Travis Root

Design work

Updated: 2-6-2025

Darwin

Animations for major clients like Harvard, DoorDash, and more.

2021 ⟶ now

Steelcase

Animated ads for beautiful office furniture.

2021 ⟶ now

Tulane University

Print materials for Tulane's Internal Medicine program.

2022

Adobe CCX Templates

Classroom material templates for Adobe.

2022

Todoist

Fun videos about productivity methods & software.

2024 ⟶ now

Microsoft Avanade

Animation components for Microsoft's IT subsidiary.

2022 ⟶ now

One-Shots

Indie work for small clients.

2020 ⟶ now

CHI PIX Card Deck

A Chicago-themed pixel art card deck.

2022 ⟶ now

Sketches & Experiments

Illustrations and weirdo projects.

2016 ⟶ now

Xtend, Inc.

Helping credit unions help people.

2019 ⟶ 2021

Media Sandbox

Campaigning for creativity at MSU.

2017 ⟶ 2018

Goldilocks

I designed & built a bass guitar.

2019 ⟶ 2020

Spartans Vs Zombies

The craziest game on campus.

2015 ⟶ 2017

Winterlite

You're using it right now.

2020 ⟶ now

Client testimonials

“Travis is one of my agency’s go-to creative partners. He’s a good communicator and a great designer. Most importantly, he doesn’t need his hand held; he takes projects and runs with them.”

Troy Kelleher
Creative Director
MACLYN

“Travis's technical skills and creative talent are truly remarkable. It's delightful to work with him; he communicates effectively and he is always willing to go the extra mile. He welcomes feedback and revisions, ensuring that the final product meets our expectations. I highly recommend Travis to anyone looking for an outstanding animator.”

Mariana Ontiveros
Creative Operations Manager
Darwin AI

“Travis is amazing! Very knowledgeable, professional and quick. Every opportunity we have to work with him, we will.”

Ka’Lynde Smith, MBA
Sr. GME Administrator II
Tulane University

“Travis has been one of our favorite vendor partners to work with. Not only is he prompt with his responses, but he understands our vision. He is a great listener, and offers valuable feedback that helps elevate our brand. I can’t imagine working with another graphic designer.”

Megan Pieper
Vice President of Marketing & eCommerce
WestStar Credit Union

Bio & contact info

Hi, I'm Trav! I'm a full-time freelancer in Chicago.

I have a B.A. with Honors in Creative Advertising and Design from Michigan State University. My eventual career goal is to design explainers and graphics for science communication.

I'm from Grand Rapids, MI. I attended Michigan State University from 2013 to 2017.

At MSU, I was a radio DJ/staff writer for Impact 89FM, a documentary editor, the head admin of Spartans Vs Zombies, and a regular participant in the Ludum Dare game design contest.

I spent a year in Nagoya, Japan after graduating, where I worked as an English teacher at ECC. I also made some friends and climbed a bunch of mountains. The language barrier really tested my ability to adapt and communicate, especially graphically (since I used a whiteboard all day).

A group photo of my Japanese language teachers in Nagoya.

A picture of Trav and Shogo with some adorable deer in Nara, Japan.

I moved back to Grand Rapids in 2019 and worked as the Creative Lead at Xtend, Inc. for two years, designing media for credit unions, creating marketing plans, and running interactive design seminars. I made this website during the pandemic.

I moved to Chicago in 2021 to begin my career as a freelancer.

Nowadays I contract with Darwin AI and other studios, and directly with other clients. Occasionally I do work for some wonderful local nonprofits, including the Chicago Architecture Center and Preservation Chicago.

Here's my resume.

You can email me at travismroot@gmail.com!

Free lunch

Here's some things I made for fun. It's all Open Souce via the MIT License for free use for any purpose!

In The Dark Knight (2008) the Joker says "if you're good at something, never do it for free," and I generally try to do the opposite of what the Joker says, so here's some free stuff:

Play Jet Jet Jockey, MOTR, Blimpers, Waterpony, Oystre, and a bunch of other little videogames I made in college and in Japan. They're all free on my Itch.io page!

Tone Mono is a 5x8px monospace bitmap typeface I made. It's very basic, but it's good for video games and chunky pixel art!

Winterlite is a minimalist static website template. Go make your own website! Social media sucks but websites are cool

My 2025 Calendar is a 17x11" print calendar that I made because I didn't want to pay $30 for an ugly calendar at Staples

Trav Root’s

website ^:)

Design work

Darwin

Steelcase

Tulane University

Adobe CCX Templates

Todoist

Microsoft Avanade

One-Shots

CHI PIX Card Deck

Sketches & Experiments

Xtend, Inc.

Media Sandbox

Goldilocks

Spartans Vs Zombies

Winterlite

Client testimonials

“Travis is one of my agency’s go-to creative partners. He’s a good communicator and a great designer. Most importantly, he doesn’t need his hand held; he takes projects and runs with them.”

“Travis is amazing! Very knowledgeable, professional and quick. Every opportunity we have to work with him, we will.”

“Travis has been one of our favorite vendor partners to work with. Not only is he prompt with his responses, but he understands our vision. He is a great listener, and offers valuable feedback that helps elevate our brand. I can’t imagine working with another graphic designer.”

Bio & contact info

Hi, I'm Trav! I'm a full-time freelancer in Chicago.

I have a B.A. with Honors in Creative Advertising and Design from Michigan State University. My eventual career goal is to design explainers and graphics for science communication.

Free lunch

Trav Root’s

website :)

Design work

Darwin

Steelcase

Tulane University

Adobe CCX Templates

Todoist

Microsoft Avanade

One-Shots

CHI PIX Card Deck

Sketches & Experiments

Xtend, Inc.

Media Sandbox

Goldilocks

Spartans Vs Zombies

Winterlite

Client testimonials

“Travis is one of my agency’s go-to creative partners. He’s a good communicator and a great designer. Most importantly, he doesn’t need his hand held; he takes projects and runs with them.”

“Travis is amazing! Very knowledgeable, professional and quick. Every opportunity we have to work with him, we will.”

“Travis has been one of our favorite vendor partners to work with. Not only is he prompt with his responses, but he understands our vision. He is a great listener, and offers valuable feedback that helps elevate our brand. I can’t imagine working with another graphic designer.”

Bio & contact info

Hi, I'm Trav! I'm a full-time freelancer in Chicago. I have a B.A. with Honors in Creative Advertising and Design from Michigan State University. My eventual career goal is to design explainers and graphics for science communication.

Free lunch

website ^:)

Hi, I'm Trav! I'm a full-time freelancer in Chicago.

I have a B.A. with Honors in Creative Advertising and Design from Michigan State University. My eventual career goal is to design explainers and graphics for science communication.