Project file
Dusty Dog Studio (self)
Reno, NV
2026
The story
A self-directed rebrand built from the inside out: clarify the studio’s point of view, find a name with personality, then create a visual and verbal system sturdy enough to carry every kind of story.
A clearer, more memorable studio platform that feels broader than a production label and more personal than an agency—same hands, same roads, with a name built for where the work is going.
Deliverables
THE NAME GOT TOO SMALL.
Timberline Visuals was never wrong. It was simply built for an earlier version of the work—when photography and video were the clearest way to describe what I did. Over time, the assignments got wider: naming, identity systems, campaign thinking, websites, motion, and the connective tissue that keeps all of those pieces pointed at one story. The old name had become a room the work could no longer stand up inside.
The rebrand began with one rule: do not lose the parts that were already true. Keep the documentary eye, the weather, the worn roads, and the willingness to do the work by hand. Build a bigger name around that—not a shinier costume over it.
PRODUCTION NOTE
FINDING THE BETTER NAME.
Dusty Dog Studio did not come from a naming workshop. It came from real life: dogs in the truck, dust on the gear, snow in the beard, and a studio that has always worked closer to the ground than the boardroom. The name felt human immediately. It could be serious without taking itself too seriously—and it sounded like the kind of place that would actually show up.
That gave the visual system its brief: rugged, editorial, useful. The interlocking D monogram was drawn to feel stamped rather than precious. Road lines, topographic contours, and an aperture mark became supporting language—not decoration, but reminders of place, movement, and how the work gets made.
BUILDING THE SYSTEM.
The identity was built as a kit of parts for real production. A compact monogram for small spaces. Horizontal and stacked lockups for film frames and site headers. A circular topo badge for the field. Charcoal, bone, and a blunt red accent. Condensed type that can carry a headline, paired with quieter editorial copy that leaves room for the story.
The website followed the same logic. It had to hold brand work, photography, film, web, field notes, and the occasional oddball build under one roof. The result is less a portfolio shell than an operating system for the studio: every page can tell a complete story, and every service points back to the same mission—make people feel why it matters.
IDENTITY ARCHIVE — 2026
THE ONES BEHIND THE NAME
THE DOGS BEHIND THE NAME.
The name works because it is not manufactured mythology. These are the dogs. They are in the truck, at camp, under the desk, and occasionally in the way. They carry the same mix I wanted for the studio: good-natured, a little unruly, ready to go, and happiest somewhere past the pavement.
The test for the rebrand was simple: would an old Timberline client recognize the same person who showed up to their job? Yes. Nothing important was discarded. Dusty Dog Studio simply gives the work a clearer story, a wider horizon, and a name I can keep growing into.