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Top-Line Skills
Programs & Computers
- Cross-platform experience [Mac or PC]
- Advanced, trained user of Adobe CS, CS2, CS3 [esp. Photoshop, InDesign]; Microsoft Office [esp. Word, Excel, PowerPoint]; Acrobat reader/writer; Firefox/IE/Netscape; FTP
- Intermediate to advanced experience in CSS design, maintenance of web pages including using Dreamweaver, FrontPage; hand coding in HTML
- Intermediate user of QuarkXpress, Adobe Illustrator
- Introductory Flash, audio and video editing experience [Flash, Audacity, Final Cut]; JavaScript/DHTML, XML
Skill Summary
- Print: design, page layout, production, press check
- Web: CSS and HTML capable, optimized images; site creation and maintenance of existing sites
- Styling: creative direction, product and prop sourcing and styling, retouching
- Events: planning, booking, curating, promoting
Experience
2003-Present Freelance Graphic Designer & Curator
- Produced web-optimized images and banners [Vibrant Media, thePEEQ.com]
- Curation: Promote and curate cabarets: create and book event, oversee budget and payment; liaise with artists, tech staff; produce press kits and handbills; emcee and perform.
- Creating promotional websites and print materials for artists [Axon D'Luxe, trashandready.com, kristyndunnion.com]
- Maintaining and updating sites [Arenastudios.com]
- Produced image-consistent tags, gift certificates and flyers for retail locations
- Producing print-ready magazine, ad kit, posters, handbills for various clients
2006 – Present Art Director: $pread Magazine
- Layout a glossy quarterly magazine using InDesign; preflight, press check
- Liaise with artists to obtain illustrations and photographs for articles; retouch and optimize as needed
- Design cover, editorial and fashion spreads, columns, photo essays and advertising
- Created image-consistent ad kit, business cards in Photoshop CS
5/2007 – 12/07 Production Artist: McGraw-Hill Electronic Design and Prepress Dept
[Temporary assignment via Kelly Services]
- Awarded 'Performance ACE' for leadership and project organization
- Produced highly detailed, multi-layered InDesign templates and specification guides for textbook page production from designs
- Modified Illustrator and Photoshop images for repurposing
2006 – 2007 Digital Image Production: RetroRoz Antiques
- Styled delicate vintage/antique products and take high-quality digital photographs
- Quickly format, retouch and upload images to website and eBay
- Demonstrated knowledge of art history and materials by writing copy, categorizing items
2005 – 2006 Administrative Assistant: Columbia University, Civil Engineering Department
- Designed and printed oversize student/faculty posters [Illustrator]; event planning and advertising; created consistent posters for seminars & events [Photoshop]
- Maintained Department web site: www.civil.columbia.edu [Dreamweaver]
2000-2002 Assistant Editor & Production Manager: The Gargoyle (volunteer)
- Bimonthly newspaper layout using QuarkXpress on tight deadlines with a team
- Created templates to give the paper a consistent and modern design
- Contributed a column, multiple articles and several back covers
1999-2001 Administrative Assistant & Graphic Designer: Professional Financial Strategies
- Designed and edited company newsletter: Asset Management Strategies
- Researched market data to create graphs, charts, and confirm content
- Managed client and contact database; filed client portfolio and statement information
- Federal security clearance, responsible for personal client information
Qualifications
Digital Design: Print, Web, and Promotional
- Print production: revised or designed layout, created InDesign templates and styles for textbooks, $pread Magazine, The Gargoyle, Asset Management Strategies
- Led time-sensitive production of trade book covers for McGraw-Hill; sourced, cataloged, modified and repurposed hundreds of illustrations and photographs, created multipurpose .PDFs
- Demonstrated ability to create effective promotional materials with branded image by making or customizing existent posters, signage, newsletters, tags, charts, and presentations for $pread Magazine, Columbia University Department, Trash & Ready, Exile Clothing Co. and Professional Financial Strategies
- Created promotional websites: liquidationlady.com; hadassahsbizzare.com, trashready.com; included downloadable PDFs, press photos, handbills, and mp3’s
- Maintained and upgraded content on Arena Studios site, Columbia University department website, spreadmagazine.org
- Designed covers to print specs, within budget for magazine, CD’s, chapbook
- Marketing: designed 8 page media kit .PDF for $pread Magazine, press releases for Trash & Ready, Perpetual Motion
- Source and compose content of images from cache of illustrators and photographers
- Created dynamic flyers and posters to promote seminars and events
- Negotiated competitive print quotes, worked with various printers
- Prepared print-ready mechanicals of InDesign, Photoshop files.
Communication: Marketing, Writing, Editing
- Demonstrated ability to edit and produce on deadline from designing for $pread, editing The Gargoyle and Asset Management Strategies, and from creating performances.
- Proficient at creating public texts, such as press releases, mission statements, memorandums and ad copy from Columbia position, marketing financial services and promotion work
- Excellent command of the English language from University degree, copyediting.
- Skilled at editing for grammar, continuity, and relevance of content in documents from Columbia memorandums, Gargoyle editorial position, essay writing
- Researched and synthesized information for CU ABET accreditation, professional newsletters, university work, $pread articles and Sexual Ed Centre presentations
- Effectively performed general office duties such as client communication, vendor maintenance, filing, scheduling, inventories at Columbia University, Exile, Professional Financial
- Budget/Data Entry: used Excel to organize link sourcing project for McGraw-Hill, input market data to create graphs and charts for PFS and budgets for Trash & Ready; Access to enter client information
Education
9/06 – 2/07 Production Department Intern: Overlook Press, NY, NY
- Successfully learned and demonstrated industry workflow and standards for printing and design of book interiors and covers/jackets
2000-2002 Honours Bachelor of Arts: English, Philosophy, Semiotics
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
- Achieved Dean’s List standing, graduated with Distinction
- Awards: Canadian Scholars’ Press Award & Blue Box Award
1997-2000 Associate of Science: General Arts and Humanities
Monroe Community College, Rochester, NY
- Relevant courses: Desktop Publishing I (QuarkXpress), Microsoft Office, Graphic Image Manipulation (Adobe Photoshop)
