GLITZ & GLAM
In an interview, it is customary to ask "what are your strengths and weaknesses?" I thought I should start my portfolio page by answering:
MY STRENGTH
Strategic design has been my strength and passion since the early 1980's, driving me to achieve degrees in both Design and Psychology. Whether designing for the print or digital platform, my goal has always been to reach people. Because of this, my portfolio examples below show two design genres in a general format. These designs were then spread across all client needs, including retail interior design and display work. You name it, I've done it!
MY WEAKNESS
I am a bona fide workaholic who doesn't take the time to properly promote herself. Therefore, I am not even showing the tip of the iceberg with these samples. It would take too much time away from work to chase down samples, not to mention nearly impossible to find samples from the 80's. I was moving too fast then as well.
So here is my proposition for anyone interested in hiring me - give me a quick design project. I will do the research, ask some questions, then produce a custom design for free. That should hopefully be enough to show you I can walk the talk.
When the Town of Vail hired me as their Communications Specialist / Brand Manager, it was a wonderful challenge. The Communications Department consisted of myself and one other person doing all forms of communications for the town and its eight departments. Most had their own brands, their own budgets and their own will. My goal was to respect yet unify all town brands and serve-up the information in a manner that the audience would be engaged to read.
Here is one example that shows the change I was able to make with the Town of Vail's annual report. The old report was dated and lacked personality. The background visual throughout was a concrete background and the content was heavy on every spread. Since Vail's lifestyle and people are colorful, happy and healthy, that was my target audience to capture and portray. I started with organizing photo shoots of local people doing local activities, added splashes of "happy" color and a more clean, contemporary look. I also reduced the heavy content by breaking up the information into stats, bulleted copy and graphic information areas.
Unfortunately, I have not had an opportunity to work on the Town of Vail website (managed by IT), so please don't hold that one against me : )
