Experience

• Multidisciplinary Creative Director with expertise in branding, strategic positioning and marketing campaign strategies.

• 20+ year proven track record of creating exceptional, strategically sound creative solutions across multiple channels including: digital marketing strategy and execution, web design, print collateral, advertising, video and animation production, packaging, and photography art direction

• Leadership skills that foster a creative, collaborative, hands-on approach, with a passion for interpreting needs, inspiring teams and delivering innovative and meaningful design solutions that inspire action

• Understand that cultivating and maintaining strong relationships is equally as important as the final deliverable

• Continuing education in business and copywriting fosters a broader understanding of objectives and solutions

SYNERGY CREATIVE   |   Chicago, Illinois
Creative Director, February 2009 — Present 

• Lead the Visual Creative Direction for a variety of clients in DTC, B2B and B2C.

• Manage, educate, mentor and collaborate with designers, writers, web developers, photographers and videographers.
• Drive high-level creative direction and strategic positioning to support business-led initiatives and exceed goals and expectations.
• Continue to evolve, grow and learn new ways of supporting brand identity from a fully integrated and holistic perspective across multiple channels and verticals.

Recent Synergy highlights include:

• Hollister Incorporated
  Hollister Inc. develops, manufactures and markets healthcare products and services worldwide. Recently, Hollister has begun to market directly to consumers. Working closely with the marketing department at Hollister, we concepted and designed a digital marketing strategy, social media engagement and placement, targeted banner ads, multi-faceted email campaign, website, online and traditional advertising, and campaign guidelines that allow a global marketing team to engage and execute. We also produced a suite of new communication materials including consumer brochures, media library, package design and a mobile app. See Hollister work >

• American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA)
  Spearheaded the design and strategy for a new website, new logo/identity, and campaign guidelines aimed at driving new membership, product offerings and attendance at their annual conference. With the use of a digital-first marketing strategy, using social media channels and targeted placement banners, the organization has grown into a more modern, connected community, with growth in membership and engagement. See ADHA work >

• Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES)
  Concepted, designed and oversaw the development of a brand new website aimed at connecting Diabetes Educators with the latest in products, expertise and innovations in diabetes technology. Additionally, oversaw and created a fully integrated digital marketing campaign to drive new users, including social media placement, video production, traditional and online marketing campaigns, and a full suite of printed materials. See ADCES work >
  

PRESSLEY JOHNSON DESIGN   |   Chicago, Illinois
As a Senior Designer at Pressley Johnson Design, I was involved in all areas of the design process from conceptualization to final production. My primary activities included producing a variety of communication materials such as web sites, interactive marketing campaigns, annual reports, capabilities brochures, corporate identity systems, employee magazines, event collateral and advertising. My daily responsibilities included extensive client contact, scheduling and budgeting, design conceptualization and implementation, art direction of outside talent and production supervision. I art directed other designers within the office, handled multiple individual projects as well as collaborated on larger team projects.

MEINDL & ASSOCIATES   |   Oak brook, Illinois
As a Designer at Meindl & Associates, I worked closely with the Creative director in developing a large variety of communications materials for many large corporate clients. Our projects included capabilities brochures, corporate identity systems, newsletters, invitations, websites, advertising and package design. Being one of only four designers in the office gave me extensive hands-on experience in many facets of the business and allowed for the development of my conceptual, hand and organizational skills.

VSA PARTNERS   |   Chicago, Illinois
Upon graduating from Northern Illinois University, I joined VSA Partners, one of the largest and most recognized design firms in the country. Serving as a freelance designer, I had the opportunity to collaborate with principals of the firm, senior designers and clients. While assisting on many different communication materials such as annual reports, corporate identity systems and newsletters, I quickly learned how to manage my time and skills to create unique design solutions in a very fast and competitive environment.

The University of Chicago
Continuing Education
Integrated Marketing—Brand Creativity: Copywriting and Story-telling

American Corporate Identity
Fraser Paper’s Design Inspiration Awards
Graphic Design USA
International ARC Awards
HOW Self Promotion Annual
The Triad Awards