Resumé

Enthusiastic Creative Product Designer who has accumulated over twenty years of experience in various creative and business fields. Designing innovative products such as giftware, ceramics, toys, children’s wearable, jewelry, accessories as well as book illustrations. Managed freelancers and collaborated with product development teams to bring new designs into production, on schedule, and within budget. Self motivated professional who has excellent communication and problem solving skills. A designer who upholds a high degree of aesthetic value on all her designs. A team player who is able to multitask, enjoys a fast paced environment and maintains a high level of work ethic that has been expressly appreciated by both management and peers.

Technical Skills: Adobe Illustrator CS5, Photoshop CS5, Lotus Notes, Microsoft Office, Entourage, Excel. OMNI, AS400 and Product Development System, Use of scanners and digital cameras. Extensive experienced in both Mac and Windows platforms.

EXPERIENCE

DEMDACO, Wayne, NJ
2011 -Present
Graphic/Product Designer – Plush Division
Design and develop plush items for everyday, baby lines and hard goods for baby decor. Create original character, embroidery & applique designs for plush baby lines as well as fresh concepts for seasonal plush. Put together concept boards showing style, color palette, logos, packaging for presentations to departmental heads. Brainstorm ideas with team members. Communicate with the Far East on direction, specs and revisions. Keep current on trends for character concepts, plush fabrics, textures of materials, colors and patterns. In the process of starting an online website selling jewelry, knitted gifts, sculptures, ceramic and fabric ornaments that I designed and created.

Russ Berrie & Company, Inc., Wayne, NJ 2010 -2011
Senior Graphic/Product Designer
Accountable for designing and successfully stylizing new concepts for all lines. Brainstorm with team members and department heads on concepts. Responsible for designing 3-Dimensional hard and soft goods as well as all the peripherals including displays, packaging boxes, bags, hang tags, backer cards and showroom signs and mock-ups. Visualize and create logos, fonts, color palettes, icons, style guides for all product lines. Design plush lines for licensed items such as Mattel's Barbie Pets, Clifford, Barney, Curious George and other licensed plush product.

Freelance Artist, Wayne, NJ 2005 – 2010
Illustrator / Designer
Design giftware: figurines, votives, ornaments, home décor, displays & packaging for a major giftware company. Packaged gift sets for food & beverage company. Illustrations for greeting card company. Children’s plush toys & accessories, graphic designs for embroidery & appliques on infant toys & wearables For infant toy company. Wrote and illustrated a rhyming children’s picture book.

Russ Berrie & Company, Inc., Oakland, NJ 2002 – 2005
Creative Product Designer
Design concepts for Holiday lines for both hard goods and soft goods. Prepare style guides. Responsible for designing entire lines independently. Manage design activities of freelancers. Design packaging and displays. Create artwork utilizing Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Electronically executed artwork to the Far East Team upon approval of the Art Director. Monitor product development process both electronically using Lotus Notes and through travel to the Far East to oversee production and ensure that HK and China adhere to the outlined specifications. Represent the company at all gift, toy and stationery shows in New York City. Set up showroom in Los Angeles for open house.


Marcolin USA, Inc, Rockaway, NJ / Creative Optics, Inc, Miami, FL
1997 – 2002
Purchasing/Inventory Agent
Initiate formal requests for costs and samples and coordinate all necessary material information from Italy, Japan & Korea. Perform item setup within the AS400 system. Generated and monitored purchase orders. Handled new product forecasting, product releases, product change and notification process, and customer announcements/information releases. Interfaced with Business Owners as well as Product Development Team in Italy. Reconciled invoices for remittance by Accounts Payable. Maintained computer files, inventory adjustments, transfers and receiving. Trained Product Coordinator and newly hired Inventory Manager on AS400 system. Introduced Product Coordinator to all facets of expediting new product. Traveled to Scottsdale, Arizona to learn item setup on OMNI system.

Falcon Specialties, Randolph, NJ 1991 – 1997
Mail Order Proprietor
Designed jewelry, T-shirts, ornaments. Created fabric covered ceramic figurines, dolls, plush animals. Ordered items from foreign and domestic suppliers. Supplied hand-made and novelty items to gift shops. Participated in exhibits and craft shows.

GAB Business Services, Inc., Parsippany, NJ 1989 – 1991
Purchasing Agent
Placing orders, monitoring status, verifying quantity and quality of stock received. Purchased office supplies, furniture, computer equipment, software, and subscriptions. Posted purchase order activity in ledger. Administrated maintenance contracts for the office equipment.

Freelance Artist, Wayne, NJ 1987 - 1989
Illustrator
Interfaced with publishers and art directors.
Wrote and illustrated children’s activity books published by Paulist Press, and Price, Stern, & Sloan. Designed and illustrated TV medical commercial for Ortho-Pharmaceutical Co.

Debbie’s Floral Design, Wayne, NJ
1987 – 1989
Creative Designer
Designed floral arrangements and party effects based on clients’ specifications. Created custom prop fabrications and creative signage for themed party events for Bar Mitzvahs, Birthdays, Graduations, Weddings, Special Events, etc. Produce duplicate images using wood, plastic and foam. Designed and created drawings and 3 dimensional artwork: sculptures, murals, pop art, table centers pieces, games.
Decorate Hotel Lobby and Meeting Rooms with Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, Valentines Day, and décor for other Holidays.

Windsor Toys, Inc., New York, NY
1986 –1987
Toy Designer
Researched market to determine current toy trends. Create initial styles and designs of new plush ideas for the juvenile toy market. Sketched out ideas to illustrate concepts for internal review. Select the style, color palette, theme and fabrics that would be introduced into the Fall and Spring plush lines. Shopped and researched retail market Traveled to Seoul Korea for a ten day conference and to oversee production at the factory. Collaborated with the Korean design team and pattern makers. Developed an understanding of how to most effectively communicate design ideas with foreign countries.

EDUCATION
School of Visual Arts, New York, NY - B.F.A. - Illustration
Micro Training Technologies, Fairfield, NJ - Photoshop, Illustrator, & Quark

Projects by Kate Nevins

Holiday
23 Files

Baby
13 Files

Toys & Everyday Plush Animals
16 Files

Digital Illustrations
5 Files

Licensed
22 Files

Packaging
10 Files

Religious Gifts
9 Files

Jewelry and Accessories
15 Files

Hand Crafted
4 Files