Logo Redesign

Redesigning the NPERS logo was my first step in the process of rebranding the agency. My goal with this project was to retain the core visual elements that made the old logo memorable, while creating a more modern and dynamic framework for those elements to live in.

I kept a gradient semicircle as the background to the logo, but changed its design to be more evocative of a sun rise/set. I liked that image as a visual metaphor for retirement- the sun setting on one stage of a person's life, and rising on another.

Wavy lines were added to evoke the atmosphere of the sun on the horizon, and to give the design a sense of movement. I selected two new sans-serifed fonts to give the logo a sleek, modern feel; with a blue and gold color scheme in keeping with the image of the sun, and to match the branding seen across other Nebraska state government agencies.

Website Redesign

Throughout 2022 and into 2023, the NPERS IT department undertook the task of modernizing the agency's website, which had been resting on a framework that was built in the early 2000's. I joined the IT department during the latter half of the redesign project to help finalize the overall look of the new site.

While working on the redesign I learned the basics of front-end web development using Visual Studio Code, Bootstrap and Tortoise SVN, and was able to integrate the styling of the website with the rebranding work I had done for the agency. Once the project was complete, I took on the duties of updating the website when new publications were released, and assisting with time-sensitive edits to the site when needed.

Annual Reports

Each year, NPERS releases 2 reports. The first is an Investment Report for retirement account holders that contains profiles and performance summaries of their account investment funds, as well as resources for better understanding investment and financial planning. The second is the NPERS Annual Report to the Nebraska legislature, which is a summary of the agency's activities over the course of the previous year.

Each year I worked with the Nebraska Investment Council and NPERS department managers to compile and format the data for these reports. Once the data was collected, I was in charge of creating the layout and cover design for both reports. Starting in 2020, I created sets of digital paintings for the report covers each year, featuring Nebraska landscapes and wildlife. In 2022, I updated the reports' interior design in confluence with the agency rebrand.

NPERS Member Handbooks

NPERS provides handbooks for each of the 6 retirement plans they administer. I was in charge of revising these handbooks each time there were updates to the retirement plans, formatting them for print and web, and working with the state of Nebraska print shop to keep hard copies for the agency stocked.

In 2023 I redesigned the covers and interiors of the handbooks to accompany the rebranding of the agency. The cover illustration features a classic Nebraska landscape with texture and movement added through the use of the same types of wavy lines I had incorperated in the sun icon of the NPERS logo.