I am a Husband, a Father, a Student, a Designer, a Typographer, a Creative, an Obsessive, an Inventor, a Problem-Solver, a Photographer, a Historian, a Researcher.
An Architect of Intricate Plans, the Man Behind the Curtain, an Attempted Self-Aware Individual, a Self-Aggrandizing Individual, an Introvert, an Observer, a Character Analyzer.
I am: Opinionated, Tasteful, Non-Confrontational, Respectful, Humble, Unostentatious, Carbon-Based. Despite all that: Excellent.
I am what you need.
Derek Lucas
Cell: (717) 759-0337
Email: d@derekplucas.com
I will not lie. I am introverted and obsessive. If I cannot make something perfect I would almost prefer not to expose it to the light of day. This is what makes me such a fantastic designer.
- Education
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John Brown University (3 Years)
Major: Graphic Design
Self-Taught (7 Years)
- Skills
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Computer skills
Experienced in Adobe Creative Suite since 2002. Mastered in boring Microsoft & less boring Apple productivity software. Can break & fix Windows 3.1 and up as well as Mac OS 7 and up. Pretty much everything else.
- Experience
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Freelance Designer - Lancaster, PA - 2008-Present
- Researched, prototyped, polished, and support websites for local businesses.
- Worked multiple simultaneous projects as well as documenting and coordinating my business.
John Brown University Designer - Siloam Springs, AR - 2006-2008
- Worked closely with lead designer on most of the university's projects.
- Concepted, created and finalized many of the school's internal and external communications.
- Frequently overcame short deadlines and minimal budget to exceed expectations.
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has an unmatched level of style & class for either a symphony or a charity. So working for them was a wonderful chance to extend fantastic design while helping out a great charity. Work on the project started with three designers but in the end it was down to me to deliver this superb brochure to the client on time. And it is against the rules to put late projects in a portfolio, right?
Gordon Denlinger - State Representative
Web · Logo
Gordon Denlinger is a traditional, solid, keystone of the Pennsylvania Government. So when he approached me about a redesign of his campaign website, I jumped at the opportunity. We transformed his site from outdated and boring to modern and user-friendly yet still with traditional values. We worked to create a personal journal to allow Gordon to connect strongly with his supporters. We did this in two stages on a very short deadline. The first stage was concepted, created, and published in one day to be published the same day as an unexpected Voters Guide. The second stage took the previous full featured website, and transitioned it onto a Wordpress base allowing Gordon to publish articles to inform his consituents of his positions.
Once Upon A Time
Logo · Identity System
Somewhere in Tulsa, Oklahoma a small wedding planner service slowly lingers in obscurity despite their exceptional service due to exceptionally dull design. After much research and discussion we decided that Grace would do well to reposition her business as a high end planner. Once Upon A Time was soon reborn with a new focus and a classy new identity to match.
The Cottage & Loft
Web · Logo · Identity System
Quaint old-fashioned charm is Lancaster County, Pennsylvania's chief export. How then do you make a quaint bed and breakfast cottage stand apart from all this overwhelming charm? And how do you portray the charm of being surrounded by Amish farms to New Yorkers without slapping an Amish buggy on everything? The experience of living near the Amish for most of my life and in multiple states allows me to tap into why people are attracted to the Cottage & Loft without the stereotypes ever emerging.
Nine Lessons & Carols
To evoke the solemn, restrained, yet ecstatic joy of Christmas for a reformed church holding a service in a historical building requires a keen use of the solemn yet exquisite beauty of excellent typography. Not simply the perfect choice of fonts but the exact composition that evokes the intended emotion and is still eminently readable.
John Calvin for Today
Working for Covenant Reformed is always exciting since they allow me to push the envelope of what they consider to be possible. A co-conspirator on this project provided me with the wonderful modified woodcut illustration and the logo. I set the piece to simmer and brought the whole thing down to a single perfectly comprehensible piece with excellent flow.
Covenant Reformed Church
Logo
Covenant's ongoing logo design process is extremely exciting for me because it allows me to truly flex my creativity while still exploring the world of traditional reformed churches.
Stor4You
Web · Brand Refresh
When Stor4You came to me about a redesign their website was really holding them back. It was five years old in design, content, search optimization, and purpose. How well a storage facility is taken care of seals the deal for many. They had no pictures at all on their old site. Together we created a new purpose for the site, and designed a professional picture heavy site that represents how they care for their property and their customers.
Ben Hardt and the Symphony
Web
A quick, one-day-deadline website for musician Ben Hardt to help promote his upcoming funded-by-Kickstarter album trilogy. Much luck to you, Ben!
Personal Projects
A few projects I worked on in my spare time for friends & family.
