BACHELOR OF ARTS, GRAPHIC DESIGN
University of Wisconsin - Parkside
3.96 GPA & Summa Cum Laude Honors

ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE, GRAPHIC COMMUNICATIONS
Gateway Technical College
4.0 GPA & Distinguished Alumni

DESIGNER
May 2018 – Present // Core Creative // Milwaukee, WI

• Work independently on assigned projects or as a member of a team to concept projects for Milwaukee Tool under the supervision of the Lead/Senior Designer

• Take initiative & ownership of projects, while managing multiple projects simultaneously under hourly/daily deadlines

• Confirm all deadlines with Team Leader or Project Leader to ensure meeting deadlines

• Provide & accept practical feedback from the client & project leader

• Work within designated brand standards & push the limits of those standards when called for

• Provide design & illustration from conception to completion, as well as image retouching/manipulation

• Review all work for errors/omissions prior to turning into Senior Designers for review process. Make all necessary changes/corrections promptly & correctly before returning back to client

• Maintain digital files, photography, illustrations, logo art, typestyles, materials & resources to assist other department members in locating necessary files & references

• Support other teams in time of need – main support for Marketing Collateral team & Home Depot team

• Maintain high skill levels in InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator; use down time to brush up or learn new skills from Skillshare, Lynda or YouTube tutorials

• Knowledge of terminology & vendor requirements/capabilities, printing processes, print, paper & ink specification

May 2018 – January 2019 // Marketing Collateral Team

• Created & collaborated on pieces such as sell sheets, catalogs, tear pads, point of purchase displays & quick guide references for Milwaukee Tool (both domestic & international use)

January 2019 – Present // Power Tools Packaging Team

• Created, collaborated or updated Power Tools Packaging for M12™, M12 FUEL™, M18™ & M18 FUEL™ (including lighting and gear packaging), M12™ & M18™ REDLITHIUM™ battery packaging, personal lighting & various power tool accessories

• Prepare dielines, order translations & UPC codes, illustrate images on packaging, use rigorous checklisting processes to ensure package is print-ready before releasing files to China to get mass produced & filling assets

• Stepped up into end of project routing with Lead & Senior Designers because of my “eagle eye,” helped with in between routing rounds when those above me were overwhelmed with work

• Kept reference materials up-to-date, including M12™ & M18 FUEL™ Visual Brand Language Packaging Guidelines & Assets, end of project Designer Checklists, Gravure Printing Checklists, icon, illustration and render libraries

GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Jun 2016 – May 2018 // Brandmuscle // Chicago, IL

• Work nationwide with Diageo, a global leader in the alcohol beverage industry and the Diageo Beer Company, to produce print/digital collateral for bars & restaurants while maintaining branding guidelines

• Follow style guidelines across multiple brands, including: Ketel One, Captain Morgan,Crown Royal, Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker & Guinness

• Create designs that meet client expectations under tight hourly & daily deadlines, while adhering to industry regulations & legal requirements

• Proof & send print-ready files for completed projects, including any die-lines,score lines or special printing instructions

• Collaborate with the digital team to design, layout & update e-Blasts, social media posts & eBrochures

• Participate in weekly critiques with fellow designers to develop new ideas & solutions to design problems, while receiving constructive feedback

• Helped lead a Captain Morgan Lunch & Learn with my Associate Creative Director to inform all Chicago & on-site designers about new branding guidelines

• 2017 Brandys design award nominations for Most Creative Design & Highest Critique Score

• Train new designers & assist by answering any questions they may have-design or industry related

• Responsible for duties of the Associate Creative Director when out of the office:

  • Assign out projects to designers

  • Review projects before proofs are sent out to reps

  • Designated resource for any design/production/industry regulation questions

GRAPHIC DESIGNER PRINT + WEB
Aug 2015 – Jun 2016 // Home Care Medical // New Berlin, WI

• Design all corporate communications for internal use & for retail store locations,hospital & patient use

• Track & file job tickets, maintain electronic files for jobs

• Manage deliverables & deadlines for marketing department

• Create updated retail store advertising to attract customers to products or current promotions, use social media and e-mail campaigns to communicate relevant information to customers & purchase promotional materials to distribute at retail store locations & expos to leave a lasting impression on those receiving them

• Help maintain web content using WordPress

• Update & maintain Ecommerce website

MEDIA SERVICES SPECIALIST
May 2013 – Aug 2015 // Kenosha News // Kenosha, WI

• Edit nightly videos to be uploaded to iPad version of newspaper & website

• Production layout of classifieds and obituaries

• Prepress production of photography & newspaper using Photoshop & InDesign

• Ensure newspaper pages are plated, printed & error-free

Adobe Creative Suite

• InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, Bridge & Lightroom

Procreate

Microsoft Suite

Mac/PC proficient

Proofreading

WordPress

Email Blasts & Ecommerce

Final Cut, iMovie

Keynote, Prezi

Social Media

QuarkXPress

Take ownership & initiative

Work under strict deadlines

Strong attention to detail

Adaptable to situations

Quick learner

Problem-solver

Collaborate as part of a team