Resumé

CRAFTS AMERICANA GROUP, INC. - VANCOUVER, WA
Director of Connecting Threads - 12/09 to 5/12
Key Results:
- Creatively directed over 40 fabric collections by in-house and contracted outside designers, including the two bestselling collections in Connecting Threads' history.
- Managed a team of 10, including fabric designers, graphic designers, and quilt pattern designers.
- Planned 6-10 quilt kits per fabric collection, managing in-house quilt designers, as well as working with outside designers, and designing and writing more than a dozen original patterns.
- Traveled out of the country several times to visit fabric manufacturers and expedite fabric development process and strike-off.
- Grew the Connecting Threads quilting division from $11 million in revenue/year in 2010 to $13.5 million in 2011, increasing fabric sales by 19% between January 2010 and January 2012. Increased profits by 2.8% between 2010 and the first half of 2012.
- Oversaw redesign of brand in catalog and web site, and increased response rate to catalog by core customers by 20%.
- Worked with the Marketing department to grow brand in social media and get more proprietary product into the hands of magazines, bloggers, and quilt designers.
- Worked with IT department to develop successful "Kit Builder" web application.
- Planned and managed 8-9 catalogs per year, including creative direction, pagination and product planning, and copy editing.

CRAFTS AMERICANA GROUP INC. - VANCOUVER, WA
Art Director - 7/08 to 12/09
Key Results:
- Worked with brand directors to manage the overall looks of Knit Picks and Connecting Threads catalogs, ads, emails, and web sites.
- Designed quilting fabric, print ads, web graphics, and broadcast emails.
- Helped brand directors with product development, including seasonal color selection of yarn and design of multi-colored yarns in the knitting division.
- Directed photo shoots for advertising, and assisted catalog designers with styling and creative direction for catalog shoots.

CRAFTS AMERICANA GROUP INC. - VANCOUVER, WA
Graphic Designer & Fabric Designer - 8/05 to 7/08
Key Results:
- In 2006 learned fabric design software and began designing fabric for Connecting Threads using purchased and original artwork.
- Traveled overseas to fabric manufacturer to learn more about the fabric production process and assist with manufacturer’s technical difficulties.
- Worked with Photography department to creatively direct ad photo shoots.
- Won an award for "Most Tempting Ad" in 2007 on Ravelry, an online knitting community.
- Designed and wrote knitting patterns to coordinate with Knit Picks marketing campaigns.
- Designed and wrote copy for print ads, web ads, broadcast emails, and web site graphics for the three divisions: Artist's Club, Connecting Threads, and Knit Picks.

STEVE NEUMUTH ADVERTISING - FAIRBANKS, AK
Graphic Designer - 12/02 - 7/05
Key Results:
- Designed print ads and other marketing materials for all clients.
- Acted as photographer for client photo shoots as needed.
- Wrote all ad copy and made changes based on client input.

FAIRBANKS DAILY NEWSMINER - FAIRBANKS, AK
Graphic Designer - 5/02 - 12/02
Key Results:
- Designed print ads for the newspaper's advertisers.

Projects by Melissa Burt

Unlimited Flavors Knit Picks Campaign
2 Files

Imagination Knit Picks Campaign
2 Files

{want} Knit Picks Kits Campaign
2 Files

Summer Cotton Yarn Knit Picks ad
1 File

Quilt Affordably Connecting Threads Campaign
6 Files

Vivid Bright Connecting Threads Ads
2 Files

Grown in the U.S. Connecting Threads Campaign
1 File

Fashionably Affordable Knit Picks Campaign
1 File

Creative Direction - Fabric Collections
10 Files

Connecting Threads Free Modern Pattern Banners
6 Files

Magazine Layout
2 Files

Quilt Patterns
9 Files

Winter Fun Fabric Collection
4 Files

Knit Picks Options Campaign
1 File

Mt. McKinley Bank Small Business Campaign
3 Files

Prospector Extraordinary Women direct mail campaign
4 Files

Tanana Valley Clinic Legs ad
1 File

Tanana Valley Clinic No Night Shifts magazine ad
1 File

Tanana Valley Clinic folder
1 File

TVC 1st Care Campaign
3 Files

Nissan Lichtenstein Campaign
2 Files

Codescan Brochure
1 File

Greer postcard
1 File

MacCheyne's Carpets Plus ad
1 File

Sizzling Happy Family CD artwork
1 File

Audiophile
1 File

A Boy & His Kite
1 File

Swings T-Shirt
1 File

Indie Band Lunchbox
1 File