Where Design Meets Meaning.
Emmy-winning creative work built to inform, inspire, and endure.

I’m Jon Van Amber — a multidisciplinary designer, animator, and storyteller. I help nonprofits and organizations create design that’s human, impactful, and unforgettable.

I’ve led major national campaigns, contributed to Emmy-winning productions, and supported in-house teams with everything from branding to broadcast animation. Much of my work has been with public media and nonprofits — where clarity, humanity, and mission-driven design matter most — but my approach adapts to any setting where thoughtful design can make an impact.

Whether you need a hands-on creative lead or an experienced collaborator who can plug into your existing team, I bring insight, vision, and care to every project.

SnowGlobe Public Relations logo featuring stylized circular design and text.
Minneapolis logo with sailboat graphic and "City of Lakes" tagline.
Logo of Nestlé Health Science Foundation with hexagonal design elements.
Text reading "Suze Orman's Ultimate Retirement Guide" in gray font.
SarTec logo in gray.
Large gray letter "H" with the word "Hennepin" across the middle in white lettering.
Digi-Key Corporation logo, gray oval with text
Logo with the letters RWi and the words "Reward Motivate Inspire" beneath.
Logo of DAV of Minnesota in gray text
Logo of the City of Minnetonka with stylized letter 'M' and cattails design.
The Bountiful Company logo with a cross pattern design.
KEYC News Now logo with a play button
Emblem for the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum featuring the outline of Minnesota and a military tank.
Whaly Boats USA logo in gray text with stylized wave design.
Lindner's Angling Edge logo with fishing rod drawing.
The image displays the PBS logo and the Trailerville logo in grayscale.
Gray logo for Tramonti Circuits with stylized text.
Logo of Saint Mary's University of Minnesota featuring a shield with a star and cross, and text of the university's name.
University of Minnesota Extension logo in gray.

software expertise……. Adobe, Maya, etc

Portfolio

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Environment

TV studios, KEYC, WCCO building hallways and spaces, museums, TPT Hallway, Sesame Street pledge, other pledge shows,

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Motion + TV

2D and 3D, Suze Orman, Brains are Built. Make TV, Aurora, Citizen Kane, Depresion out of the Shadows, TPT NOW, Minnesota Remembers Vietnam promo

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Print

Single, Multipage, Product Design, PBS Kids, REVIVE, DAV, MMVM Allies, RWI, Hennepin County. Booklet, Posters, Capitol Campaigns, (TPT, MMVM) GWOT book

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Digital

Websites + Social, Nature’s Bounty, Nestle, MMVM website, Ken Burns endorsement on facebook

Clients: Nature’s Bounty, Nestle, City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, City of Minnetonka, KEYC-TV, WCCO-TV, Twin Cities PBS, CentralCast, Suze Orman, Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum, DAV MN (Disabled American Veterans of Minnesota) Whaly Boats USA, Shapiro Medical Group, Explore Minnesota Golf, Schwans, DigiKey, AccuWeather, St. Mary’s University

Endorsements + Examples

Poster for the documentary film 'Slavery by Another Name' with the Sundance Film Festival selection logo, showing a portrait of a man in profile against a sunset with smokestacks and workers in the background.

“Jon came up with a chilling and spectacular signature image for the film Slavery by Another Name, that combined elements and imagery in a way I could never have imagined. Incredibly talented guy.”

Douglas Blackmon, Pulitzer Prize Winning Author / Filmmaker / Journalist. Professor of Practice at Georgia State University

Movie poster with a woman's face, half painted with red and white stripes, and distressed face paint, with the title 'Bring Her Home' overlayed.

“Jon Van Amber is a fantastic designer, very thoughtful, empathetic, and a beloved colleague at Twin Cities PBS. We have worked together on several projects over the last decade, with the Bring Her Home documentary being our most recent collaboration. Bring Her Home is a documentary that highlights the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic, where Jon served as our graphic designer and carefully crafted our powerful key image while being sensitive to the topic. As an art designer, Jon works effortlessly under pressure, handles criticism well, and strives to enhance his designing skill set.

Leya Hale, Twin Cities PBS Producer, Dakota and Diné Nations”

A movie poster for 'Depression: Out of the Shadows' featuring a leafless tree and a bright light behind it, with a cloudy sky in the background.

“Jon brought great vision and shimmering beauty to the artwork for Depression: Out of the Shadows. He easily blends organic images with his own unique infusion of creativity and symbolism. Jon is delightful to work with and brings great synergy to a project.”

Larkin McPhee, Peabody and Emmy award-winning director, producer and writer of documentary films

Vintage-style graphic with a woman shouting, audience members wearing hats, and a government building in the background. The word 'Citizen' is displayed at the top.
Colorful graphic celebrating 50 years of Sesame Street with the Sesame Street logo and number 50 made of cartoon-style textured patterns and faces.

“They don't get much better than Jon. His keen eye for detail, mixed with incredible knowledge and innate creativity makes him golden! And he's super nice...ALL the time!”

Rebecca Kolls, TV personality, producer, gardening expert, meteorologist

“Jon is about the closest thing you'll find to a creative genius. He can turn any concept into a beautiful visual representation. His work is always infused with an inventive twist that only his gifted mind could have come up with. I'd recommend Jon for any graphic project: print, video, web--you'll look at what he's created and be amazed.”

Paul Moore, Paul Moore Communications

Book cover titled 'Constitution USA with Peter Sagal' with a man standing next to a motorcycle on a road, a city skyline in the background, and a faded U.S. Constitution in the background.

“Symbols convey much about who we are and what we value. For years, Jon Van Amber has been a thoughtful and innovative designer for the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum at Camp Ripley. Together, we have worked hard to honor the state’s 304,000 veterans and all who have served since statehood.

On September 11, 2021, Jon’s superb design work supported the state’s 20th Anniversary Remembrance (from the steps of our State Capitol) of the 9/11 attacks. Specifically, in the interstitial videos used between the dignitaries speaking that morning and the Post-9/11 traveling exhibition on display in the Cedar Street Armory.

In my estimation, what makes Jon such an exceptional designer is his capacity to listen. He seeks to understand long before he puts pen to paper. Jon is a joy to work with and a state servant.”

Randal Dietrich, Executive Director, Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum at Camp Ripley

Poster for a documentary titled 'Going to War,' featuring soldiers, a helicopter, and explosions, with text about veterans sharing their war experiences.

“His award-winning creative work for our PBS content features powerful visual messaging, humanity, and heart. Jon’s CV is a breathtaking range of work that include multicultural designs for a wide range of content and form from the dramatic humanizing key art for Bring Her Home to the Afrocentric playfulness in the kids’ PSA campaign Brains Are Built.

In addition to his own considerable creative output, the art director is also a leader and mentor to emerging staff as well as cultural and community collaborators.”

Daniel Pierce Bergin, Executive Producer, Twin Cities PBS

Cover of the educational booklet titled 'Hero Elementary: Donde La Ciencia Es Super!' featuring four children dressed as superheroes with a blue background and QR codes at the bottom.

Our
brand vision

At the forefront of creative design, we challenge the conventional, merging artistry with cutting-edge technology to transform visions into reality. Our passion for innovation drives us to redefine the boundaries of what design can achieve.

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Contact Us

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