I am a consummate graphic designer and visual communications specialist. I have dedicated my career to developing materials that are eye-catching to readers.
My goal is to create designs that clearly convey the brand’s message. I focus on strong branding and identity in all marketing efforts, using typography and aesthetics to enhance communication through various media.
I desire to apply my expertise and superior capabilities in visual communications to benefit and support a company’s marketing objectives. I have worked in the printing industry since 1995 and as a digital designer since 2008. I have been a staff graphic designer at various companies, served as a contract employee, and also worked as as a freelance designer throughout my career.
My professional background in graphic design, desktop publishing, printing technology, digital design, visual communications, direct mail, website design, social media marketing, account management, public relations, and customer service will be a strong addition to a team.
Personal Interests
When I’m not working on design projects, you can find me brushing up on new tech or design trends, managing the household, spending time with my children, giving myself a manicure and pedicure, drawing, painting, listening to music, or re-watching favorite TV shows or movies.
Strengths
- Advanced in digital software, specifically Adobe Creative Cloud (since 2003)
- Excellent typography, layout, and color theory skills for print and digital media
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Exceptional organizational and multi-tasking capabilities
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
- Able to make practical decisions that benefit the organization, the client, and the project
- Extremely meticulous, paying strong attention to detail
- Dedicated, dependable, efficient, honest, loyal, and strong work ethic
- Colleagues, clients, and former employers describe me as “driven”
Capabilities
- Graphic design and desktop publishing
- Photo-manipulation and AI when needed
- Corporate identity and branding
- Marketing collateral design and layout
- Social media marketing graphics, content creation, and scheduling
- Email marketing campaign design
- Business documents and forms
- Variable data printing
- Prepress/preflight for commercial printing
- Imposition / Pagination / RIP software
- Plate-making and processor maintenance
- Digital press operation
- Print bindery
- Front-end web design and site-mapping
- WordPress website administration
Clientele
- Marketing Agencies
- Commercial Printing Companies
- Direct Mail Companies
- Social Media Managers
- Website Developers
- Law Firms
- Restaurants
- Retailers
- Authors / Publishers
- Medical Facilities
- Banks / Credit Unions
- Schools
- Entrepreneurs
- Non-profit Organizations
- Religious Organizations
Career History
MAR 1998 – PRESENT
Owner, Certified Graphic Designer
Creative Resources Graphics – West Branch, MI
As owner of Creative Resources Graphics LLC, I have served the graphic design needs of commercial printing companies, agencies, website developers, direct mail companies, medical facilities, law firms, banks/credit unions, restaurants, non-profit organizations, churches, schools, small- to large-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, and more.
I began my freelance career in 1998 when I was on maternity leave from my position at Effective Mailers, Inc. They asked me to work as a freelance proofreader and direct mail ad designer from home since the company was moving their facility from one location to another. That is how my freelance story really began. However, along with freelancing for other clients and working full-time for other companies, I ultimately created my business as an LLC in 2008.
From 2008 – 2012, I utilized WordPress for website development and began offering web design services to clients. I developed sitemaps, wrote website copy, designed custom WordPress themes, generated complete websites, and served as a web administrator for a variety of clients. I also have clients that depend on me for print and digital graphic design on a regular basis.
JUL 2010 – PRESENT
Graphic Designer, Social Media Marketing Associate, Blog Publisher
Ponder Consulting and Web Design – Clinton Township, MI
I became an associate of Ponder Consulting and Web Design in 2010 and have been working with them ever since in various capacities. In 2012, I teamed up with Ponder Consulting to collaborate on web development projects, build custom WordPress themes to match customer branding, provide graphic assets for websites and email marketing, create social media marketing, and design and layout printed media needed for clients.
Most recently for Ponder Consulting, my roles have involved monthly assignments. I execute social media marketing for multiple clients on a monthly basis involving content creation, graphics, and post scheduling on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter/X. I also proofread, optimize, and publish blog articles for several clients. Additionally, I manage graphic design for printed collateral, websites, and email marketing templates. A majority of my recent design projects in my portfolio have been developed for Ponder Consulting and Web Design.
AUG 2009 – OCT 2019
Graphic Designer, Prepress Technician, Digital Press Operator
Accucom – Madison Heights, MI
From 2009 – 2019, I consistently worked on-site and remotely for Accucom as Graphic Designer, Prepress Technician, and Digital Press Operator. My range of duties were broad and extensive. I worked on graphic design and desktop publishing of printed collateral for a variety of clients including banks, credit unions, and healthcare companies. I was on-call weekly and provided quick turnaround for a wide variety of time-sensitive projects.
One of my prominent roles was working on-call for all graphic and publishing needs for the Cardiovascular Department of Beaumont Health in Troy, Michigan. My tasks involved design, layout, and typography for cardiovascular continuing medical education (CME) conference materials complying with their brand identity guidelines. This extensive role included creating promotional mailings, large multi-page brochures, and registration packets for print and digital distribution, conference handouts, posters to display at the events, name tags for presenters’ and attendees’ generated utilizing variable data, and many other printed and digital assets as requested. I also assisted with printing of these materials on a digital press when applicable.
The owner of Accucom passed away suddenly in late 2019. Some of his clients reached out to me directly to continue serving their graphic design needs, including Beaumont Health. I continued to provide my services to them for the following few months. Shortly thereafter, however, the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 brought major changes to hospital operations and the role I was serving. The conferences I had formerly assisted with became virtual conferences and the promotional materials were developed by their internal art department. After the pandemic, the health system changed ownership and my role was never resumed.
MAY 2005 – JUL 2008
Graphic Designer, Prepress Technician
Web Litho, Inc. – Sterling Heights, MI
From 2005 – 2008, I improved customer relations and internal prepress operations as a Graphic Designer and Prepress Technician for Web Litho, Inc. I had the privilege of being the prepress department manager and lead graphic designer during the company’s two highest grossing years in history, 2005 and 2006.
My primary responsibilities included graphic design and desktop publishing for marketing collateral such as newsletters, direct mailings, catalogs, copy editing, typesetting, desktop publishing, cover-to-cover layout of novels/chapter books, and book cover design (front, back, and spine) for both hardcover and softcover publishing. I also handled all preflight, page imposition, output and folding of customer proofs, presenting proofs to customers, arranging and overseeing press-checks, RIP’ing files (computer-to-plate), plate imaging, maintaining processor and plate imaging equipment, and print-scheduling.
In this role, I also devised an efficient filing system for organizing digital artwork by job numbers. There was no procedure for this previously, which made finding most recent digital artwork and assets for a project difficult and time-consuming. Prior to leaving the company, I trained my successor. Until that time, I was operating the entire prepress department single-handedly a majority of the time with the exception of part-time assistants that did not stay due to personal reasons.
This position had the greatest impact on my career due to, in part, the diverse and upscale work that I was generating. Our company was trusted and respected for producing high-quality four-color process and spot-color printing for several high-profile clients including Jack Van Impe Ministries in Rochester Hills, Michigan; The Roeper School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan; and the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan.
Following my resignation from Web Litho, Inc., I continued to provide freelance services for the company for a few years and also used them as a vendor for printed collateral for my clients. Two full-time employees were managing the graphic design and prepress department that I had previously been managing alone. The owner made certain to remind them from time-to-time that they were doing the job that “one woman used to do by herself”.
AUG 2003 – JUL 2005
Direct Mail Ad Designer, Prepress Technician
Effective Mailers, Inc. – Roseville, MI
I worked for Effective Mailers, Inc. at two different times in my career. As Direct Mail Ad Designer and Prepress Technician from 2003 – 2005, I was responsible for working in the evenings after the day staff had all gone home to complete any overflow work that had not been completed during the day and to ensure all deadlines were met. I designed direct mail marketing ads as well as handling preflight for ads. In this role, I was entrusted with a key to the facility to enter the building and lockup when I left. I conducted this job while continuing my education at the Art Institute Online and raising my four children during the day. I even continued for a few months even after I began working full-time at Web Litho, Inc.
JAN 2000 – JUL 2002
Communications Director
Macomb County Bar Association – Mount Clemens, MI
From 2000 – 2002, I served as Communications Director for the Macomb County Bar Association (MCBA) in downtown Mount Clemens in the Macomb County Circuit Court building (Michigan’s 16th Circuit Court). My core duties for the MCBA and the MCBF (Foundation) included managing all forms of internal and external communication including serving as editor and designer of the monthly newsletter, Bar Briefs; managing advertiser accounts; building and maintaining the website; co-producing the cable television program, Legally Speaking; serving as staff photographer; writing/distributing press releases; and managing other media relations. I also assisted in planning and implementation of MCBA events, fundraisers, and Continuing Legal Education (CLE) classes.
I was virtually hand-picked for this position by the Executive Director who knew my work ethic and capabilities from my time working at Joseph, Inc. Printing & Advertising. We provided design and printing of the MCBA monthly newsletter and other collateral when I was employee there, and he asked my former employer for my contact information when he was seeking to hire an added staff member.
AUG 1997 – DEC 1999
Direct Mail Ad Designer, Proofreader
Effective Mailers, Inc. – Roseville, MI
When I was seeking a full-time opportunity shortly after being married and becoming a parent, I was hired by Effective Mailers, Inc., a direct mail marketing company located in a nearby city. I worked there from 1997 – 1998 as a staff Direct Mail Ad Designer and Proofreader, and then, in 1998, started working for them as a freelance designer and proofreader. My schedule was flexible while I simultaneously concentrated on motherhood and being a homemaker. I continued this role until I was hired to serve as full-time Communications Director for the Macomb County Bar Association.
JUL 1995 – SEP 1996
Graphic Design and Prepress Assistant
Joseph, Inc. Printing & Advertising – St. Clair Shores, MI
From 1995 to 1996 as a Graphic Design and Prepress Assistant, I gained experience in graphic design, commercial printing and prepress, desktop publishing, keylining, stripping film, burning plates, and managing customer accounts at Joseph, Inc. Printing & Advertising. Being my first industry position after college, it was an experience that aptly prepared me for a graphic design career. At that time, prepress for commercial printing was comprised of computer-generated copy, printed out, cut and pasted manually (keyling), shooting and stripping of films, manual color separation, and burning plates. Some projects were completely computer-generated using emerging desktop publishing and graphic design software and RIP’ed from computer to film. PageMaker, Illustrator, Photoshop, and QuarkXPress were among the applications that I used for desktop publishing and layout at that time.
Not only did I gain a plethora of on-the-job practical experience in this position, but I gained lifelong friends and customers. The former owners are still my friends, their friends are still my friends, and some of their former customers have remained my colleagues and customers to this day, including Sam’s Sorrento Pizza, The Resolution Center, and Latcha Design Group.
OCT 1994 – JUL 1995
Construction Lab Technician, Diazo Operator
Macomb Community College – Warren, MI
My college education at Macomb Community College included architecture drafting and design simultaneously with my graphic design and desktop publishing curriculum. From 1994 – 1995, I served the architectural department at the college as a Construction Lab Technician and Diazo Operator for the college’s work study program. These skills gave me a keen eye for design, descriptive geometry skills, improved my drafting knowledge, strengthened my abilities in mathematics and units of measurement, and enhanced my ability to visualize a design layout in regard to spatial relationships. Applying these practical skills boosted my capabilities for creating aesthetically pleasing graphic designs and efficient user-experience in website layouts.
Graphic Design Education
ASSOCIATES OF APPLIED SCIENCE: MAY 1995
Graphic & Commercial Art – Certificate: Commercial Art
SEP 1993 – MAY 1995
Macomb Community College – Warren, MI
I earned an Associates of Applied Science for Graphic & Commercial Art in 1995 from Macomb Community College with a concentration and certificate in Commercial Art. I completed the program with honors Summa Cum Laude and 3.76 GPA.
As part of my college education, I completed electives in computer graphics, using Aldus PageMaker and Illustrator, which was an emerging field. The classes were new and not required for the Commercial and Graphic Art degree at that time. In addition, I also took classes in architectural drafting and design.
CONTINUING EDUCATION:
2012 – 2012
Web Design & Interactive Media
Art Institute Online
In 2012 I studied Web Design & Interactive Media with courses focusing on web design and blog development as well as advanced multimedia and Photoshop techniques.
2004 – 2005
Graphic Design & Multimedia
Art Institute Online
In 2004 – 2005 I studied Graphic Design & Multimedia with a focus on painting, drawing, typography, advertising, multimedia, and advanced Photoshop techniques for print and digital marketing.
At both times of my enrollment at the Art Institute Online, the instructors often deferred other students to me to answer questions related to file conversion and color-separation methods for print production because I worked at printing companies and was considered a professional in the commercial printing field.
