overviewWell. Here we are. I didn’t expect to make tiny designs for flattened pennies, ever, in my career. These are my favorites that I’m so honored to have made for KARE 11’s 2023 and 2024 penny press, a Minnesota State Fair favorite.
The Laser Loon was a 2024 favorite. By the end of the State Fair, that imprint was looking a little ragged!
design processThere’s a two major things to be taken into consideration during the penny press design process.
Firstly: the whole dotted edge is non-negotiable. That edge helps pull the copper through the press as it gets smooshed between the heavy struck dies and steel plates.
Secondly: too much detail won’t imprint well! The designer at the Penny Press Machine Company worked with me on where to modify my designs to ensure the best output.
Laser LoonThe common loon has a deceptively simple shape… at least to me. After staring at the reference sheet I made, I managed to nail the rough shape down with a couple of pencil strokes. It took me a little longer to simplify in vector. But the more I pushed myself to do so, the more I felt inspired by linocut prints!
“L’laser du nord” was my attempted take at the Minnesota state motto, “The star of the North”.
"The VOICE" CHAIROne of KARE 11’s biggest draws at the 2024 State Fair was The Voice chair. As an NBC affiliate it was such a win to get one of the functioning chairs, especially since upcoming Season 26 had huge stars. We had to have a penny to commemorate that.
There weren’t any great references for the new season’s chair from NBC during my design phase, but I found a way to forge ahead: I traced and cleaned up what I could from NBC (hi, Reba!), and referenced someone’s Bitmoji to see how best to simplify certain elements in what is really a complex piece of furniture.
CreditsClient: KARE 11
Art Direction: Jim Thomas
my rolesDesign
Typography
Illustration