The Las Vegas Weekly is one of Vegas' most recognizable and longest-running local magazines. 50,000 copies printed every week and an active social media presence reaching even more. Covering everything worth knowing about Las Vegas. I joined as a designer and grew into the Senior Designer role over eight and a half years and 400 plus issues, shaping how it looked and felt as it hit the newsstands. Here's how that work got made.

Design isn't something I picked up. It's something I grew into over a lifetime. The talent was always there early but talent alone doesn't make great work. Years of real deadlines, real clients, and real pressure turned it into something I can depend on. What you see here is the culmination of all of it.

The Skills

One of the first covers I created for the magazine, this was made by digitally illustrating animals over the photographer's shot of the local band Glass Pools.

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Click here for more illustrations

Design ● Brand identity, visual story telling, publication design, marketing collateral, typography, infographics, digital banners, photo retouching, and creative concepting.

Technical ● Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Canva, Microsoft Office, prepress, color management, and file prep for print and digital.

Collaboration ● Cross-functional teamwork, vendor coordination, client communication, and stakeholder presentations.

Project Management ● Multi-project scheduling, production oversight, asset archiving, and quality assurance.

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The Process

CONCEPT
Brainstorming and sketching to establish a visual roadmap before production begins.

DIRECTION
Coordinating logistics and image selection for maximum storytelling impact.

DESIGN
Crafting competitive covers and cohesive interior layouts that command attention.

PRODUCTION
Rigorous pre-press proofing to ensure technical accuracy and flawless print quality.

AMPLIFICATION
Extending the life of every project through strategic social media adaptation.

Collaboration

The Best of Vegas 70s edition was a full team effort and the cover set the tone for all of it. I built a real physical logo out of disc mirrors, directed the shoot around it, and handled almost all the post production and typography myself. This visual became the foundation everything else built on.

Design and marketing made sure it carried consistently from the page to the party. Same palette, same energy, same era. The events team then took it to the floor, working with vendors to bring the whole concept to life.

The biggest night of our year built on one shared vision and everyone doing their part to make it unforgettable.

The writing team spent months securing an interview and photo shoot with the Property Brothers. The location scouted and vision locked, the location's PR signed off on our request.

Then 24 hours before the shoot, they called and pulled their approval. The compromised alternative they offered wasn't worth taking.

Canceling on the Property Brothers wasn't an option. Too much time, too many people, too much riding on it. So I pivoted with a Christmas tree themed shoot in our studio. It will be controlled, achievable, and actually perfect for the holiday issue. I went out that same day, bought the tree from Lowes, sourced all the props. With my team, we set everything up before the Property Brothers' crew arrived the next morning.

The shoot happened and the photos were perfect. Anyone who picked up the magazine was none the wiser.

Adaptability

You're not just picking things, you're making arguments. Every frame, every typeface, every color is a position. You're saying: this is what this story looks like.

The photo that's almost right usually needs one thing. Find that thing. A typeface that feels off probably isn't wrong, it's just in the wrong context. And the color that makes you nervous is usually the one to use.

None of it works in isolation. The photo sets an expectation and the type either confirms it or it doesn't. The color tells the reader where they are before they've consciously processed anything. You're the one holding all of that together, and when it clicks, you know it before you can explain why.