Technology & Skills

• Mac. Also experienced in using PCs.
• Especially adept at keeping updates and graphics production to maintain consistency.
• Extremely organized in keeping all local files current, properly named, and consistent with server copies and doing backups. Precise when it comes to file organization.
• Experienced working long-distance, with programmers, designing for and around dynamic code (ASP, JSP Etc…).
• Experience in producing and designing HTML newsletter emails.
• Skilled designer who puts a lot of though into the process of designing a interface or a site. Ease of use, clarity and consistency is of utmost importance.
• Designed sites around WordPress, and older favorites like Joomla, Geeklog, Drupal and other PHP-based CMS systems.  Once designed a online store around a Movable Type blogging system, which impressed even the system creators.
• Have worked for a software, web, industrial and graphic design companies.
• Proficient in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Dreamweaver and all typical and some non-typical design related applications. Good in CSS and tweaking PHP,Javascript as well as a little perl.
• As comfortable designing web solutions as logos or vector artwork.
• Also have experience in digital signage and flash-style animation.
• Well-rounded and happy freelance designer and developer, excels at telecommuting in her awesome home office with wrap around monitors, but welcomes the opportunity to work with other people as well.

Featured Experience – Full list of employers and references available on request.

ArtFire.com
Designer, Tuscon AZ (via telecommuting) — 2008 to 2012
Was only designer on staff from company inception. Position ended due to their now needing an on-site designer in house for meetings and collaboration now that they have tripled staff size.

Responsible for all concepts and front end execution for site design, logo and identity design, print and web advertising, stylebook and graphics consistency, user experience and interface for 2nd largest Handmade Craft seller online market on internet.

Would be briefed on needs for the page/tool, sometimes was provided with a basic wireframe (but usually just a list of needs and wants)so I knew what to work up into a cohesive page  that was clean, simple and easy to use. Often would think up new and unexpected features or “product” ideas to  further enhance seller/member satisfaction that occurred to me during the design process, most were developed. Responsible for designing many of the features that made our site’s member tools unique and our service more valuable against bigger and better known competitors such as functions to better track orders, ease selling, offer promotional enhancements, and provide more customization for a truly personal storefront with peeks of the real individual who makes your product for you.

One such idea I presented was a way to handle the growing influx of commercial sellers on a handmade site so we didn’t punish those who might be unfairly accused of “reselling” but still would leave them open to freely sell without competing with handmade sellers who were becoming increasingly angry to be pitted against factory made items. It was a growing problem and cutting off thousands of paying members was not desired when the company needed every membership dollar to expand and develop. Thousands of memberships were preserved as well as opening what will  be a full fledged second retail venue in the future for retail storefronts.

Also, as I am a crafter seller myself who many of our customers knew from other venues, I also acted as a seller advocate, advising our staff on what tools and features sellers needed most and what issues were most important to them and what things about the other venues they didn’t like and were requesting elsewhere and why it was needed.

Freelancing as Verybig Design — 2001 to 2008
Worked on a variety of web design and development projects, including several long term projects for Vigilinx (formerly Logikeep, now a part of Cisco Systems) that included multiple site designs, corporate homepage, intranet and a complete UI and design for a online software product. Worked hand in hand with developers over every page and option on the Software. The company was bought by Cisco Systems. Credited with helping that happen.

In 2007 I worked several months for Audiology.com, the #1 site for Audiologists online, as one of the few on staff in the design department (all working from homes across the country) doing CMS based website updates, editing, prepping and sending out HTML email newsletters a week, designing special pages, and HTML emails weekly and monthly for their online learning courses, as well as sponsored vendor courses. I was on a contract – until they fired the entire department to outsource it to a Texas design firm local to the owner. Can offer references from her former supervisor (who was also let go).

While freelancing I also worked on a number of sites for small businesses, ranging from Vintage fashion resale to Dog Grooming to Family friendly trip planning and did a wide variety of things including graphic van wraps and identity campaigns in addition to websites.

Ethos Interactive
Interactive Designer, Cincinnati, OH — 99 to 00
Hired as a designer about the same time they were bought/merged into what was intended to be a 22-branch international mega digi-lith that soon went under. Did lots of webwork work for Maisonette Group, Formica, Medplus, Fujitech Elevators, P&G, Mercedes Benz, and others.

Crown Equipment Corp.
Graphic Designer, New Bremen, OH — 96 to 97
Designed a product user manual for a new kind of retail lift transport, The Wave. What resulted was an Industrial Designer’s Society of America’s Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA) for the vehicle designed as well as the manual – both won coveted golds.

Education
School of Advertising Art, Dayton, OH

Awards & Such
Industrial Design Society Of America (IDSA)  Gold I.D.E.A. Award (1999) for Graphics and Packaging for Crown “Wave” Product Manual. Head Designer. (Credited as XXL Design)

Society for Technical Communications  Best of Show from SW Ohio region.
Best of Show Finalist and Distinguished Winner of STC’s International Technical Publications Competition, 2001 in the Non-Computer Equipment Guides category.

Oddities
Collects tourist snowdomes (500 and counting), Operates IKEA Ohio fansite that got her featured in every major newspaper in Ohio, Detroit, BusinessWeek Magazine, Cincinnati Magazine, ABC News, as well as on the front page of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Used to do a podcast on Science Fiction with one of the creators of Twitteriffic. Published and recognized scholar on the topic of Medieval German Ecclesiastical beadwork. Makes and sells pincushions, and was published in a book about them. Creates and sells a line of mid-20th century retro patterns for use on website, high res applications and on skins for popular electronics at decalgirl.com. Once had own scrapbook paper line. Wants to learn to speak German. Han shot first.

References
Many recent references available on request.