Award-winning, Global, Multichannel, Senior Art Director

Karen Jackson

Chicago, IL

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About

20+ years of agency and corporate experience in advertising, multichannel marketing, print/web design and social media.

Thrives on the collaborative efforts of marketing directors, copywriters, information architects and developers to produce a team-driven, end product that leads to a top-notch user experience.

Client focused, innovative, out-of-the box thinker who is not afraid to jump in and "make it work!"

Specialties:

Responsive design • Human-centered UX • Creative brainstorming • Creative/technical liaison • Adobe CS pro • Multichannel marketing initiatives • Corporate and small business branding • Brand management • Hands-on print/web design •
Education
- BFA Art and Design
  
  University of Ilinois
  
  1991 - 1995
- High School Diploma General Education
  
  Albert G Lane Technical High School
  
  1987 - 1991
Experience
- Global Multichannel Senior Art Director
  
  Brella Productions
  
  Evanston, IL
  
  Sep 2015 - Present (6 years 8 months)
  
  A creative leader for Abbott’s in-house, creative network and global creative teams providing visual support for internal and external campaigns.
- Art Director/Creative Director/Designer/Creative Consultant
  
  Freelance Creative Professional
  
  Chicago, IL
  
  2000 - Present (22 years)
  
  Diverse client base includes: AARP, AT&T U-verse, Abbott, Accenture, Allstate, Ambius, American Home Shield, American Residential Services (ARS), Beazer Homes, Cadillac, Chicago Public Schools, ConAgra Brands, Diners Club, Discover Card Network, Epsilon, GAP Brands, GE Capital Bank, GM, Hewitt, Infinity, J.P. Morgan Chase, Jaguar/Land Rover, Limited Brands, Motorola, NASCAR, Nissan, Pernod Ricard, Sears, Toyota, U.S Bank, U.S. Cellular, Walgreens
- Freelance Senior Art Director/Designer
  
  GE Capital Bank
  
  Chicago, IL
  
  Jul 2013 - Jul 2015 (2 years)
  
  Multi-tasked within a small, yet specialized, marketing team: Generated concepts, negotiated with vendors and external resources, provided hands-on, brand support and creative direction for banner ads, print media and website assets
- Senior Art Director
  
  Aspen/Epsilon Marketing Services
  
  West Chicago, IL
  
  Jul 2010 - Nov 2012 (2 years 4 months)
  
  Partnered with creative strategy, implementation and execution teams on multi-faceted advertising campaigns: Direct mail, email, interactive and social media assets
- Senior Digital Art Director
  
  Walgreens HQ
  
  Deerfield, IL
  
  Jul 2007 - Feb 2010 (2 years 7 months)
  
  Generated compelling, emarketing solutions with in-house, ecommerce staff for website updates, specialty web portals and email blasts and campaigns
- Freelance Design/Project Manager
  
  Abbott Laboratories
  
  Waukegan, IL
  
  Oct 2007 - Apr 2008 (6 months)
  
  Collaborated with in-house, creative staff on powerpoint presentations, provided photo art direction, digital retouching and print production to create unique marketing solutions for Abbott’s pharmaceutical brands
- Senior Designer
  
  Uline
  
  Waukegan, IL
  
  Aug 2003 - Jul 2007 (3 years 11 months)
  
  • Established design standards for all corporate, promotional and collateral materials: Catalog covers, postcards,
  online recruitment ads, in-house banners, private label packaging, high-profile, executive powerpoint presentations
  • Successfully maintained consistent brand standards across all on/offline deliverables and successfully surpassed client
  project expectations
- Sr. Designer/Art Director
  
  Styleclick, Inc.
  
  Chicago, IL
  
  Aug 2002 - Aug 2003 (1 year)
  
  • Designed and launched NASCAR.com’s first merchandise catalog that resulted in revenues of $1M, 57% above projections
  • Supported online creative efforts and customer experience for NASCAR and NBA ecommerce websites
- Senior Designer
  
  Garnet Hill
  
  Lisbon, NH
  
  May 2000 - Feb 2002 (1 year 9 months)
  
  • Collaborated with creative directors and photographers to preserve the visual identity of the Garnet Hill brand
  • Designed catalog layouts, point of purchase displays, public relations presentations, and email/web deliverables
  • Inspected Kodak approvals and reviewed, edited, and digitized film for layout and web use
- Freelance Graphic Designer
  
  Sears HomeLife Furniture
  
  Hoffman Estates, IL
  
  Jan 2000 - May 2000 (4 months)
  
  Assisted senior creative management in executing the creative vision for direct mail and in-house communications
- Graphic Designer/Digital Asset Manager
  
  Ambrosi Black Dot Group
  
  Chicago, IL
  
  Aug 1997 - Jan 2000 (2 years 5 months)
  
  Assisted creative directors and senior art directors on advanced planning projects, live photo shoots and presentations for multi-million dollar, multimedia companies
Awards

• 2017 Web Marketing Association's Health Care Standard of Excellence WebAward for Outstanding Achievement in Web Development for https://www.lifetothefullest.abbott/

• 2018 Web Marketing Association's Health Care Standard of Excellence WebAward for Outstanding Achievement in Web Development for http://www.abbott.com/

• 2021 WEBBY AWARD HONOREE for Best User Experience:

Abbott Newsroom https://www.abbott.com/corpnewsroom.html
Affiliations

AAF American Advertising Federation Member and competition (ADDY) judge since 2010; AIGA American Institute of Graphic Arts Member; CADM Chicago Association of Direct Marketing Member
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@kjaxcreative, member since 2008
- Following 11
- Followers 5