Jes Spivak, art director • graphic designer • copy, production and page editor in Washington, DC

About

I am hard working, meticulous and passionate graphic designer, copy editor, production editor and visual journalist with a strong eye for color. I design pages, paint, do calligraphy, create illustrations, graphics, maps, cards and repeat patterns; a playful sort who knows when it's time to get down to business. I am also a proofreader and well versed in AP style. I am eager to learn new skills, love to take on challenges and have the ability to learn quickly.

Education

Bachelor of Fine Art graphic design

Ball State University
post-baccalaureate studies fibers/surface design

Savannah College of Art and Design

Experience

designer/page editor

USA TODAY Co. (formerly Gannett)

May 2022 - Present (4 years 1 month)

• Design and edit features pages for nationwide daily publications for Features Team through the Design Center.
• Developed a method to add tab space formatting for a specific collection of content that runs online daily.
• Uphold design standards.
• Edit copy for proper grammar, clarity and AP style.
• Write and edit display type.
• Publish content online.
designer/page editor

Gannett - USA Today Network

Jan 2021 - May 2022 (1 year 4 months)

• Designed and edited features, news, opinion and sports pages for nondaily publications nationwide through the Design Center.
• Upheld design standards.
• Edited copy for proper grammar, clarity and AP style.
• Wrote and edited display type.
• Posted content online.
page designer/copy editor

Gannett - USA Today Network (formerly GateHouse Media)

Aug 2019 - Jan 2021 (1 year 5 months)

• Designed and edited features, news, business and opinion content for daily and weekly publications nationwide through the Design Center.
• Upheld design standards.
• Followed AP style.
art director

Freelance work

Jul 2019 - Jul 2019

Created logo and offered design consultation for website development, network security company.
day production editor

Shaw Media

Crystal Lake, IL

Oct 2013 - Oct 2018 (5 years)

• Designed and edited content and managed staff to produce 20 weekly publications, including Suburban Life and Kane County Chronicle,
• Designed and edited special publications.
• Organized and designed content for real estate/gardening section of a weekly publication.
• Created and updated InDesign templates.
• Upheld design standards and followed AP style.
• Created maps, graphics and illustrations to accompany stories.
• Color corrected photos.
• Followed up on quality control.
• Established procedures to improve production efficiency across multiple departments.
• Assisted with training.
content/layout editor

Wrapports Aggrego division

Chicago, IL

Aug 2012 - Oct 2013 (1 year 2 months)

• Created InDesign templates for staff-written and aggregated content for 33 daily and weekly Chicago Sun-Times publications.
• Established procedures for automation of page design.
• Edited content to ensure compliance with STM and AP style.
• Created marketing materials for wedding vertical, Bouquet Catcher, and travel vertical, WeekAway.
• Published content online.
designer

Suburban Life Publications

Downers Grove, IL

Oct 2009 - Aug 2012 (2 years 10 months)

• Designed news and opinion pages for weekly, multizoned publications for the western Chicago suburbs.
• Created and edited headlines, subheads, photo captions and utility information in AP style.
• Created maps, graphics, alternative story formats and illustrations.
art director

Gannett Healthcare Group

Hoffman Estates, IL

Jan 2008 - Oct 2008 (9 months)

• Designed editorial pages for biweekly and bimonthly nursing magazines.
• Directed photo shoots.
• Created photo and painting illustrations to accompany stories.
• Created and updated InDesign templates and style sheets.
• Instructed how to use templates and provided InDesign tips and shortcuts within Saxopress.
copy editor and graphic designer

The Beaufort Gazette

Beaufort, SC

Jan 2006 - Dec 2007 (1 year 11 months)

• Designed daily features pages.
• Created photo, multimedia and painting illustrations and graphics to accompany stories.
• Created and edited headlines, subheads, photo captions and utility information.
• Versed in AP style.
• Generated story ideas.
• Budgeted stories.
• Assisted with training.
visual news editor and TV Times design editor

The Times of Northwest Indiana

Munster, IN

May 2002 - Dec 2005 (3 years 7 months)

• Designed daily news and business pages.
• Created and edited headlines, subheads, photo captions and utility information.
• Versed in AP style.
• Designed and edited the weekly TV book and offered customer service.
• Redesigned the TV Times.
• Created original covers.
• Generated story ideas.
• Assisted with training.
graphic designer

The Journal-Standard

Freeport, IL

May 2001 - May 2002 (1 year)

• Redesigned the newspaper.
• Created and updated Quark templates and style sheets.
• Designed daily news, business and features pages.
• Created and edited headlines, subheads and photo captions.
• Versed in AP style.
graphic designer

The Times of Northwest Indiana

Munster, IN

Jan 2000 - May 2001 (1 year 4 months)

• Designed daily news pages.
• Created and edited headlines and subheads.
• Versed in AP style.
instructor

South Shore Arts (formerly known as Northern Indiana Arts Association)

Hammond, IN

Sep 2000 - May 2001 (8 months)

Taught introduction to Adobe Photoshop classes to teens and adults.

Awards

2022

~ NJPA

Montlcair Times

Design

2017

~ IPA

Suburban Life

1st

• General excellence

• Newspaper design

• Special section, Touchdown 2017

2nd

• Lifestyle section

• Informational graphic

• Headline writing

3rd

• Informational graphic

• Single page design

Kane County Chronicle

• 1st, Lifestyle section

2nd

• General excellence

• Newspaper design

• Single page design

Honorable mention

• Single page design

Lake County Journal

• 1st, single page design (with Jui Sadekar)

~ Northern Illinois Newspaper Association

Suburban Life

• 1st, best headline writing

• 3rd, best informational graphic

2016

~ IPA

Suburban Life

2nd

• Single page design

3rd

• Single page design

• Headline writing

Kane County Chronicle

• 1st, single page design

2015

~ IPA

Berwyn Suburban Life

• 1st, newspaper design

• 3rd, general excellence

Downers Grove Suburban Life

1st

• Sweepstakes (best paper in its class)

• Newspaper design

2nd

• General excellence

• Single page design

3rd

• Special section

Honorable mention

• Single page design

Elmhurst Suburban Life

• 2nd, informational graphic

Glen Ellyn Suburban Life

• 1st, newspaper design

• Honorable mention, informational graphic

Lake County Journal

• Honorable mention, single page design

2012

• Chicago Headline Club’s Peter Lisagor Awards: Best Design

2011

~ Best of GateHouse

• Designer of the year finalist

• Best opinions section

~ Chicago Headline Club’s Peter Lisagor Awards

• Design finalist

~ IPA

• 1st, opinion page

• 3rd, informational graphic

2010

~ Best of GateHouse

• Designer of the year finalist

• Best opinions section, Lombard Spectator

• Runner up, newspaper of the year, Elmhurst Press

~ IPA

3rd, informational graphic, Riverside/Brookfield Suburban Life

2007

South Carolina Press Association

• General excellence, The Beaufort Gazette

• 1st, page design

2006

SCPA

• 1st, feature page design

• 3rd, page design

2002

• AP Illinois Branch: Best Sept. 11, 2001, coverage for 18K circulation and under daily

Affiliations

Formerly the chairwoman and commissioner of the Villa Park Environmental Concerns Commission • formerly a participant of DuPage County's EC3 (in Illinois) • Sustain DuPage's LIFE Atlas project

Industries

Skills

Elsewhere on the Web

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On Coroflot

@jesSpivak, member since 2009

Followers 4

Jes Spivak Pro

Industrial Design Project Manager (Fractional / Part-Time)

Sr. Industrial Designer