Devin Durocher
Trading Business Cards
Self Promotional Materials
Collect Them All!
In 2023, I set out to build stronger relationships with some of the professionals I've had the pleasure of working with in the film and television industry. I put together a mailing list, wrote over 50 personal letters, and mailed them with these hand-made, collectible "trading business cards," as I call them.
Inspired by Magic the Gathering and Pokémon cards, I used 3 of my original character designs as representatives of the hats I can wear in this industry. Each cards "abilities" being a skill or role in my tool belt.
The cards came sealed in a booster pack, with all my information as well as my mission statement.
Isolated Art
Motion Painting
Bringing Life
To accompany the cards on social media, I also created this motion painting to bring the artwork to life.
Stealing Jokes
Donny Hefner Brand
Stealing Jokes (dir. Mike Young) cast Luke Null to play the story's antagonist: a former stand-up turned internet-video-comedian with a crude sense of humor and loud brand appealing to teenagers.
When I joined the movie as propmaster, I was given the rather large task of inventing the brand from the ground up: conceptualizing it, designing it, and eventually manufacturing it for the film.
Working with Mike Young, the Production Designer Pat Bird, and the wardrobe stylist Jessica VanAssche, I created something with a level of visual aggression that commanded your attention, but with enough edge that modern tweens and teenagers would be begging for their parents credit cards to get an overpriced shirt.
Initial style guide
"Donut" Logo
Luke Null with tiny Donny Hefner
Artist Collab Designs
Inspired by many real life brands like Bearbrick, I used the Hefner "D" to create a few unique abstract designs resembling "BRAND X BRAND" style products that fill high-end streetwear stores across every major city in America.
Iterative, Feedback Driven Logo
The primary "D" logo went through a few iterations before we settled on the one seen above. Mike Young was very particular in how he wanted the brand to look, and sought that flair he's seen in many young influencer's brands.
Subsidiary Companies
Every White Guy's Gotta Have A Podcast
The color palette was toned down for Donny's “professional comedian” podcast, filmed in his luxurious mansion beside his mobile rap station.
Merch Table
The Grand Finale
This project culminated in the climactic scene at a comedy festival, where Donny has a merch table set up, featuring hand-manufactured props and set dressing all featuring the Donny Hefner Brand
Additional Assets
Stealing Jokes
Titles
The movie needed tentative titles graphics for 3 purposes:
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For production documents like Call Sheets, stickers for external hard drives, and signatures in email.
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To put in the rough cuts / dailies during post production.
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To make a cool shirt for the crew after wrap.
After working on the Donny Hefner Brand, production asked if I could take some time to also create these titles and graphics for the cast/crew.
A Detroit Shirt For A Detroit Crew
Key features include the Detroit skyline, the main cast, and Mike Young's signature "Boom!", which let you know which takes he liked
Hallowmancy
Boxed Vinyl Toys
When selling the vinyl figures at art fairs, I want professional packaging to hand off to customers, rather than just handing over a loose toy - that feels cheap.
The package design had to still embody the fun and whimsy that the little characters present, so an illustrated wrap around backdrop was created, with muted cool colors to let the illustrated portraits stand out.
Mock ups were made in blender, then prepped for print in Photoshop.
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Reggie
End Credits
Motion Graphics
I always wanted to design a full credits scene for a motion picture. Here, I got a little taste of it in the short. The motion design was based on promotional materials I'd made for the movie, and the music was made by the incredibly talented, Lansing-local band Vincie D.
Urishima Tarō
Imaginary Beer Brand
Saving The Turtle
In the independent film Don't Be A Stranger (dir. Peter Harold), turtles are used throughout as symbols, allegories, and even characters. So, when the director wanted a brand of import beers that featured a turtle in some fashion, I opted to use the Japanese Folktale as the brand name - Urishima Taro, a story of a fisherman rewarded for saving a turtle.
The design abstractly represents a beach, with the secondary gold color playing the part of the sand, a silver strip acting as the foamy shoreline, and the blue primary the ocean.
6 on-screen 6-Pack holders were made, and 1 dud bottle was used for stunts.
Mock ups were made with 3D software, and then prototype 6-packs were made to get further approval of the design.
6-Pack Carrier Design Template
Oakwood Gym
Logo
I've been going to this gym here in Melvindale since I was 16, when I was first allowed in the door.
When he approached me for thought, I saw he had no intentions of a complete rebrand. So, we agreed to simply clean up and modernize the logo, while maintaining the same concept and silhouette in order to not effect brand recognition
New Logo
Old Logo
Cymian Productions
Logo and Bumper
Monkey's Paw
This logo and animated bumper are personal projects of mine, made to represent the LLC behind the film Reggie.
I created a custom typeface so the mark and lettering felt like one cohesive system, carrying the same line weight and deliberately inorganic, electronic feel.
Landafar Entertainment
Bumper
In preparation for the company's newest movie at the time, Wally's Wonderland (dir. Kevin Lewis, 2021), Landafar got in touch hoping to create a bumper for the beginning of all their films going forward.
Drawing inspiration from the Dreamworks bumper, they wanted something that captured the whimsy and awe that movies bring to audiences.
As requested, the founder's son was used as a model.
