My approach to design starts with a big cup of coffee, then we'll sit down and define the goal, drink more coffee, do research, specify the requirements, brainstorm solutions, get to work, drink more coffee, build prototypes, gather feedback, test, and refine the design.
If there's something I don't know how to do (yet) then I'll learn it on the fly.
Good design is messy. It takes time, but with organization and communication, deadlines will be met. For me it usually goes like this “I hate it (but keep working on it), I hate it (but keep working on it), I hate it (but keep working on it), then after I struggle with it long enough, eventually, I create something I love!"
“If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” (my approach to teamwork)
One must communicate outside the realm of their specialization to be effective on a team. You must step outside of your own little world of focus and into someone else's, I might not always fully understand them, but I can communicate with them the needs of the project and the team better this way.
I prefer to work as a team, I want to be surrounded by people smarter than me. (This pulls me up, pushes me to grow) I thrive on pressure. I enjoy finding ways to resolve conflict amongst my teammates.
There are always unanswerable questions and there is always pressure.
When I face adversity, I stay calm, break the problem down into pieces. (Let the pressure be your motivator, not your handicap) This is where I get to work gathering information, learning, asking people smarter than myself.
Steady consistent work yields solutions to even the most challenging problems. Communication (with client + team) minimizes frustrations and brings results.
You will never hear my say “that’s not my job, I won’t learn that.” I'm a lover of learning and exploring new concepts, processes, and skills.
In May 2017 I received my certificate
in Front-End Web-Development
from
General Assembly in Irvine.
To go along with my design skills,
my toolbox is now filled
with acronyms you might have
heard of such as:
In my current role as Lead Front-End Developer, we recently launched our first app in January 2018.
To fit the needs of our specific market, we chose to build a web-based instead of native app to make our software as accessible as possible across any device.
This industry disrupting software was designed for the niche market of compounding pharmacists.
Our goal was to provide a simple, fast and beautiful new way to access vital data in mere seconds in the demanding and competitive world of health care professionals.
Using jQuery Mobile as our foundation framework, and keeping data security at the forefront, we got to work.
View the app by clicking the logo above
My role as head of all front-end code, and also all design and UI/UX was to design and build the most beautiful and functional experience for our customers as possible.
I prototyped, wifreframed, designed, and established a strong and consistient style. Once agreed upon, my back-end counterpart and I worked within a scrum style workflow to meet a challenging deadline.
The end result is a product we are all incredibly proud of, our software has been incredibly well-received by our pharmacists. We are currently working on our second generation of this software.
I also built and currently maintain our company website, which can be viewed here myusp800.com
Empowering people to work with their hands and protecting our environment are two of my biggest passions.
To serve those two passions, I started my own business, selling an organic wood finish I invented.
Roostmade Company opened for business on February 1st, 2018.
Designed for cutting boards and woodworking, our organic wood finish is made in San Diego Ca.
View my business by clicking the logo above
Using only organic plant-based ingredients. This proprietary blend of FDA food safe ingredients goes on easily, ensures a beautiful finish, and is safe to use.
We partnered with a reforestation non-profit, Eden Projects and now for every Roostmade product sold, three trees are planted.
In our first two months of business, we are happy to report that enough trees have been planted to remove 36.7 Tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.
As a web-developer I love to
solve complex problems
and explore new ideas to
build beautiful digital content.
This is what know, and I want
to explore every caveat that
may stem from this.
Enjoy my work below,
click on the images to read more
about each project.
In my free time you can often find me
covered in sawdust, salvaging trees,
hunting for the elusive hardwood pallet,
or making a lot of noise in the garage.
Building rustic-industrial style furniture
is one of my biggest passions
outside of work.
Self-Initiated
Logo Design | Brand Identity
This ambitious swimwear line startup was looking for a logo and a brand to convey its Southern California modern feel. This logo and brand is still in the “working” phase and will be officially released TBD.
CLOSE WINDOWCanyon View Elementary PTA
Logo Design | Brand Identity
"Aim For The Stars"
Simple, modern, clean lines. Vibrant colors, this mark is passionate,
gender neutral, and expresses the excitement around a child's eagerness
to learn.
I wanted to make something that reminded me of the energy I
felt when I saw all of the kids entering class on the first day of school.
The idea of "Aim for the stars" is what I was thinking of when I created
this, Canyon View is the perfect place for a child to let their learning
take off, and no matter where they go, they will have always started
their journey in learning at Canyon View. The idea of the star was central
to this.
The star is also a rocket, launching into the sky with limitless
potential just like our kids, you'll notice that the rocket is being
launched from two ridges that form a canyon, this represents the foothills
of the canyon which the school nestles up to in its landscape just a
few hundred feet from campus.
The stars in the sky also have four points for a reason, they
symbolize the school's S.T.A.R. Philosophy as it also has four main
points.
San Francisco City Football Club
Brand Identity Guidelines | Custom Typography
Rising up through the ranks, SFCFC’s primary goal is to elevate itself
up through the lower levels of professional soccer to reach Major League
Soccer status. To help the club reach these goals, I designed a complete
brand identity guidelines for the organization. The team was essentially
a small business startup and did not have the resources for a full time
designer, so they reach out to local freelancers to assist with their
grass roots marketing goals. The purpose of the brand identity guidelines
was to build a framework for any designer to use and be equipped with
the appropriate design standards, logos, colors, type-faces, and usage
so that as SFCFC elevates through the ranks of soccer, their visual
marketing communications will all be completely integrated to deliver
the clubs same consistent message.
Comprised of a sharpened logo as well as refined colors and
typefaces, this brand identity underscores the Club’s commitment to
elevate San Francisco above all else. These enhancements reinforce our
core values and allow the SF City brand opportunity for growth.
I also took this opportunity to design my first font, “Urban Athletica
– Roost”
A custom made typeface designed solely for exclusive use of
San Francisco City Football Club by David Roost in 2015. SF City prides
itself on a style of play described as “City Football”. This typeface
is a representation of that style -- athletic and modern with an urban
feel. Designed for maximum impact in the least amount of space, this
typeface still maintains readability. Each letter stands tall and bold,
reminiscent of city skyscrapers casting a shadow on themselves in the
California sun.
The Urban Athletica - Roost typeface ts best when placed snugly
next to each other. This typeface is to be used sparingly, selectively
and strategically. Posters, digital graphics, and advertisements are
examples where this typeface may be used as a headline, where all other
text on the artwork should utilize other approved typefaces. This typeface
is reserved for speci c purposes and care needs to be taken to not use
this typeface in excess.
Urban Athletica - Roost may be skewed/sheared vertically at
an upward 15 degree angle when appropriate. This is suggestive of the
rapid growth of SF City and desire to further expand the San Francisco
soccer community. Urban Athletica - Roost is not meant to be transformed
in any other way, other than scaled larger or smaller with correct 1:1
(horizontal:vertical) proportions.
Ali + Geoff Thurner
Graphic Design | Branding | Art Direction
“When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.” This Led Zeppelin song lyric was central to the love that brought Ali and Geoff together. Her heart lies with the ocean, and his lies with the mountains. When they got married they reached out to me to officiate their marriage, and to design them a symbolic logo to their relationship. I’ve known them from the first night they met and I took this project as a fun challenge to design something significant to them.
CLOSE WINDOWTori WIllis Sports Statue Specialist
Graphic Design | Branding | Art Direction
With the construction of Levi Stadium in Santa Clara for the San Francisco 49ers, Tori Willis curated the museum and historical bronze statues, in doing so she discovered a hidden talent and passion for creating factual and accurate historical statues. This lead her to create a side business curating factual and accurate historical bronze statues, and this business needed a logo and brand direction that reflected her unique style. Logo design, color palette, typography and a publication showcasing her work were part of the scope of this project.
Self-Initiated.
My hometown of San Diego has always been near and dear to my heart. I took a close look at the official Seal Of San Diego and created this design as my own spin on the town's icon. Incorporating our motto, some detailed design elements, and a few reproductions of limited-edition t-shirts, this project was purely passion based.
University City Little League
Graphic Design | Mural Art
"Find Your Greatness."
This quote was the theme and guiding light of this project.
Since 1963 the Little League in the San Diego community of University
City has been a proud organization focused on the development of young
athletes and the fun of baseball. The UCLL put out an ad for local artists
to contribute work to turn an old and ugly storage shed into a beautiful
mural. The design part of this project was focusd around creating something
that would inspire the young athletes. Creating the feeling of a "big"
stadium, yet making it resemble the fence, backstop, and pressbox of
Fort Field proved to be a challenge, yet after many iterations, I was
able to create something recognizable and iconic.
Stripping off years and years of paint and rust proved to be extremely
challenging, but after it was all said and done, the hard work was worth
it. Two years later, the mural is still in perfect condition, no staining
or peeling from underlying rust. We've received so many compliments
on this project, and it was a delight to work with the community I grew
up in to create something special just for them and the organization
that taught me how to play baseball also.
Connect The Doc
Custom Illustration Art
June 2017. This is a work currently in progress for connectthedoc.com
who is looking for custom illustrations for their new website that will
be released TBD.
This artwork is the first of a larger set designed to illustrate
the services this consultant provides, and help the potential client
better understand how this service works.
"Eliminate Staff Headaches"
This illustration is meant to demonstrate the stress of front
office workers running a successful dental practice. Follow up images
will demonstrate how this service, will alleviate such frustrations.
UCHS Class of 2005 Reunion Committee
The planners of this epic reunion reached out to me to create visual hype, a giveaway sticker, and a cool logo for our ten year high school reunion. Knowing me, I couldn't resist taking this opportunity to challenge myself. I had been waiting for a good opportunity to use a design style where I created something using only circles and our Centurion mascot was the perfect design challenge (see depiction in the images). I was very pleased with the result of this project, and the visual branding of the event was very well received.
Portrait | Product | Landscape | Studio | Sports | Post-Process
I've always been fascinated by photography. My instincts as a designer
lead me to always desire a certain type of photo to perfectly compliment
my design work. In 2010 I had the opportunity to coordinate the team
of photographers that contributed to the Athletics Department for Fresno
State. Working with these professionals my curiosity turned into a professional
passion, I learned the ins and outs of full manual digital SLR photography,
light manipulation, post processsing, workflow, art direction and the
art of posing and working with a subject. I learned to keep a camera
in hand, and capture the moment as it unfolded, as most moments can
never be recreated. Fast, efficient, quality photography, to make stunning
images on a budget is my style.
You're likely to find me using unusual light sources, makeshift
studios, crouched in uncomfortable positions, or perched up on unstable
objects to create the look I want in photo.
Portrait | Product | Landscape | Studio | Sports | Post-Process
I've always been fascinated by photography. My instincts as a designer
lead me to always desire a certain type of photo to perfectly compliment
my design work. In 2010 I had the opportunity to coordinate the team
of photographers that contributed to the Athletics Department for Fresno
State. Working with these professionals my curiosity turned into a professional
passion, I learned the ins and outs of full manual digital SLR photography,
light manipulation, post processsing, workflow, art direction and the
art of posing and working with a subject. I learned to keep a camera
in hand, and capture the moment as it unfolded, as most moments can
never be recreated. Fast, efficient, quality photography, to make stunning
images on a budget is my style.
You're likely to find me using unusual light sources, makeshift
studios, crouched in uncomfortable positions, or perched up on unstable
objects to create the look I want in photo.
Portrait | Product | Landscape | Studio | Sports | Post-Process
I've always been fascinated by photography. My instincts as a designer
lead me to always desire a certain type of photo to perfectly compliment
my design work. In 2010 I had the opportunity to coordinate the team
of photographers that contributed to the Athletics Department for Fresno
State. Working with these professionals my curiosity turned into a professional
passion, I learned the ins and outs of full manual digital SLR photography,
light manipulation, post processsing, workflow, art direction and the
art of posing and working with a subject. I learned to keep a camera
in hand, and capture the moment as it unfolded, as most moments can
never be recreated. Fast, efficient, quality photography, to make stunning
images on a budget is my style.
You're likely to find me using unusual light sources, makeshift
studios, crouched in uncomfortable positions, or perched up on unstable
objects to create the look I want in photo.
I took this passion and enthusiasm to my experience at The University of Arizona, where I majored in environmental and resource economics and management. As a student I was the rst appointed Executive Director of the nation’s largest student-run student section and ticketing program, the Zona Zoo. I worked with the media on a daily basis, developing many strategic personal relationships, while also conducting many press conferences and interviews. In addition I created and executed numerous large-scale events, seeing them through from concept to completion. My decisions lead to record breaking sales, a boost in revenue of over $453,000 and increased Men’s Basketball attendance. I also have a history of exceeding targets and cultivating strong relationships as a fundraiser for the Wildcat Club, and as a salesman for the Arizona Cardinals football club.
Fresno State athletics recruited me to come in and serve as marketing, media relations and events coordinator. In addition to that I ran all publications, photography and student ticketing and assisted with large fundraising endeavors. I worked and organized hundreds of events, I lead many projects, managed budgets and created a branding strategy to deliver a consistent look across all platforms. Most notably the Dog Pound student ticketing program. During my time the combined student revenues and fees more than doubled from $1.9M to $4.3M in two years.
Consumers make decisions because of how a brand makes them FEEL. This is why as a business, we need not ask ourselves “What are we selling?” but more importantly, “Why are we selling it?” We are drawn to things that feel right, that feel good, often without being able to explain exactly why. The limbic system is responsible for this. This is the area of the brain that processes feelings, motivations, experiences and memories of what is enjoyable and what is not. This part of the brain is responsible for our decision-making, and it has no capacity for language. We often do things simply because they “feel right” and we are hard pressed to explain exactly why. Working off this conceptual framework, I offer the following:
“Stadio specializes in helping businesses monetize their Wi-Fi. Our wireless technology is effective and competitively priced. Our software is designed to help your customers utilize their mobile devices and we provide fan engagement and vital customer analytics. Do you want to buy our product?”
“everything we do is driven by our passion to connect people. The best moments in life should be shared, and we believe that bringing people together is an essential need. We support this idea by; helping customers utilize their mobile devices, and businesses engage their followers, gain analytics and monetize their Wi-Fi. We just happen to sell effective and competitively priced wireless technology. Want to buy one?”
Feel the difference? This is why – in my opinion – Stadio needs to share its goal on an emotional-level FIRST. Then share how its products/services accomplish that goal. This emotional-level message needs to be delivered consistently in every sales pitch, website page, printed material, advertisement, etc. When a customer uses Stadio, they are doing something social and fun; while at a game, a concert, a restaurant, doing fun things. Stadio needs to carry this spirit into the center of its brand. Stadio won’t sell itself to a business because it’s what the business wants, but rather because it’s what the customers want. Stadio can differentiate itself by engaging with its customers in such a way that they feel emotionally connected to the brand. A business needs to differentiate itself by engaging with its customers, connecting with them socially and causing an emotional reaction through its communications. This emotional connection is what drives people to take action. The social era will reward those who realize they can’t create this value by themselves. This is where Stadio comes in.
CLOSE WINDOWThe biggest project I've ever made. Custom designed and made from salvaged hardwood pallets. Built by yours truly in my garage, enjoyed every day.
We were contacted and asked if we were interested in this 70 year old dead American Elm that was destined for the chipper. In January of 2017 we took a day off of our real-jobs and acted like lumberjacks, milling this gorgeous material into usable slabs. The material is now air-drying, and will be our next big project when it's finally dry enough to use.
This dead and fallen sycamore was foundin the canyons of University City, in San Diego, rotting amongst the bugs and foliage. We decided to bring up a small section of this tree and attempt to create something beautiful from it's remants that were destined to decompose. The result was an incredible hands-on learning experience about lumber, milling, moisture content, slabbing, and air drying rough lumber into a beautiful fine piece of furniture.
If you're interested in working with me, or have a creative opportunity please email me at davidhroost@gmail.com
I'M A WEB DEVELOPER
LIVING IN SAN DIEGO, CA AND
I BELIEVE THAT:
"WE EXIST
TO BUILD
GREAT THINGS".