to help promote the third and final season of The Leftovers by starting a fan driven movement. As such, we made a design that was visual tribute to a show centered on grief, existential mystery, and human connection—while adapting its core concept of sudden absence into a deeply personal and emotionally grounded piece. The goal was to echo the tone of the show without directly mimicking its branding, and to create a design that could live as fan art, podcast artwork, or promotional material.
💡 My Role & Process:
Since we were invited by HBO to help promote the third and final season of The Leftovers— we decided we were not starting off with a traditional campaign, but with something more elusive and ambitious: a fan-driven movement. One rooted in emotion, mystery, and meaning. The ask was simple but profound—create a visual that could stir the soul, echo the existential tension of the show, and feel as personal as a memory.
So I made it personal.
I served as the concept artist, photographer, and designer. I began with a real photo of my wife, son, and daughter on a crisp autumn day—then removed myself. In my place, I rendered a galaxy-filled silhouette: a void wrapped in stars. It wasn’t just absence—it was cosmic dislocation. The kind of loss that doesn’t announce itself, but settles in quietly and never fully leaves.
Rather than dramatize pain, I leaned into stillness. Smiles remained. The warmth of the season glowed. Life continued. And yet, something vital was missing. The aesthetic was inspired by the show’s title sequence—where ordinary moments are punctured by conspicuous absence—but this was no mimicry. It was homage, fused with autobiography.
The color grading and composition were sculpted to feel like a living memory: intimate, cinematic, and just a little bit broken. The result was a portrait that could pass for fan art, podcast key art, or official HBO promotion—but at its core, it was something rarer: a visual confession.
📈 The Result:
The final piece struck a chord. Fans of The Leftovers, close personal contacts and even HBO responded with emotional resonance—many saying, “I didn’t even notice at first that someone was missing—until I did. Then I couldn’t unsee it.” That reaction was exactly the point. It invited viewers to experience absence the way grief often arrives in real life: quietly, then all at once.
But the impact didn’t stop there. The concept quickly took off within the Leftovers fan community, sparking a viral trend where others began recreating the visual—editing their own family photos to include the silhouette of someone missing. It became not just a piece of art, but a shared language of grief and remembrance that spread across forums and social platforms.
HBO wanted promotion and fan art to help the little engine that could. But, more than fan art, this project became a deeply personal, widely shared statement about presence, loss, and the visual power of storytelling. It now serves as the signature image of our Leftovers podcast—and a bridge between the fictional and the real, the visible and the vanished.
🎬 Case Study: The North Remembers – Fire, Fury, and the Fall of a Queen
🎯 The Challenge:
As Game of Thrones approached its seismic finale, most critics were overwhelmingly negative—citing character betrayals, rushed plots, and tonal whiplash. And while those critiques weren’t without merit, The North Remembers with Mary & Blake set out to offer something different: an honest analysis of the story as it was, not as we wished it had been. We aimed to create a visual that reflected that mission—an image that didn’t sugarcoat, didn’t rage-bait, but invited a deeper, more nuanced look at the chaos of Season 8. Our goal was to distill all of that divisiveness into one unforgettable, unvarnished visual truth.
💡 My Role & Process:
I crafted a poster that didn’t whisper—it roared. At the heart stood Daenerys, cloaked in black, framed by a crimson battlefield. Looming behind her: the unmistakable three-headed dragon sigil of House Targaryen, rendered in a jagged white silhouette that tears across the canvas like fire through parchment.
This wasn’t just iconography—it was ideology. The Targaryen sigil enveloping Daenerys asked the question: was she ascending as the dragon’s true heir—or being consumed by its legacy of fire and blood? The bold red-and-white palette, textured like aged propaganda, evoked revolution. The design dared viewers to confront their own feelings about her descent into darkness.
The podcast title sat subtly in the corner, a steady voice beneath the chaos—signaling that The North Remembers was about interrogating the show.
📈 The Result:
“This isn’t fan art—it’s a thesis.” – Listener Comment
This design demanded attention. It framed our coverage as not just a recap, but a reckoning—with power, legacy, and the woman who flew too close to the sun on dragon wings.
🎬 Case Study: The Potterverse – Reimagining Wizarding World Podcast Branding
🎯 The Challenge:
The Harry Potter podcast universe is saturated—with most designs relying on familiar Hogwarts motifs, magical icons, or cluttered collages. We needed something bold. Something that cut through the noise. The goal? Create podcast artwork for The Potterverse with Mary & Blake that instantly told listeners: this isn’t your average fan recap. This is where deep dives, sharp analysis, and cinematic storytelling meet.
💡 My Role & Process:
I wanted this to stand apart the moment someone saw it. So I broke from the visual tropes of the genre and leaned hard into minimalist, modern design. Using Harry’s silhouette—just the glasses, wand, and lightning scar—I created instant recognition through restraint. No castles. No owls. No floating candles. Just iconography distilled to its purest form.
To infuse energy, I sliced the frame with a bold diagonal—layered in deep Gryffindor reds and golds—and set the title text along the band, breaking traditional podcast layout rules. The upper left corner bears our studio’s anchor seal, branding it as unmistakably Mary & Blake.
This wasn’t just podcast art. It was a flag. A statement. A sorting hat moment in visual form: if you know, you know. And if you're ready for something deeper—you’re home.
📈 The Result:
The design stopped thumbs. Fans and first-timers alike commented on how instantly different and premium it felt.
✅ Spiked visibility across podcast platforms
✅ Frequently cited in reviews and fan messages as a reason for clicking play
✅ Became a visual cornerstone for The Potterverse brand, inspiring future segment art and social campaigns
“It looks like a serious film critic made a Harry Potter podcast. And I love that.” — Listener Review
In a world full of wands and whimsy, this design made one promise: expect more.
🎬 Case Study: The Rings of Power – A Sacred Visual for a Mythic Narrative
🎯 The Challenge:
Entering the vast and hallowed world of The Lord of the Rings, we knew that any branding for our podcast, The Rings of Power with Mary & Blake, had to be reverent, cinematic, and worthy of Tolkien’s legendarium. With Amazon’s adaptation stirring both anticipation and scrutiny, we needed to establish immediate credibility and resonance. Our artwork had to signal depth, beauty, and emotional immersion—setting us apart in a crowded space while honoring one of the greatest mythologies ever written.
💡 My Role & Process:
I anchored the design in one of Tolkien’s most powerful visual symbols: the glowing Two Trees of Valinor. Rather than default to rings, swords, or maps, I chose an image that would stir deep recognition in lore-loving fans and evoke awe in newcomers. The trees radiate light and life, set against a celestial backdrop of smoky twilight and divine stillness.
But the image held a hidden tension. Rising above the radiant trees is a subtle formation of shadow and cloud—shaped, almost imperceptibly, into the looming silhouette of Sauron. That dark figure watches from above, symbolizing the creeping return of evil even in the face of divine beauty. It’s a quiet visual foreshadowing—a reminder that in Tolkien’s world, light is always under siege by shadow.
To match the show’s official style, I mirrored the Rings of Power logotype—delivering a premium, cinematic feel that seamlessly aligned with Amazon’s branding. The podcast subtitle, “With Mary & Blake,” was treated in a clean, elegant serif to ground the fantasy in a personal, relatable voice.
The compass-and-anchor emblem in the upper corner served as our creative signature—tying this artwork into the larger Mary & Blake portfolio and signaling both quality and trust.
📈 The Result:
The design immediately resonated with fans of the show and Tolkien purists alike.
“This looks like something Tolkien himself would have approved.” — Listener Feedback
This wasn’t just cover art—it was an offering. A visual invitation to step into myth, to feel awe—and to sense the shadows gathering beyond the light.
🎬 Case Study: Outlander Cast – Fire, Fan Quotes, and a Cinematic Campaign
🎯 The Challenge:
In an oversaturated awards landscape where hundreds of podcasts vie for attention, we needed to craft an eye-catching "For Your Consideration" campaign that didn’t just ask for votes—it earned them. Outlander Cast had been nominated multiple times for The People's Choice Podcast Awards, but this year, we wanted to raise the stakes. Our goal: convey the emotional intensity of the podcast through visuals as cinematic and dramatic as the series itself.
💡 My Role & Process:
I designed a hero poster built around a blazing, high-impact image of Jamie Fraser from Outlander—backlit by fire, stepping into danger. This wasn’t just key art—it was metaphor. Jamie walking into the flames mirrored the passionate storytelling, fearless criticism, and loyal community we’ve built over nearly a decade.
Overlaying this image, I layered real listener reviews in bold, staggered type: “Addicting,” “Can’t Get Enough,” “Essential.” These weren’t empty blurbs—they were social proof, curated to emphasize emotional connection and critical legitimacy.
The hierarchy of the text and the stark contrast between light and shadow drew attention where it mattered, while the campaign header—"For Your Consideration In All Categories"—framed the poster with confident authority.
📈 The Result:
✅ Widely shared by fans on social media as a badge of loyalty and pride
✅ Helped Outlander Cast remain top-of-mind in the voting window
✅ Became the visual centerpiece of our awards campaign outreach
“This podcast is as addicting as the series.” – Listener Review
This piece turned a vote request into an experience. It made the case that Outlander Cast doesn’t just follow the show—it walks into the fire right alongside it.
🎬 Case Study: Mary & Blake Media – A Love Letter to Rhode Island Podcasting
🎯 The Challenge:
After years of podcasting success and community growth, we were ready to compete for Best Podcast of Rhode Island in Rhode Island Monthly's annual “Best Of” awards. But the real challenge wasn’t just getting votes—it was capturing the heart of what our work means to listeners. We needed a campaign image that would represent not only our brand, but our bond—as partners in marriage, in storytelling, and in building a creative legacy from the Ocean State.
💡 My Role & Process:
I designed a soft, emotionally resonant poster that placed Mary and me front and center—hand-in-hand, walking the Rhode Island coastline at golden hour. No mics, no headphones, no gimmicks. Just two people, chasing the sun and inviting others to come along.
At the top, a real listener quote reads: "Mary and Blake have a natural talent for making you feel a part of their podcasting community no matter where you are in the world." This sentiment became our message to Rhode Island: we may be a local brand, but our reach and impact are deeply human and global.
The design featured clean, modern typography, the trusted Mary & Blake compass-and-anchor seal, and the Rhode Island Monthly logo—anchoring us both literally and figuratively in the place we call home.
📈 The Result:
“No matter where you are in the world, this podcast feels like home.” – Listener Testimonial
This was a visual mission statement: we’re not just creating content—we’re creating belonging.
