I’m way overdue for another portfolio. So here’s a look at some of the book covers I’ve designed. Most were done on the job but there are a couple of freelance covers as well. I’m glad that my day job at the Kent State University Press focuses on academic titles. We print books that provide useful information to researchers and scholars as well as the occasional local interest titles. We also focus on the Civil War, one of the most important events in African American history.

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I’ve always had an inclination to create artwork that was meaningful and with some kind of cultural significance. I’ve tried to walk in the footsteps of those creative, black, forward thinking men and woman that have come before me, creating work that is informative, loving, insightful and uplifting. Whether musically or artistically or poetically, our history is replete with those individuals who understood that their gifts were meant for more than commerce. I admire the legacies of creatives such as Jacob Lawrence, Emory Douglas, Gordon Parks, Gil Scott Heron, Langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni and Paul Robeson. I appreciate the contributions of contemporaries such as Spike Lee, Danny Glover, Chuck D, etc.

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