FreightWaves
June ‘21-July ‘23
Graphic Designer
FreightWaves is a freight media company that runs news, data, podcasts, live events, and a real-time market intelligence platform called SONAR. As their in-house designer for two years, I touched almost everything: show identities, event branding, whitepapers, infographics, animations, and sponsored content. The through-line in all of it: making a dense, technical industry feel alive and accessible. Here's how a few of those projects came together.
Podcasts
Event Branding
White Papers
Events
The Goal:
FreightWaves had been using the same virtual event visual system for two years. Icons were supposed to differentiate events by topic, but they weren't distinct enough . Everything looked the same, and the brand was starting to feel stale.
The Decision:
I didn't just swap the icons — I rebuilt the visual language. I introduced new colors per event topic and paired them with 3D shapes and organic 2D line art, creating a system that looked distinctive per event but clearly belonged to the same family. The floating-in-space aesthetic I landed on felt forward-looking and tech-adjacent without being cold.
What Happened:
Each event got a visual identity it could own. The new system was flexible enough to scale across new events and strong enough that sponsors and attendees could immediately tell events apart.
Podcast and Shows
Check Call - Check Call is a news and analysis show for 3PLs and brokers. On a call about the show’s identity, I asked the host about the broker job’s atmosphere. She replied, “There’s always one guy tossing a ball around.” I quickly created the imagery and storyboarded the intro. We created a parody of SNL’s market update and even added a spooky twist.
Great Quarter, Gals - The FreightWaves show and podcast needed an updated look. We used our brand standard colors and introduced a contrasting fiery coral. I illustrated the hosts and used a patterned background and curved shapes to make the show more cheerful.
Rethink Reshoring - FreightWaves and host Rosemary Coates explore how the industry is reimagining manufacturing strategies. The host wanted to incorporate imagery such as a flag, globe and lines to evoke movement. I created the logo and identity colors.
Consider Tomorrow - Ryder and FreightWaves aimed to produced a six episode show. They wanted to emit a morning talk show style and use subtle hints of Ryder’s brand color.
White Paper
I created white papers for FreightWaves and its sponsors, following their specifications and preferences. Some white papers give creative freedom, others require us to adhere to rigid brand guides. I also created feature and email thumbnails.
Click on the report below to see the White Paper.
Thumbnails for White Paper reports.
Bonus: Mr. Pie Chart
As every creative knows, not all projects make it to light. As was the case for Mr. Pie Chart. I illustrated him as a t-shirt design for SONAR. I furthered the illustration into a motion graphic to give it more depth and personality. He brought he smile to the team. #rip
FreightWaves SONAR allows your supply chain team to continuously monitor the freight environment and streamline the RFP process.