About
Multi-skilled creative ninja with over 15 years of experience as design lead in diverse environments offering a broad skill set that drives all aspects of brand marketing for print, web, social, PR, and bespoke content creation. Proven success in art direction, graphic design, and brand development for digital and print projects. Motivational team member and leader, accustomed to collaborating effectively with multi-functional teams, organizing workflow, and delivering projects on time and within budget. Leveraging high-level experience of managing multiple clients’ accounts for advertising agencies, an in-house designer on the client-side, as well as supporting many clients as a freelancer. Accustomed to delivering exceptional quality with great attention to detail, have a solid work ethic, and a high level of professionalism with a contagious positive attitude.
More details...From a very early age, I knew I would become a designer. I have fond memories of painting with my grandparents who were artists by profession, spending hours with my father who loved photography and always had his SLR camera in arms reach and working with my mother who instilled in me the importance of words and sentence structure. As you can see, these are important elements of marketing, and it is in my blood. These early experiences have served me well.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Design, I started my career as an entry-level production artist. I have since worked my way up the totem pole. I have tackled all aspects of marketing projects: brainstorming and storyboarding, design and conception, copywriting, photography, branding, logos, websites, and then carrying out the design throughout all mediums. During my tenure as an Art Director / Sr. Graphic Designer, I have developed a reputation for creating smart, clean visual solutions that stand out in a crowd. My ability to translate ideas into visual concepts that are appealing and effective has allowed me to create designs that meet client expectations and surpass them. |
I have a great work ethic and am a quick, efficient designer with great attention-to-detail. In addition, I also have a high level of professionalism and a positive attitude that is contagious.
During the past several years, I have learned many things. I know that it takes a person with excellent communication and interpersonal skills to be a team player in a productive setting. By hiring me, you will get these skills as well as someone who is highly creative, motivated, flexible, independent, and not afraid to find innovative ways to complete a job. |
Education
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Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design, Art Minor,
Keene State College, Keene, New Hampshire |
Areas of Expertise |
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Technical Proficiencies |
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Professional Experience
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Freelance Senior Art Director / Senior Graphic Designer
Kelly Harkins Designs, LLC Leverage strong conceptual and design skills to create compelling work and provide integrated design and art direction from concept to campaign for clients across diverse sectors. Deliver multi-faceted expertise to offer commercial graphic design services, marketing, and brand strategy development, as well as web and social media management and asset creation. Evaluate client needs and create custom solutions while drawing from diverse methodologies and technologies. Collaborate with directors, project coordinators, copywriters, and photography teams and maintain awareness of current and future design trends to drive innovative solutions. Formulate criteria for project success and produce high quality outcomes for clients while successfully managing multiple projects. Communicate effectively across stakeholders to complete projects within set budgets and timeframes.
Art Director ER Tactical.com – Phoenix, AZ (01/2014 -12/2020) Datix – St. Louis, MO (1-Year Contract, 11/2019 - 11/2020) TOMCAR – Phoenix, AZ (02/2019 - 10/2019) Advanced Genomic Solutions (AGS) LTD – Scottsdale, AZ (11/2016 - 12/2018) Erickson-Hall Construction Co. – Escondido, CA (02/2010 - 04/2013) Led and directed graphic and website design, copy, video, animation, infographic, social media material, and promotional assets for various businesses and brands. Supervised graphic designers, photographers, illustrators, production artists, creative freelancers, and managed content and production teams. Collaborated with members of marketing or media buying teams to develop strategies for brand identity and worked with copywriters to develop strategies for audience engagement. Created presentations and project plans, met with clients and vendors, and ensured successful online representation of clients’ content creation. Guaranteed consistency in design across all online and offline marketing channels while upholding brand guidelines. Adhered to schedules in challenging, deadline-driven environments.
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Additional Experience |
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Volunteer Experience |
Cactus Shadows High School, Secretary, Technology & Design (07/2022 - Present)
Sonoran Trails Middle School PTO, Technology & Design (08/2020 - Present) Designed new logo for school, rebranded all collateral, apparel, signage, built PTO website and ongoing updates. Black Mountain Elementary School PTO, Director of Marketing (08/2017 - 05/2019) Committee Head for Evening for the Arts annual fundraiser. Designed custom logo for each yearly event and implemented theme for supporting print and social media campaigns. Raised $55k for school. Built PTO website and ongoing updates. Jerebek Elementary School, Lead Art Corp Teacher (09/2014 - 05/2016) Taught monthly art lesson to Kindergarteners, First, Second, and Third grade classes. |
