ELK HUNT
Scope
Art Direction • Editorial & Publication Design • Social & Digital Creative
Client
Ride Apart
Year
[2025]
Industry
Automotive & Mobility
A bow, the Utah wilderness, a Can-Am Maverick X3 Max, and a bit of luck.
This two-part editorial illustration series was created for RideApart to accompany writer Jonathon Klein’s account of an elk hunt nearly two decades in the making. The collages capture the perseverance, uncertainty, and eventual payoff of a 19-year pursuit.
Layered, patient, and deliberate, the visuals mirror the rhythm of the hunt—combining motion, stillness, and environment to trace the long journey from preparation to the moment everything finally comes together.
Context
The story follows a deeply personal hunt across the Utah wilderness, combining outdoor adventure, off-road travel, and years of persistence. The challenge was to create two connected illustrations that communicated the emotional arc of the experience while giving each chapter its own visual focus.
Approach
I built the compositions from layered photography, high-contrast textures, halftone patterns, and a limited palette of green, black, white, and pink. Shifts in scale and perspective bring together the hunter, landscape, vehicle, bow, and elk as pieces of a larger visual narrative.
The first illustration emphasizes anticipation and preparation, while the second moves toward resolution. Repeated colors, textures, and graphic elements connect the two pieces and establish a consistent visual language across the series.
Outcome
The finished illustrations give the story a cohesive editorial identity while preserving the distinct emotional role of each chapter. Together, they reflect the patience and uncertainty of the hunt—and the culmination of a goal pursued for 19 years.
Credits
Creative Direction & Design
Ralph Hermens
Words
Jonathon Klein
ELK HUNT
Scope
Art Direction • Editorial & Publication Design • Social & Digital Creative
Client
Ride Apart
Year
[2025]
Industry
Automotive & Mobility
A bow, the Utah wilderness, a Can-Am Maverick X3 Max, and a bit of luck.
This two-part editorial illustration series was created for RideApart to accompany writer Jonathon Klein’s account of an elk hunt nearly two decades in the making. The collages capture the perseverance, uncertainty, and eventual payoff of a 19-year pursuit.
Layered, patient, and deliberate, the visuals mirror the rhythm of the hunt—combining motion, stillness, and environment to trace the long journey from preparation to the moment everything finally comes together.
Context
The story follows a deeply personal hunt across the Utah wilderness, combining outdoor adventure, off-road travel, and years of persistence. The challenge was to create two connected illustrations that communicated the emotional arc of the experience while giving each chapter its own visual focus.
Approach
I built the compositions from layered photography, high-contrast textures, halftone patterns, and a limited palette of green, black, white, and pink. Shifts in scale and perspective bring together the hunter, landscape, vehicle, bow, and elk as pieces of a larger visual narrative.
The first illustration emphasizes anticipation and preparation, while the second moves toward resolution. Repeated colors, textures, and graphic elements connect the two pieces and establish a consistent visual language across the series.
Outcome
The finished illustrations give the story a cohesive editorial identity while preserving the distinct emotional role of each chapter. Together, they reflect the patience and uncertainty of the hunt—and the culmination of a goal pursued for 19 years.
Credits
Creative Direction & Design
Ralph Hermens
Words
Jonathon Klein
ELK HUNT
Scope
Art Direction • Editorial & Publication Design • Social & Digital Creative
Client
Ride Apart
Year
[2025]
Industry
Automotive & Mobility
A bow, the Utah wilderness, a Can-Am Maverick X3 Max, and a bit of luck.
This two-part editorial illustration series was created for RideApart to accompany writer Jonathon Klein’s account of an elk hunt nearly two decades in the making. The collages capture the perseverance, uncertainty, and eventual payoff of a 19-year pursuit.
Layered, patient, and deliberate, the visuals mirror the rhythm of the hunt—combining motion, stillness, and environment to trace the long journey from preparation to the moment everything finally comes together.
Context
The story follows a deeply personal hunt across the Utah wilderness, combining outdoor adventure, off-road travel, and years of persistence. The challenge was to create two connected illustrations that communicated the emotional arc of the experience while giving each chapter its own visual focus.
Approach
I built the compositions from layered photography, high-contrast textures, halftone patterns, and a limited palette of green, black, white, and pink. Shifts in scale and perspective bring together the hunter, landscape, vehicle, bow, and elk as pieces of a larger visual narrative.
The first illustration emphasizes anticipation and preparation, while the second moves toward resolution. Repeated colors, textures, and graphic elements connect the two pieces and establish a consistent visual language across the series.
Outcome
The finished illustrations give the story a cohesive editorial identity while preserving the distinct emotional role of each chapter. Together, they reflect the patience and uncertainty of the hunt—and the culmination of a goal pursued for 19 years.
Credits
Creative Direction & Design
Ralph Hermens
Words
Jonathon Klein