I'm a veteran art director, graphic designer and copy writer with a diverse background, primarily in publishing and advertising (agency work). My freelance activity through the years has given me additional experience in all manner of marketing collateral including print, packaging and digital/web design.
I'm also a writer, adept at copy writing and full feature articles. I write copy for print and online ads as well as websites, most recently for my mobile app website at AuroraSymbols.com. I've written articles for a few trade magazines and for Autism File Magazine as a featured contributor.
In addition to my experience and abilities on the creative side, I also have extensive experience in project management; from both the planning and coordination phases to the production end. I have worked in pre-press (file prep at various printers) as well as managed color checks at large web-press printers, such as Quad Graphics in Wisconsin.
Managerially, I have experience as an Art Director and as a former president and founder of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. As an Art Director, I've interviewed, hired and trained younger designers, delegated tasks for projects I've managed and fostered a robust collaborative environment that always brought projects to completion on deadline and on budget. As the former President of a nonprofit, I've recruited board members, presided over meetings and coordinated various events and fundraisers. Additionally, I've served as a volunteer, traveling the country with a small film crew to shoot footage for the foundation's website.
The nonprofit I founded and served advocated for children with autism since 2004, and after I had left the organization, I continued volunteering for other foundations for several years. I've designed two mobile apps to help children with nonverbal autism communicate and was named the 2014 recipient of the National Autism Association's annual "Believe" award.
In my free time, I now enjoy practicing archery at local ranges.
I hope you will enjoy browsing my work. I organized this portfolio to give you immediate access to a diverse range of print, digital & product designs as a general demonstration of ability across multiple media. In my resume, you will also find that I am able to edit video. I have many years experience in that, but I've not included edited video samples as that is not so much a focus for my career, but an added "extra" should a client or employer need such work done in-house.