Resumé

Summary:

I am an experienced designer with a formal education in Surface Pattern Design, from Syracuse University’s Art and Design College. I have hands-on experience in licensed soft and hard goods, bedding, package design, and printed textiles. I have collaborated with domestic and international Mills to maintain the highest standards for designing and manufacturing in order to create the best quality products while adhering to strict character licensing specifications. I am a highly motivated self-starter and team player who can influence others, manage multiple projects, set goals, meet dead-lines, identify new fashion trends and incorporate them for new product development.

WORK HISTORY:

NELKEN DESIGN, Principal Designer, Minneapolis, MN, 2010-current
-Start up company and selling out of my house.
-Designing and creating apparel and home fashions for clients, specializing in children’s clothing.

MICHAEL’S ARTS AND CRAFTS, Finance/Office Manager, Richfield, MN, 2008-2010
-Responsible for essential store administrative support functions including:
-Maintaining store sales records, daily store deposit, maintaining Human Resources records and facilitating in bound and out bound direct freight shipment
and paperwork.
-Daily store cash management and administration including registers, vault, and petty cash.
-Created and submitted daily store sales and accounting reports to corporate headquarters.
-Store merchandise placement and display.
-Assisted customers on the sales floor and per phone.
-In store specialist for customers seeking expertise with art supplies and children’s crafts.

NICKELODEON-MTV NETWORKS, VIACOM INC., Designer for Nickelodeon Creative Resources Department, New York, NY, 2000-2005
-2000-2005: Designed and managed style guides for licensees, and supervised the aesthetics of each property and provided 101’s for each line, for our
vendors.
-2004-2005: Tween designer/consultant for the everGirl, Zoey 101, Unfabulous, lines and worked on the relaunch of the classic Holly Hobbie and new
Holly Hobby lines-, with American Greetings.
-Partnered with outside consultants, freelance designers, licensees, and other departments in the company daily. Responsible for clothes, accessories,
shoes, video games, dolls, stationary, 3-D sculpts, and packaging for tween lines.
-Researched tween/teen evolving fashion trends for the soft goods for competitive analysis and intelligence.
-2003-2004: Responsible for all the Nickelodeon properties, which included Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues, Little Bill, Oswald, SpongeBob SquarePants,
Invader Zim, Jimmy Neutron, and South Park.
2000-2002: Designer for soft goods, Home Furnishings, Apparel, Toys for the Nick Jr. team. Worked exclusively for Nick Jr. soft goods line and packaging
including Blue’s Clues, Dora the Explorer, Oswald, and Little Bill.

DAN RIVER INC., Designer/Stylist, New York, NY 1998-2000
-Designed licensed children’s bedding ranging from NFL, MLB, NHL, NCAA, Sesame Street, The PowerPuff Girls, Batman, Looney Tunes, Coco-Cola,
Blue’s Clues, and Barbie.
-Liaison between the licensor approvals, freelancers, mills, vendors. Wrote up prepared designs for production.
-Created designs within the licensee’s standards while adhering to a limited color for textile printing and limitations.
-Supervised and approved onsite strikeoffs for design, color corrections, and strike-off patterns at the textile mills, in Lynchburg, VA.

NICKELODEON MTV NETWORKS, CAD Designer, Nickelodeon/Viacom Stores, New York, NY 1998
-Worked with senior design team and production mills in Hong Kong to ensure accurate design manufacturing.
-Created patterns using Nickelodeon characters for the boys and girls lines to go on pants, dresses, and shirts.
-Collaborated on seasonal trend boards to show Art Directors and Marketing Team.

SILK SPECTRUM INC., Designer, New York, NY 1997-1998
-Designed men’s neckwear on the Prismacolor CAD system, and/or paints and inks.
-Clients included Kenneth Cole Reaction and Kenneth Cole New York.
-Partnered with the sales team to address clients needs and created lines that were both fashion forward and traditional.

SKILLS:

-Ability to handle multiple tasks and shifting priorities.
-Very strong communication skills.
-High attention to detail and good organizational skills.
-Strong interpersonal and problem solving skills.
-Abiltiy to work independently.
-High energy level, team player and ability to motivate others.
-Ability to work at a fast paced environment.
-Excellent comupter proficieny: Photoshop, Dreaweaver, Illustrator, and Excel.

ACTIVITIES AND HOBBIES:

-Vice President of the Syracuse University Alumni Club of Minnesota.
-The Friends School of Minnesota.
-Minneapolis German Immersion Preschool-Kinderstube.
-Designing and creating soft goods for home and apparel.
-Following the latest fashion and design trends.
-Sewing, reading, sports, gardening, and antique collecting.

EDUCATION:

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, College of Art and Design, Syracuse, NY 1993-1997
-Syracuse University, BFA, Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Surface Pattern Design, form the College of Art and Design

Recommendations and Portfolio available upon request

Projects by Ada Nelken