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Creative Art Director - Store Communications
Minneapolis, MN
Jun 2022 - Present (1 year 11 months)
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Head of Visuals - Communications
Richfield, MN
Feb 2020 - Jun 2022 (2 years 4 months)
- Managed the visuals desk that supported the enterprise communications and public affairs (COPA) teams.
- Implemented large-scale design process changes.
-These improvements, paired with our high-impact designs, shifted the way senior leaders viewed the importance of visual storytelling, elevating our position across the enterprise.
- Transformed traditionally printed materials such as the quarterly earnings report and the employee magazine into a mobile-first reading experience.
- Overhauled quarterly earnings production process by implementing changes to content creation, design and review cycles.
- Overhauled the production process for the annual Investor Relations Report and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report.
- Met weekly with direct reports to offer feedback on projects and to ensure on-time delivery of work.
- Met quarterly with those team members to discuss development and performance goals.
- Collaborated with leaders, ranging from VPs to C-Level, on large-scale projects.
- Planned and art directed in-store photo shoots and freelance illustrations.
- Partnered with Best Buy's video production team during video shoots to obtain photographs for use across the enterprise.
- Tapped into my diverse network of national photographers to obtain still frames during these shoots.
- Led the hiring efforts for the department’s designers, freelance photographers and illustrators.
- Partnered with Contract Labor Services to identify, interview and onboard those hires.
- Facilitated the redesign efforts prior to the implementation of our new email client, Act-On.
- Promoted from Lead Designer to Head of Visuals in September 2020
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Lead Sports Designer
Minneapolis, MN
Feb 2015 - Feb 2020 (5 years)
- Managed a team of sports designers and multi-platform editors while leading the production of the most-read section of the paper.
- Met with editors, reporters and photographers to coordinate projects.
- Met with those designers and editors to offer feedback, critique work and discuss career development.
- Interviewed and hired freelance artists from around the world for various illustrations.
- Artist and agency locations included the United States, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Northern Ireland, Russia and Spain.
- Wrote creative briefs for those artists/agencies and art directed subsequent illustrations.
- Mentor and career coach for summer interns, contract designers and apprentices.
- Led the visual presentation of the paper's 2018 Super Bowl coverage and 2019 NCAA Tournament coverage.
- The visuals produced for the Super Bowl are the Star Tribune's most-awarded sports project ever (Society for News Design).
- At the time of my departure, the Star Tribune was the third-largest Sunday metro print newspaper in the country.
- Created charts and graphics as needed.
- Copy-edited as needed.
- Led the section’s redesign efforts in 2016.
- Obtained web design (HTML/CSS and UX/UI Design) certificates for completing online coursework at General Assembly.
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Senior Print Designer
RedEye - Chicago Tribune
Chicago, IL
Jun 2013 - Feb 2015 (1 year 8 months)
- Designed covers, spreads and solo pages for the print edition.
- Met with other designers to critique work and offer feedback.
- Designed verticals for weekly iPad edition.
- Designed Gift Guide and Health & Fitness Guide for iPhone.
- Created charts, graphics and illustrations.
- Art directed photo shoots.
- Served as staff’s fantasy football writer and wrote other content.
- Copy-edited as needed.
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Lead Sports Designer
Omaha, NE
Jul 2011 - Jun 2013 (1 year 11 months)
- Designed daily sports section two times per week.
- Led the production of sports special sections, including Huskers Pregame and Postgame sections.
- Art directed in-house illustrations and studio photo shoots.
- Assisted in managing those on the sports copy and production desks.
- Designed Living, Money and A sections during slow sports times.
- Copy-edited as needed.
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Lead Sports Designer/Fresh Ink Production Editor
Colorado Springs, CO
May 2010 - Jul 2011 (1 year 2 months)
- Designed daily and special sections for sports.
- Designed the front page and Metro sections once a week.
- Promoted from sports designer to lead sports designer after four months.
- Met with the sports editor and assistant sports editor to discuss upcoming stories.
- Created illustrations.
- Served as the production editor for Fresh*Ink, a free citizen-journalism tabloid.
- Assisted with copy editing.
- Interned at paper from May to August 2009.
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News Copy Editor
Jackson, MS
Dec 2009 - May 2010 (5 months)
- Designed Metro and inside A sections.
- Copy-edited after completing nightly design duties.
- Posted content to website.