SME Design

​I founded this brand identity agency with Ken Fuhrman. Together we grew our agency to be one of the top retail merchandising design companies for the cosmetic and fashion industries. Our clients included: Estée Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, Liz Claiborne, Coach, and many more. When we added Ed O'Hara to our agency, he brought his Colgate Palmolive account and his expertise in package design.

Our entrée into sports branding came when the creative director for MLB approached me after a speech I had given for the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association. She believed my fashion design background, combined with my brand identity expertise, made me uniquely qualified to assist MLB in redesigning their professional team identities. Over the subsequent decade, we grew SME Design into one of the top brand identity agencies specializing in sports and entertainment. My agencies highlights include:
  • Re-positioning and redesign of the RC Cola brand (which included a comprehensive corporate brand style guide that addressed every brand touchpoint from building signage to delivery truck graphics.  Our work resulted in RC Cola recapturing enough market-share to stimulate the sale of the brand for significant profit.
  • Redesigned the league and team identities for the Australian professional basketball league, Chinese professional soccer league, South Korean professional soccer league and the Philippine professional basketball league.
  • Revolutionized how the beauty & fashion industry merchandises their products at retail to drive sales of higher margin product. At one point, we were providing strategic merchandising services for all of the top brands including; Calvin Klein, Liz Claiborne, Anne Taylor, Armani, Chanel, Christian Dior, Elizabeth Arden, Estée Lauder, Revlon, Cosmair, Lancome and Clarins.
  • Designed the athlete identity for Tiger Woods and Evander Holyfield.
  • Redesign of employee benefits programs for Viacom (including, MTV, Nickelodeon, Simon & Schuster, Kings Dominion Action Parks, and Paramount Pictures) resulted in an IABC Gold Quill award (the highest honor a marketing communications professional can receive.)
  • Brand identity and licensing & merchandising work on behalf of the Toronto Raptors generated over $25 Million in licensed merchandise sales in the six months before the team had drafted their first player.
  • Designed the NY Rangers third jersey, the best selling hockey shirt in the world.
  • Developed brand books and style guides for many Fortune 500 brands including; NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, DC Comics, Triarc Beverages, Viacom, and Colgate-Palmolive.