Resumé

Elliot Thompson
571.232.0775
Elliotthompson@aol.com

Key Strengths
- Proven design skills and talent
- Rapid conceptualization and ideation ability
- Leadership of creative team members
- Creative problem solving


CBS Corporation
New York, NY
Art Director, CBS News.com
Nov 2010 - Present
Currently serving as assist creative lead. My main task in this capacity was to clean up the entire design process, from conceptualizing to asset delivery. Notables include streamlining asset production process, standardizing the delivery method, templatizing consumer facing web products, redesigning the current CBS News.com front doors & show websites, and all CBS Mobile products.


NBC Olympics 2010
Art Director
New York, NY

NBC Universal
New York, NY
Art Director - NBCUDPS
October 2007 - October 2010
Clients include Telemundo, Access Hollywood, Sci Fi Channel, Universal Studios, BRAVO, Green is Universal, USA network, and many more.

Designs include complete site web designs, flash game interfaces, presentation decks, web banners, and many more web and print
materials.

Served as creative lead on many NBC Universals major online properties such as Telemundo redesign, NBCOlympics.com 2008, Jerry Springer redesign, I was responsible for developing the design strategy and managing the workflow of an international creative team. I directed the design team toward the successful launch of these major destinations. With the www.msnlatino.telemundo.com site, I was tasked with merging the business goals into a clear design strategy, organizing and directing staff, and facilitating the design through the development process.

With the 2008 Olympics site, over its 16 day life span we accumulated the following statistics - 1.3 billion page views | 50+ million unique visitors | 70 million streams | 10 million hours of video watched | 35 million mobile page views | 5,000+ clips viewed every day (the week after the games ended) The CEO said of the web site - "In a mere 16 days, we crushed every U.S. digital record for a major event. Nothing even comes close." Jeff Zucker - NBC Universal.


AOL, LLC
Dulles, VA
Design Director - AOL Sports
Jan 2000 - Oct. 2007
Shaping and directing cohesive interactive design vision for AOL member experience, in collaboration with business leads. Plans, leads and directs a broad range of activities centered on interactive design issues. Creates an environment where performance and improving quality and craft of design are key initiatives. Integrates department goals with company goals and builds commitment with team.

Management:
• Inspires the development of multimedia experiences that mix motion, sound and content to create compelling interactive experiences.
• Understands the difference between sit back viable experiences and lean forward interactive experiences.
• Focusing on developing tactical solutions and larger design systems.
• Attend weekly senior staff meeting so as to ensure information flow between departments
• Able to leverage technology to enhance the user experience.
• Completely services clients needs, meets or exceeds expectations consistent with business priorities.
• Organizes resources and work to effectively accomplish project and team goals.
• Identifies problems and develops effective approaches to resolving problems, settling issues or providing direction.
• Responsible for the design and execution of web based projects ranging from promotions, new product initiatives, brand sites, redesign of existing Sports sections, email marketing and more.
• Art direct, concept, strategize and design web projects in coordination with the information architects, content strategists, and web development.
• Built a department capable of executing the company’s operating plan.
• Understand the marketing and business objectives. Understand the positioning of the product: it’s major salient points and benefits to the user.
• Coordinate and supervise photo selection.
• Stay abreast of and share learning’s with the team about latest design trends, technical advancements and software relative to web page design.

Creative Design:
• Designer using exceptional visual skills to create a broad visual design strategy and define the user experience.
• Experience incorporating, enhancing and maintaining branding produced by marketing and agency of record and maintain style guidelines.
• Excellent computer skills utilizing design applications.
• Lead the creative direction of the organization & projects.
• Work with technical staff to oversee the creative design of product web sites and web pages focusing on the customer experience, customer acquisition and retention.
• Strong visual design background with boundless creativity, and passion for clean design and able to communicate a cohesive design and brand vision across an entire product space.
• Maintain overall quality control of the creative department.
• Strong background in design, art direction, marketing and advertising for the Web.
• Ability to effectively translate marketing messages designed for other mediums to the Internet.
• Experienced in information architecture and navigation design.

Technical:
• Thorough understanding of computer systems and technologies as applied to web design and Development.
• Excellent visual communication skills.
• Excellent information management skills.
• Accomplished information architect Attributes.

Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition
New York, NY
Art Director - Interactive Group
1997 - 2000
Responsible for developing and implementing creative direction, leadership and vision on assigned proposals and projects. Direct and manage creative and production process from project development to complete implementation including print, presentations and web-based media. Manage costs and schedules. Lead and inspire a staff of designers and direct all phases of design from concept through production for the service levels within the company. Design and develop multimedia instructional materials for web and computer-based training utilizing standard instructional design methodologies.

Management:
• Review and approve design concepts, artwork, and lead designers in the development and implementation of high quality, interactive visual designs.
• Work closer with Corporate to develop a more coordinated work flow so that jobs come into the department in a timelier manner.
• Attend weekly senior staff meeting so as to ensure information flow between departments
• Schedules any necessary meetings regarding the project and publishes an update for all participants.
• Make sure that each project goes through the channels so that all key people have signed off on the final piece.
• Experience incorporating, enhancing and maintaining branding produced by marketing and agency of record, maintain style guidelines.
• Oversee the determination and implementation of interface design, configuration and graphic design.
• Provide leadership in several design areas, accomplishing technical objectives, which represent significant contributions to the company.
• Support company's participation at trade shows and exhibits by participating in the development of booth displays, furniture, signage, and marketing materials to reinforce company/product branding.
• Built a department capable of executing the company’s operating plan.
• Perform staff evaluations.
• Manage creative department budget.

Creative Design:
• Hands-on designer using exceptional visual skills to create a broad visual design strategy and define the user experience.
• Experience incorporating, enhancing and maintaining branding produced by marketing and agency of record and maintain style guidelines.
• Excellent computer skills utilizing design applications.
• Lead the creative direction of the organization & projects.
• Work with technical staff to oversee the creative design of product web sites and web pages focusing on the customer experience, customer acquisition and retention.
• Strong visual design background with boundless creativity, and passion for clean design and able to communicate a cohesive design and brand vision across an entire product space.
• Perform staff evaluations.
• Maintain overall quality control of the creative department.

Technical:
• Coordinate the company’s technical and creative strategies.
• Work closely with development team to integrate creative and developmental aspects of company publishing software and modules.
• Utilize HTML, Macromedia Flash Actionscript to integrate with creative and technical teams.
• Perform research and development related to managing new devices and technologies.

Qualifications
Web Design, Interface & Application Design, User Experience Design, Art Direction, Mood Boards, Illustration, Animation, Photography, Print Production, Brand Identity, Online Publishing, Interactive Design and Scripting.


Software
• Adobe Acrobat
• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe ImageReady
• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Streamline
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Office Suite

Working Knowledge:
• Adobe After Effects and Final Cut Pro
• QuarkXpress
• Macromedia Flash MX
• Macromedia Dreamweaver MX

Projects by Elliot Thompson

48 Hours ipad App
1 File

NBC Olympics 2010
1 File

Pelita Jaya Basketball
5 Files

Telemundo
5 Files

Weather Channel
4 Files

Jerry Springer
6 Files

The Vanity Project
1 File

NBC Olympics 2008
6 Files

WCSN - Universal Sports
2 Files

Motion Graphics
1 File

Black Sports Network
4 Files

AOL Sports
13 Files