Jack Henry

Kindle and Amazon KDP

Mar 2026 - Present • 8 mos

A first time author came to me two weeks before her self help book was set to launch on Amazon KDP, with a cover she'd made herself using a template tool. It looked flat and forgettable, nothing like the bestsellers she was hoping to compete with, and she was worried it would hurt her launch before it even started. I asked her to send me the manuscript's core message, her target reader, and a few covers in her genre she admired. She wanted something that felt warm and encouraging rather than clinical, so I moved away from stock photography and built the concept around bold, elegant typography paired with a soft gradient background, letting the title itself carry the emotional weight of the book. I delivered three initial front cover directions: one typographic, one photographic, and one minimalist. She was drawn to the typographic concept but felt the title needed more presence at thumbnail size, since that's how most readers would first see it on Amazon. I strengthened the font weight, adjusted the color contrast, and tested it small on screen to confirm it stayed readable even as a tiny icon. Once approved, I built the full paperback wrap, calculating the exact spine width from her page count and trim size, then delivered print-ready PDF files alongside JPG and PNG versions for her ebook listing. I also created a 3D mockup so she could preview and promote the book on social media before launch day. She messaged me after publishing to say the cover was the first thing new readers commented on, and that it finally looked like the professional book she'd worked so hard to write.

Logo and Brand Identity

Feb 2026 - Present • 9 mos

A local burger and pizza restaurant owner reached out, frustrated after two previous designers gave them generic clip-art logos that looked like every other fast food spot in the area. They wanted something that actually reflected their story: a family run kitchen serving bold, honest food, with a name they were proud of and a look to match. I started by asking about their menu, their target customers, and the restaurants they admired, then researched their local competitors to find a visual gap I could fill. They leaned toward a premium, slightly vintage feel rather than the cartoonish look common in the industry, so I proposed an emblem-style badge logo combining a stacked burger icon with clean, confident typography. I presented three initial concepts, each built around a different mood: bold and modern, warm and vintage, and a playful mascot option. They fell in love with the vintage badge design, so I refined it through two rounds of feedback, adjusting the color palette to a richer red and gold and tightening the icon until it felt sharp even as a small delivery app thumbnail. Once approved, I delivered the full package: transparent PNG and vector files for signage and packaging, a 3D mockup showing the logo on cups and burger boxes, and a small social media kit so their Instagram launch looked cohesive from day one. The owner said it finally felt like their restaurant had an identity people would remember, not just a logo. That project became the foundation for how I approach every restaurant brand since: understand the story first, then design the identity around it.