Professional Summary

Self-starting and innovative creative with a 12+ year track record of delivering successful and top-quality visual solutions that elevate brand awareness and consumer engagement. Familiar with developing relevant collateral for start-up brands, local small businesses, and nationally-recognized organizations. Employer of a hands-on leadership style to oversee all aspects of project management and cultivate a top-producing creative staff. Dedicated to functioning as an industry expert with continued professional development, and research of current trends, changing environments, and target markets.

Skills & Proficiencies

Work Experience

Kettle Cuisine, Lynn, MA
Brand & Art Manager, 2018 – Present

Develop and command brand standards across all aspects of visual collateral for the organization. Drive sales, target key audiences, and focus on market positioning. Generate and enforce annual marketing budget and oversee allocation of funds to various avenues. Conduct all aspects of designing and launching brand-aligned media materials across print, digital, social, and retail platforms. Source vendors, select optimal partnerships, negotiate pricing, and maintain excellent working relationships while establishing clear-cut expectations of service. Support private label partners by consulting on customized label design.

Key Achievements:
• Created sales collateral across five unique brands obtained within a year.
• Identified innovative visual merchandising solutions that maximized shelf impact and strategized account acquisitions in close collaboration with the retail sales team.
• Directed a 100K website redesign that significantly improved product awareness and brand digital presence.
• Cultivated a cross-functional, team-oriented work environment which resulted in comprehensive 360-degree marketing for product roll outs.
• Functioned as a solo-creative for a $400M company.
• Aided in securing a multi-million-dollar contract with an innovative packaging label mockup.
• Adhered to all regulatory stipulations for food products and government labeling mandates while upholding brand compliance across all business channels.
• Advanced social media presence and public awareness of products and services offered by creating and delivering engaging content.

Marketing & Design Associate, 2016 – Present

Partner closely with the labeling specialist to design packaging and label materials for retail and private labels. Creatively directed all product photo shoots and collaborated with photographers. Reviewed web analytics and reports to identify areas for improvement and directed programmers in website adjustments that elevated product awareness and increased revenue. Generated concepts for marketing tools across B2b and B2C channels including sales collateral, merchandising materials, and retail presentations.

Key Achievements:
• Significantly reduced marketing expenditures by transitioning design projects to in-house and leading the creative efforts.
• Completely overhauled brand design standards and enforced new look and feel.
• Art directed the redesign of the corporate merchandising catalogue with a focus on streamlining products for multipurpose use to condense product line and reduce costs.
• Elevated brand awareness by developing strategic content for social media platforms and email marketing campaigns.
• Identified target markets and prospective customer profiles by functioning as an industry expert and continuously staying abreast with current trends, new developments, and changing environments.

Freelance, Chicago, IL
Creative Director & Visual Designer, 2011 – 2017

Cultivated a client base of various organizations from nationally recognized labels to local small businesses. Developed innovative solutions that met each individual organization’s goals and visual needs. Created logos for new businesses, web collateral in conjunction with growing businesses, and media collateral in line with well-established brands. Delivered top-quality visual content while managing multiple simultaneous projects from initial concept generation through to completion.

Key Achievements:
• Client base included Rounder Records, Concord Music, Switchfast, Muscular Therapy Works, Café Selmarie, Twin Shores, and more.
• Expanded skill sets in web design, start-up branding, and brand consistency across well-recognized entities.

Rounder Records, Burlington, MA
Senior Graphic Designer, 2002 – 2010
Created engaging visual collateral that cohesively represented projects across various packaging needs. Adhered to brand standards and quality expectations while communicating the individual aesthetics for each client and project. Coordinated all aspects of project elements from photographers, illustrators, or additional external resources.

Key Achievements:
• Supervised and mentored junior designers and interns to ensure all deliverables met high-level quality standards and were completed within projected deadlines.

Education, Courses, & Affiliations

University of Connecticut, Graduated 2002
Storrs, Connecticut
Fine Arts Bachelors Degree
Graphic Design Major / Art History Minor

Specialization in Graphic Design: coursework including Digital Multimedia, Photography, Sculpture, Marketing, Advertising, Printmaking, Communications, Art History, English

• InDesign Training Class – Advanced, American Graphics Institute, Boston, MA 2017
• Digital Photography – Advanced, American Graphics Institute, Boston, MA 2017
• Web Development 8-week Bootcamp, Digital Bootcamp, Chicago IL, 2012
• Photoshop “Down & Dirty Tricks” in CS 4 and CS5 Seminar, Kelby Training, Boston MA, 2010
• Flash CS3 personal one-on-one training, levels I and II, Computer Images, Boston MA, 2009
• The Recording Academy: awarded Grammy®-voting membership, 2008-2011
• Black & White Photography Summer Course, University of Hartford, Hartford CT, 1999