Coordinate with product development and merchandising teams for packaging design. Produce production ready files for printers depending on needs. Work under the art director to create social media, digital web assets and email designs.

Provide graphic design work for companies needing extra support on packaging, print collateral, and basic design needs such as digital layout assets and photography.

• Develops long-term relationships with a portfolio of clients, connects with key business executives and stakeholders.• Manages and develops client accounts to initiate and maintain favorable relationship with clients.• Creative lead responsible for giving direction and guidance to designers for print and web.• Plans projects and oversees production within set deadlines.• Coordinates with clients, stakeholders and the team to achieve advertising goals for web and print.• Responsible for maintaining the brand standards for each client.• Preflight formatting, in addition to collecting, processing, checking and uploading files.• Writing estimates and providing estimates to clients.• Shopping around for best printing prices, obtaining quotes from printers, arranging and communicating print needs.• In house photographer. Responsible for headshots, company group and product photography.• Lend support for in house graphic design needs for posters, flyers, signage, billboards, annual reports, magazines, and social media graphics.

A member of the creative team in charge of the development and execution of home products private brand packaging.• Work directly with product development and merchandising teams to develop and execute product packaging concepts.• Develop these concepts through collaboration with packaging sourcing and engineers to maintain cost-effectiveness.• Design layouts and assist with the creative direction of photo shoots, including working directly with photographers, stylists, and set builders to ensure organization of shoot schedules.• Manages and communicates creative status and style standards to key stack holders.• Acts as liaison and coordinator to outside creative services as needed.• Reviews and checks all artwork to ensure creative brand standard and program continuity for sample evaluation, creative template, imagery, and messaging.• Responsible for the accuracy of brand development, proofing and final artwork for assigned programs.

An on-site contractor position held by Test Rite Int'l Co. and YFYJupiter.Proactively facilitated the development of private brand packaging from concept through printing with Michaels domestic and direct import partners. As a packaging specialist I directed artwork, project plans and timelines. Communicated globally with factories, sourcing agents, product managers, production artists, and buyers on packaging artwork, pricing, time lines, branding structure and printing issues. Collaborated with product development, merchandising, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, sourcing, structural design, and photo studios to gather all pertinent information to deliver accurate packaging artwork, PDQs and invoices.• Contributed to the creation of education materials and presented to clients and vendors on packaging process, timelines and pricing structure.• Projected accurate milestones in packaging development plans for artwork, PDQs, and invoices.• Competitive shopped and presented findings to vendors and buying teams to coordinate packaging strategy.• Presented creative packaging design to various groups and fostered consensus across all stakeholders.• Art directed layouts, die-line development and photography. • Manually routed and maintained organization of all packaging artwork in my category while maintaining strict deadlines.• Developed and helped maintain production guides and internal style guides.• Trained new hires on packaging process.• Reviewed press proofs for accuracy and color.

Collaborated with the creative team to develop artwork for advertising initiatives. Contributed to design and production work for marketing materials used in newspaper ads, billboards, magazine ads, brochures, annual reports, logos, company collateral, newsletters and posters. Assisted senior designers & creative director with photo shoots. Was in charge of putting the final touches on ad materials, editing copy and making client requested revisions. Tasked to maintain a visually consistent look for each client.

An on-site contractor position of 1000 hours.Using basic product understanding I worked independently to conceive original designs for greeting cards, calendars, gift bags, gift-wrap, stickers, and packaging. As a team member in the Outbound Licensing Department I worked with style guides to use characters such as Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Kids, My Little Pony, Bob the Builder, and Sponge Bob.

Collected reference materials to prepare image boards for project development meetings. Worked with licensed artwork and style guides to design internal team collateral such as project shirts, thank you cards, job fair materials and company website designs.