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Resume
summary
A seasoned Art Director and Graphic Designer with over 15 years experience in many facets of design and the overall creative design process. Responsible for daily graphic design content as well as company branding and identity. Works regularly on graphics, layout, and production materials. Develop graphic design projects (logos, brochures, print and digital advertisements, infographics, packaging, photography, e-mail blasts and more) that have increased sales by more than 200%. I possess a combination of conceptual strength and technical proficiency. I have established myself as a self-starter and team leader that actively helps and refines all processes necessary to achieve and maintain goals.
experience
Graphic Artist • July 2023 - Present
Legoland Florida Resort (Merlin Entertainments) • Winter Haven, FL
• Support the Marketing Department, crafting work for LEGOLAND Florida Resort.
• This includes, but is not limited to: web and digital advertisements, emails, billboards and signage, park logos, event signage, event guides and maps, creative for third party companies, food and beverage menus (digital and print), HR paperwork and flyers, merchandise and much more.
• Ensure work produced is easy to use and easy to share with other Norther American Resorts when requested. Assist in customizing work for other resorts when requested.
Senior Graphic Designer/Senior Packaging Designer • March 2011 - May 2023
Essential Medical Supply, Inc. • Orlando, FL & Las Vegas, NV
• Lead the Art Department, steering the design, development and implementation of print and digital graphics, layouts, photos,
communication materials, etc. within the boundaries set by the company owners/ upper management.
• Create new and original designs from scratch for projects, based on needs and brand image.
• Create and manage production schedule, delegate tasks to the members of the design team, supervise production
ensuring production deadlines are met, provide counsel on all aspects of projects (as needed), review/proofread work
upon completion.
• Monitor sales and marketing material levels, ordering materials as needed. Ensure materials arrive on time and
inspect them for quality and condition.
• Work with outside printers (overseas and domestic) to produce all packaging, promos, in-store displays, etc.
• Perform photography duties as needed. Oversee/direct photography with Contract Photographer during photography
sessions. Ensure all sessions produce images that will serve a variety of needs (catalogs, digital, product display, etc).
• Perform copywriting tasks as needed (new projects, changes, grammar and line breaks).
• Maintain Essential Medical’s website (additions, subtractions, keep photos/files up-to-date, all links working, etc).
• Work with Quality Control and Engineering Departments to ensure materials are accurate company wide.
• Implemented new digital asset management and distribution program, saving time and money for EMS and its clients.
• Created streamlined in-house digital archive, allowing for faster location and updates of projects.
Graphic Artist
• June 2010 - March 2011
Booz Allen Hamilton • Tampa, FL
• Lead designer for one of six magazines published by the company for U.S. Special Operations.
• Designed layouts for the other 5 magazines, usually between 4-6 articles per magazine.
• Worked with translation teams to ensure proper layout of articles in multiple languages, depending on publication.
Graphic Designer • June 2008 - July 2009
Walt Disney World® Resorts Internal Communications - Magic Kingdom • Lake Buena Vista, FL
• Designed digital and print communication used throughout WDW property. Was responsible for the Tell-A-Cast (16,000+
copies) and Elevator News (18 Magic Kingdom Backstage locations) start to print every
week.
• Worked with Merchandising Department to create materials for Cast Members to use for Add-On Sales, Point of Purchase
Reminders, and showcasing products
in the Backstage Area.
• Shot photography for internal stock photos/art and took photos of Cast Members for use in the Tell-A-Cast and Elevator News.
• Addressed art/communication emergencies as they arose.
Graphic Designer • May 2006 - June 2008
American Marketing and Publishing, L.L.C. • DeKalb, IL
• Designed 25-50 ads a day of various sizes for publication in the HomePages Telephone Directories (these ads included local
businesses and multinational corporation franchises from Allstate, State Farm, Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Jimmy John’s, Edible
Arrangements, and more).
• At the beginning of each day, worked on 10-25 customer changes/proofreading corrections from the office pool, to meet
production/printing deadlines.
• Communicated with clients to ensure they were pleased with their ads.
education
Bachelor of Fine Art in Visual Communication, May 2008
Northern Illinois University (NIU), DeKalb, Illinois
Bachelor of Science in Political Science, May 2003
Northern Illinois University (NIU), DeKalb, Illinois
software
Very proficient in:
Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat), InCopy, BoxShot, Barcode Producer, QuarkXpress, CorelDRAW, MS Office, Mac OS, Windows Environment
Knowledgeable with:
Animate, Dimension, Premier, Brother Embroidery software, GoLive, Dreamweaver, HTML programming, GoPublish, MailChimp, WordPress, Canva, Cricut Design Studio
achievements
Essential Medical Supply
- Contributed to a 200% increase in sales over 8 years with Essential Medical Supply
Recognized by management for concentrated efforts to reduce the workload of the Customer Service Dept. (Through discussions and customer feedback, user manuals have been improved and redesigned, including all information and detailed imagery/photographs an end user could need. This has led to a quantifiable reduction in requests for assistance to the department, thus saving time and money. In addition, the revised user manuals have received extreme positive praise from dealers, wholesalers and end users who have called in and written to us.)
Walt Disney World
- was commended by the printer of the Tell-A-Cast as the only person to layout it out in a way that allowed for speedy printing and with no distortion to the print. Created work instructions based on my process for all designers working on Tell-A-Casts (Believed to be still in use today)
American Marketing & Publishing
- One of top three night shift ad producers 2007
Boy Scouts of America
- Designed the last five patch sets for the Northwest Suburban Council National Jamboree Contingent Patches (2001, 2005, 2010, 2013, 2017) for the Boy Scouts of America and was selected as one of the overall national favorites 2001-2013
Eagle Scout Rank, Boy Scouts of America, 1997
community service
Cub Scout Den Leader - Fall 2021 - Present
HOA Board of Trustees Member - 2014 - Present; President: 2017 - Present
special skills
General knowledge of paper engineering and pop-up mechanisms, limited woodworking skills
