When I began designing for My Pet Chicken, the company specialized in rare and unusual poultry breeds — but there was a challenge: there weren’t enough high-quality photos of these breeds, and the few that existed were expensive to license, SO I began illustrating these breeds, creating a fun, vibrant style. When I did need to use photos, however, I tried to match the brand’s Illustrative style by approaching photography in a more illustrative way.
For photo-based banners and magazine ads, I used Photoshop to transform existing images into something whimsical and memorable. An intense-looking hen might suddenly wear glasses or hold a clipboard, while quirky, handpicked typefaces enhanced the humor and personality of the campaigns.
When My Pet Chicken was later acquired, the new owners shifted the branding toward a modern farmhouse aesthetic and sought to reduce ongoing design costs. I created a series of modular, on-brand templates for ads and banners, designed to be easily updated in-house with new photos and copy. This allowed the company to stay visually cohesive while improving efficiency and budget control.
While My Pet Chicken advertising typically used my illustrations, sometimes photos made more sense. We tried to have as much fun with photo-based designs as illustrated ones.
The My Pet Chicken website and promotional emails featured information about a different chicken breed every week. In 2022 the company was purchased and the new owners sought a modern farmhouse feel for this popular feature.
