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CREATIVE DIRECTOR/
SENIOR DESIGNER/
WRITER

Award winning creative director/senior designer with a graduate degree from Pratt Institute. Industry experience ranges from major imprints to global fashion brands, advertising agencies, as well as non-profit organizations. Over 20 years’ successfully delivering high caliber projects which activate emotion and intellect to transform creativity into unbound commercial and cultural campaigns.

Career Highlights:
• Successful branding and redesign of website / online archive
• CLIO Award – Silver Winner for editorial advertisement
• NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship – Finalist Award Winner
• Fulbright Program Semi-Finalist (Pratt Institute)


EXPERIENCE

JustMedia, New York, NY     May 2021 – Jan 2024
Creative Director

Head of the Creative Department for a non-profit, overseeing the creative process from concept to completion. 
Duties include: managing two interns, redesign/management of website, production budget, revising digital presentations, outreach/promo materials, video assets, proposals, planning company advertisements, monitoring brand campaigns, social media assets, and shaping brand standards to match the requests of the Executive Director

• Responsible for 100% of logo design / letterhead / curriculum booklets / educational toolkits / board presentations / powerpoint presentations
• Successfully designed frontend of website landing page / branding and identity / content plus archival management
• Achieved redesign of website / mobile and search engine experience
• Accomplished the addition of over 1000 films to the website archive adding positive database growth
• Effectively translated marketing objectives into clear creative communications
• Worked closely with multidisciplinary project teams, i.e. curriculum writers, IT/web developer, external client communication
• Lead the creative team in the production of all marketing assets: indoor/outdoor/virtual
• Implemented research skills to contract a digital marketing company / artistic direction of the social media agency
• Ensured visual communication and brand standards are met
• Spearheaded management of onboarding materials, print/digital quality control, team building, and mentoring

Blue Apron, New York, NY     May 2020 – July 2021
Senior Production Artist

Collaborated with the Senior Manager, alongside the Editorial Culinary Team and Photo Studio to create, traffic, update, pre-flight, upload materials to the website, and recipe cards on a National scale.

Ownership of page layout, flagging and managing any new assets as needed, then uploading final files to printers
• Effectively supervised the onboarding of lead production artist
• Managed art revisions, minor retouching, and text corrections
• Diligently improved from 40% to 100% management of menu layout, print files, and website updates
• Consistently created mechanicals for print production and digital marketing

Rolling Stone Magazine,  New York, NY     Nov 2015 – Nov 2017
Senior Graphic Designer (freelance)

CLIO Silver Winner 2016 – Dos Equis, Most Interesting Man, Final Interview (Adios Amigo)

Created promotional ad materials for the marketing department
• Successfully designed cover ad and editorial layout for LEVI’S Iconic Denim
• Effectively created Faux cover and editorial layout for Dos Equis
• Developed editorial ads – Gillette, M&Ms, RAM Trucks, Transitions Lenses and Various Festivals
• Improved design materials for the Super Bowl events, PowerPoint presentations and digital marketing

 

Urban Word NYC, New York, NY     Aug 2012 – Jul 2018
Resident Art Director/Designer (freelance)

Designed all brand and event promotional materials
• Created logos, book covers, booklets, flyers and web materials for National Youth Poet Laureate
• Designed promo materials for the Annual NYC Youth Poetry Slam at the Apollo Theater
ARTITUTE Workshop: Educated teens with Graphic Design tools to create posters based on social activism.

 

J. Walter Thompson (JWT), New York, NY     Jul 2008 – Aug 2015
Art Director

Clients include: Estée Lauder Companies (Aramis, Tommy Hilfiger, Aerin Lauder, Tory Burch, Donna Karan, Coach, and more) 

Managed a team of branding and mechanical artist, collaborated with Creative Directors, Brand Managers and Video Producers to create video shorts, gift endings for international marketing, digital platforms and in-store promotions.

• Supervised the development and design print advertisement including brand collateral
• Directly created storyboards, brochures, book covers, mall banners, interior art, flyers, direct mails, sales sheets
• Maintained brand identity (logos and letterheads), and packaging
• Accomplished high-level photo retouching and color correcting
• Oversaw edits on t.v. commercials in multiple languages (copy, images, and visual effects)
• Selected typography, color, illustrations, photography, and other imaging
• Assisted in the selection of art, stock photography, and voice over talent
• Designed event-specific logos and sales promotional pieces

 

Laird and Partners, New York, NY     Mar 2005 – Jun 2008
Production Designer

Clients include: GAP, Nautica, Juicy Couture, Vera Wang, Bottega Veneta, DKNY and Schweppes

Collaborated with Art Directors and Copy Writers in creating ad mechanicals for magazines, billboards, production proofs, comps and mock-ups for new business presentations.

• Supervised production team work flow and finalizing files
• Generated ad layouts and paste-up
• Photo retouching and color correcting
• Dispatched ads into system for production
• Coordinated the typesetting, photography, artwork and printing
• Prepared files for release to printers and various international trade publications

 

Marc Eckó Enterprises (Eckó Unlimited), New York, NY     Nov 2002 – Mar 2005
Senior Production Artist

Print Production Manager of all promotional materials, supervised a production team, demonstrated a keen ability to successfully meet tight deadlines, manage work flow to finalize files in accordance with numerous high-profile magazines and various international vendors.

• Dispatched ads into data systems for production
• Coordinated the typesetting, photography, graffiti art, and illustration
• Prepared files for release to printers and various international trade publications
• Successfully oversaw proofs (checking print films for matching colors)
• Produced printouts, comps and mock-ups for presentations
• Communicated with clients and numerous sales departments


EDUCATION

Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
M.F.A. in Writing – May 2018
Digital Design Certificate 
Thesis Topic: Design of Poetic Activism

Connecticut Institute of Art, Greenwich, CT
Major in Commercial and Fine Arts
Graduate Diploma
Sept 1994 – May 1996


SKILLS

• Corporate / Brand Identity
• Creative Direction / Art Direction
• Sr. Design Communications
• Print Production Management
• Logo Design
• Book Cover & Internal Design
• Advertisement Layout
• Illustration
• Creative Writing/Poetry
• Web/Mobile Design
• Digital Marketing/Publishing
• Concept Development
• Dept. / Project Management
• Verbal/Written Communication
• Team Building +


COMPUTER

• Adobe Creative Suite
  InDesign / Illustrator / Photoshop / Ae
• Acrobat (PDF)
• MS Word / Excel
• PowerPoint
• K4 Publishing System
• Webflow
• Typography/Font Setting
• Procreate


• NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship – Finalist Award Winner
• African American Garden – New York Botanical Garden (poetry installation)
• Pulitzer Prize Finalist – (Drama) Stew, by Zora Howard
• CLIO Award – Silver Winner
• La Maison Baldwin – (France) Writers-in-Residence Fellowship Winner
• Fulbright Program Semi-Finalist
• Cave Canem Fellowship – Graduate (poetry)
• Academy of American Poets Contest – Honorable Mention
• Best of the Net Anthology Nominee (poetry)
• Los Angeles Review of Books (poetry)

ACCOLADES