While serving as Art Director at Group 5 Advertising, I partnered with Gainesville's Regional Transit System (RTS) to strengthen the visual identity of several of its public-facing services through custom illustration, branding and environmental graphics. Rather than relying on generic stock artwork, I developed a series of distinctive service marks that gave each program its own recognizable personality while maintaining a cohesive RTS family of brands.
Each logo was designed as a custom "token," celebrating the unique purpose of the service it represented. Gator Locator incorporated navigation imagery to communicate real-time bus tracking, Goodnight Gator evoked safe late-night transportation through a sleeping gator beneath the stars, Gator Aider highlighted campus assistance, and Later Gator referenced Gainesville landmarks while reinforcing the service's local identity. Together, the illustrated marks created an engaging visual system that was memorable, approachable and unmistakably Gainesville.
Building on that work, I also designed the graphics for RTS's Gainesville Regional Airport bus wrap, transforming a standard transit vehicle into a moving advertisement for air travel. By integrating aircraft imagery, sky graphics and destination messaging directly into the bus, the design created the playful illusion of an airplane traveling through the city while promoting the convenience of Gainesville Regional Airport. Together, these projects demonstrate how thoughtful visual storytelling can elevate everyday public transportation into a memorable brand experience that residents recognize and enjoy.
