2024
Last Bat: Emerald Ash Project
Last Bat is an environmental art project that documents the disappearance of the Emerald Ash tree in Upstate New York—decimated by the invasive Emerald Ash Borer. Emerald Ash has been the foundational wood for league-standard baseball bats for generations. As the species collapses, the remaining trees from the last forest in Accord, NY were transformed into regulation bats—turning an ecological tragedy into a cultural artifact. I was responsible for the full visual identity, including historical research, logo development, and engraving the final mark directly onto the last bats ever produced.
Some Ideas
Early logo explorations focused on historical bat stamps, ornate typography, and early American manufacturer marks.
The Design
Visual Language of Nostalgia, Americana + Ecological Memory
The identity merges vintage baseball craftsmanship with the stark reality of ecological collapse. The design draws from early-American bat labels, hand-burned manufacturer marks, and the simplicity of old-style barber shops and soda branding. The Emerald Ash Borer becomes both antagonist and motif—stylized into a nostalgic emblem that feels handmade, historic, and deeply tied to the material it represents.
Client Inspirations + References
The client referenced early baseball manufacturer marks, simple line-art illustrations, and vintage Americana visuals. The insect needed to remain recognizable while feeling like it belonged on a hand-crafted bat from decades past.
Final Engraved Bats
All engraving was performed in-house using my personal laser engraving system. I engraved the approved logo across multiple test bats to calibrate line weight, burn depth, and curvature distortion before producing the final set. This hands-on process ensured the design engraved cleanly into the dense Emerald Ash and honored the material’s legacy.
