ADVERTISING
EDITORIAL
DESIGN
ABOUT ME

Sara C. Smith

copywriting | creative direction | mentorship

ADVERTISING
EDITORIAL
DESIGN
ABOUT ME

Click on pages to read about they came alive with the help of other Kansas City Star artists.

I chose this picture of the cheaters in "The Affair" because it conveyed summertime passion so well. I wanted to portray their spouses, too, and the graphic red shading helps them feel removed from the action. Design by Neil Nakahodo

For "Manhattan," a show set in World War II, I gathered propaganda posters from the 1940s to take readers back in time.  Design by Neil Nakahodo

Two quality comedies were premiering back to back, and they were both really racy. I came up with the headline first, then expanded it into a parental warning concept. Design by Tasha Fabela-Jonas

Comparing the teen stars of two very different shows meant sifting through dozens of pictures to capture Sally Draper and Arya Stark at their most disparate.  Design by Neil Nakahodo

I wanted to use the arresting art of FX's "The Strain," but an worm bursting through an eyeball is too graphic for The Star's audience. Putting the headline over the grossest part softened the image while getting the message across. Design by Neil

The upcoming season of "Downton Abbey" was as scandal-packed as a British soap can get, so I wrote teasers for a fake tabloid publication that covered all the major plot points. Design by Neil Nakahodo

I came up with my headline, Vampire Weakened, before I finished writing the review, so I chose the sickliest, most bedridden Dracula I could find and asked for a dramatic, tight crop. Design by Tasha Fabela-Jonas

These two subjects have their photos taken a lot. After trying and failing to find them in similar garb, I settled for a Spy vs. Spy look to emphasize their rivalry, and included a handy chart comparing their shows. Design by Barbara Hill-Meyer

Kevin Bacon's new show was dark and filled with images of Edgar Allan Poe's works, so I knew it was important to include them in the artwork, too, as well as capturing the moods of the hero and villain. Design by Hector Casanova

Because weddings are such a big deal to "Game of Thrones" fans, I composed a fan fiction-esque invitation to the nuptials of King Joffrey to preview the new season. Design by Neil Nakahodo

I knew I was going to compare Cookie Lyon of "Empire" to other fabulous women, so I gathered their photos so that they could "prop up" Taraji P. Henson on the page.  Design by Neil Nakahodo

Because "Orange Is the New Black" has such a large cast, I didn't want to choose just a few actresses. I decided to put them behind bars to achieve shared dominance with so many faces. Design by Neil Nakahodo

Powered by Squarespace