Hi, I'm Sam.`

I'm a designer, photographer, illustrator and writer from Pittsburgh. I've been...
...a web designer for about two years...
...a graphic designer and illustrator for just over four years...
...a photographer for about a decade...
...and a writer for, well, my whole life, I guess.

I currently work as a part-time associate in the visual merchandising department at American Eagle Outfitter's corporate headquarters, although I've had the privilege of working for and with a variety of clients. For example, I received an amazing commission to work as a graphic designer on a project for Carlow University; I've worked as a graphic designer for fantasy author Summer Sullivan, where I made the artwork for some of her series' merchandise; I worked as a commercial photographer for Pittsburgh-based creative brand TMD Retail; as the primary artist and designer of a clothing brand (whose name has not been legally secured yet, but is coming soon!); as the primary and sole artist and visual designer for an urban fantasy series; and more.

I spent most of my adolescence not really knowing what I wanted to do, which ended up being a blessing. I pursued the things that I found interesting, and as such, have built myself a variety of skills that have all worked in serving each other. I can apply skills of composition and visual layout learned in photography to my designs and illustrations; I apply technical knowledge of HTML and CSS to better understand the capacities of web design; I design and illustrate visual aids to bolster my writing and creative processes.

In the future, what I want to do more than anything is create meaningful things that serve people. I can draw, I can take photographs, I can design, and most importantly, I can imagine. Critical thinking inside and outside the box has always been central to my design process - I try to take inspiration from the paradigms set by others, but I don't limit myself to them. I deconstruct designs, products, and arts that are effective and try to think critically about what makes each and every component functional.

Outside of design, I enjoy music, film, video games and my kitten, Lucille.

I can write for hours about myself, my philosophy and more, but I would much rather tell you in person. Schedule a meeting with me here so we can talk!