maria squeri

maria squeriDESIGN PORTFOLIO

maria squeri

family business SPRING 2009

This installation chronicles the history of my family’s business through interviews with family members and photographs. I challenged myself to share this story in a way in which all the emotion and nostalgia remained intact. The hanging books include the interview text typeset expressively to reflect the tone in the voice of the speaker. The space, enclosed by an outer layer of family photos, created an intimate space for the viewers to read the books.

maria squeri

pencil case SPRING 2008

This package design is based on my experience at the Chicago Auto Show. I took the principles of test-driving a new car and the way in which a luxury car is displayed prominently in a show room, and translated them to fit a package for pencils. When opened, the pencil hinged to the lid draws a line on a strip of paper, simulating a test-drive. The hinged pencil then stands upright, as if on display, holding the lid up to reveal the other pencils inside as well as a small notebook.

maria squeri

fernand léger timeline puzzle FALL 2007

Fernand Léger is a painter known for his creation of the style Tubism, as well as themes of industrialism and construction that were a constant theme in his work. After reading about the events of his life on the puzzle pieces as they sit sequentially in the box, the viewer is invited to use the pieces to construct a simulation of a Léger painting. The pieces reflect the color palette and shapes Léger often used in his paintings.

maria squeri

eckley miners village book FALL 2008

I wanted to convey the impoverished, unornamented, and crude nature of a coal-mining town in the 1800s. I did this through my selection of materials and binding method: simple cardboard for the cover, stab bound with hemp twinecombined with a roughly textured paper. This theme can also be seen in the hand-drawn illustrations and maps stylized to create a gritty and rudimentary feeling.

maria squeri

om on the range YOGA STUDIO

om on the range yoga studio brand identity FALL 2008

I wanted this identity to reflect the sacred, simple and organic qualities of yoga and the genuine, home-town qualities that are unique to Om on the Range Yoga Studio. I did this by pairing interchangable handmade collage elements with a constant graphic and typographic treatment. It is versatile enough that the logo can stand alone, alternate colors, or be used illustratively, and still be recognized as Om on the Range.

maria squeri

dreams hopes & desires book FALL 2007

This book juxtaposes Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech with an essay on the economics of retail shopping. I employed an assymetrical use of color and layout to show the equal and opposite importance of each text. To emphasize similarities in the language each uses, I created a tab that allows the reader to exchange a phrase between each opposing section. This exchange creates an entirely different and compelling message for each text.

maria squeri

atypl 08 typography conference mailer FALL 2008

Because the ATypl Conference was held in St. Petersburg, Russia, I used Fabrege Eggs, created in St. Petersburg, as an underlying theme in the design of this mailer package. I showcased the precise craft and detail of Fabrege Eggs, paired with the typeface Bodoni, to highlight the intracacies found in typographic design.

maria squeri

art on track 2008 brand identity SUMMER 2008

Because of a modest budget for advertising, a simple design strategy that was cost-efficient and adaptable to different forms proved to be the most successful option. The logotype, a bold, straight forward visual play on words, and the and eye-catching color choice helped to get people’s attention quickly.

maria squeri

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, under the orders of President Thomas Jefferson, lead the Corps of Discovery across the continent of North America to the Pacific Ocean and back. They were the first Americans to explore the unknown land of the West. They returned home with invaluable information about the terrain, peoples, plants and animals, as well as the first accurate geographical mapping of the land. Because of their journey, America was able to take the first steps in its transcontinental expansion.

lewis and clark poster FALL 2007

The visual metaphor used in this poster serves as a striking image to represent Lewis and Clark’s dangerous and epic task of documenting the unexplored West for the first time and the perserverence and precision with which they did it.

maria squeri

“feeling local” article illustraton SPRING 2008

My goal in this illustration was to bring feelings of friendliness and warmth to Chicago, which can seem huge and daunting to a new-comer. I did this by giving the Sears Tower, a local icon, an element of humanity by showing it holding hands with a new friend.

maria squeri

print magazine content spread FALL 2008

I experimented in this layout by using a traditional humanist typeface, Caslon, paired with a very modern design scheme. I made use of Caslon’s large type family to create a distinct heirarchy in order to simply run the body text continuously with no breaks to create each solid geometrical form.

maria squeri

Dan West was inspired to create Heifer International after working as a relief worker in the Spanish

Civil War and having to unfairly ration food to refugees there. Heifer International’s goal is to battle

world hunger through the permanent solution of self-sufficience by providing actual livestock as

well as animal-training to underpriveledged communities in over 125 countries worldwide. Through

donating a variety of livestock including chickens, honey bees, goats, llamas, pigs, and of course,

cows, Heifer International benefits entire communities through just one family’s promise to share

its livestock’s offspring with other families.

“Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”

Or cows, in this case.

heifer foundation poster FALL 2007

I created a simple yet powerful graphic metaphor by turning a world map image into the classic black and white markings on a cow. In this way, I am able to communicate the mission of Heifer International in clear and concise way.

maria squeri

the field museum elevator lobby SUMMER 2008

Since the fourth floor elevator lobby was the main entrance to The Field Museum’s Exhibits Department, it was appropriate to showcase the department’s impressive array of past exhibits as a means of introduction to visitors. The images used are actually magnified versions of collectors buttons produced for each exhibit, a tradition of The Field Museum’s for the past few decades.