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Freelance Illustrator, Product, and Graphic Designer
2000 - Present (21 years)
• Provide illustrative, product, and graphic design services to individual, corporate, and nonprofit clients.
Ultra Sport, Los Angeles, CA, Senior Product Director 2015 - 2016
Sportin’ Styles, New York, NY, Product Designer 2015 - 2015
Red Line Gear, Boston, MA, Accessories Product Designer 2014 - 2015
One 2 Believe Publishing, The Nativity, Noah’s Ark, Illustrator 2009 - 2010
Puerto Rican Parade of Western New York, Buffalo, NY, Web Designer 2004 - 2004
By Reason of Passion, by Aida Irizarry, New York, NY, Illustrator 2003 - 2004
Judge Betty Calvo Torres Campaign, Buffalo, NY, Web Designer 2007 - 2007
WNY Hispanic Network, Buffalo, NY, Graphic Designer 2002 - 2004
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Design Director
Mar 2020 - Jun 2020 (3 months)
• Conceptualize Licensed and Unlicensed Footwear, socks, and accessories stories and designs.
• Create mocks to visualize product offering
• Advise on product design industry best practices and strategy.
• Plan out course for special project offerings for the year
• Evaluate company for efficiencies in design.
• Outline Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to coincide with company growth.
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Design Director Consultant
Framingham, MA
May 2019 - Dec 2019 (7 months)
• Review, Critique, and design product across several major brands contributing to the product makeup of the company's new web and brick and mortar offering.
• Designed entire product line for subsidiary brands under the Hat Club umbrella.
• Set up subsidiary brands under the Hat Club umbrella with overseas sourcing.
• Set up subsidiary brands under the Hat Club umbrella with guidelines/ S.O.P.s for product creation and development process.
• Conceptualized regionalized product for quick to market offering.
• Conceptualized tier 1 fashion product for premium stores.
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Design Manager: Lifestyle Product
Westwood, MA
Jan 2016 - Feb 2019 (3 years 1 month)
• Communicate creative direction, delegate workload, lead and critique concept meetings and product selection on seasonal calendars for design team.
• Design creative, trend based, fast to market collections utilizing headwear silhouettes, apparel tops and bottoms, scarves, gloves, and sock accessories.
• Communicate with PLMs and Marketing to plan out company product stories and collaborations.
• Communicate daily with global and domestic factories to ensure proper execution, pricing, and delivery of prototypes and production runs for product lines.
• Present trends, selling tools, and final product lines in-house and to accounts.
• Travel overseas supervising production, and fabric selection for future seasonal product use.
• Consult with management and owners while mentoring junior designers on industry best practices.
• Design Judge for Deconstruction class at Pratt Design Institute in Brooklyn, NY.
• Increased reach of company awareness in the market with Lifestyle collections/ collaborations like the David Ortiz Retirement collection, Super Bowl 51, 52, 53 collections, Nitro Circus, Coast 2 Coast, Carhartt collection, Diamond Supply x NBA x 47 Collab, and latest seasonal product lines.
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Assistant Design Manager: Lifestyle - Sports Lic / Entertainment Lic / EK / NE Branded / Flagship
May 2011 - May 2015 (4 years)
• Oversaw team designing product to increased revenue within department over $60 million.
• Designed Fall 15 product that garnered over $3 million in revenue with company’s highest selling items.
• Communicated creative direction to 10+ member team.
• Increased efficiency and communication in design and production department using crossover GTM calendar.
• Created multi silhouette concept template now in use by all 40 + New Era Cap Company designers globally.
• Worked annually on global trend team establishing seasonal color, fabrics, and themes.
• Collaborated with Merchandising and Marketing to plan company’s product stories in the market.
• Coordinated, oversaw and ensured proper execution of conceptualization, development, and production of product and selling tools along an overlapping seasonal calendars for an average of 800 product pieces in 5 categories and 6 distinct global product lines annually.
• Communicated with global and domestic vendor sourcing outlets to ensure proper execution and delivery of prototypes, salesmen samples and production runs for each product line.
• Presented trends, selling tools, and final product line at sales meetings and account visits.
• Traveled overseas supervising production, and fabric selection for seasonal product use.
• Increased company's public profile and relevence by conducted celebrity design lab sessions with Spike Lee on over 16 Exclusive Cap designs in 2013, and the Spike Lee Joint New York Knicks Exclusive Cap design in 2011.
• Increased reach of New Era Cap's brand awareness with Interview by Jeff Blundell, Senior Producer of That's Art!? at Whistlestop Productions in 2012
• Led design lab sessions key accounts including Champs, Footlocker, and Spencer’s.
• Consulted on account development, workflow, and SOPs for new NYC office
• Organized / catalogued company wide usage of essential imagery and photography
• Advocated /Designed first Female Character Exclusive cap, Wonder Woman for Batman v. Superman.
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Lead Designer: Lifestyle - Entertainment Licenses
New Era Cap
Jan 2007 - Jun 2012 (5 years 5 months)
• Led the design team in creative direction for developing Entertainment Licensed product.
• Established new division with dedicated resources bringing in over $6 million, past most recent goal.
• Designed trend based seasonal product resulting in the Sports Licenses division surpassing $50 million goal.
• Created innovative, exclusive, high profile account collections for movies, comics, video games, special events.
• Conducted celebrity design lab sessions at flagship store openings and one on one meetings.
• Identified key potential Entertainment Licensed collaborations and cross-promotions.
• Facilitated introduction of company to Diamond Distribution, resulting in increased distribution.
• Developed internal strategy for new license approval procedures resulting in 50% designer workload reduction
• Attended apparel and fashion trade shows such as Comic-Con, MAGIC, and Bread & Butter.
• License responsibilities include Sports: Major League Baseball (MLB), National Hockey League (NHL), Hardwood Classics: National Basketball Association (NBA)
Marvel Entertainment: Iron Man 1, 2 , 3, The Incredible Hulk, Punisher War Zone, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine, Thor: The Mighty Avenger, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, MarvelxNBA
Warner Bros. DC Comics Entertainment: The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Watchmen, Green Lantern, Thundercats, Looney Tunes, Looney Tunes x NBA, Looney Tunes x MLB, Hanna-Barbera,
Hasbro: Transformers 1, 2, 3, G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra, G.I. Joe Retaliation, Battleship
Disney: Archive, Alice in Wonderland, Tron: Legacy, LucasArts: Star Wars,
Classic Media: Masters of the Universe, Voltron,
Dark Horse Comics: Hell Boy, B.P.R.D.
Ubisoft: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Splinter Cell,
The Simpsons, and
Coke
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Assistant Designer: Lifestyle - Sports Licenses
New Era Cap
Buffalo, NY
2005 - 2007 (2 years)
• Designed headwear for seasonal product lines using trend research, select fabrics, and original graphics.
• Approved graphics and product samples for production.
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Lead Media Specialist
SDPHIE
Apr 1999 - Mar 2005 (5 years 11 months)
Responsible for all public media presence for organization including graphics, logos, posters, and pamphlets website design, coding, photography and web maintenance.
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Production Designer: Lifestyle - Sports Licenses
New Era Cap
2005 - 2005
• Built, proofed, and delivered tech packs, logo 100%s, sell sheets, and design approval forms.
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Global/Domestic Tech Pack Designer
New Era Cap
2004 - 2005 (1 year)
• Created, organized, and approved tech packs templates, and graphics using component sizing, and production guidelines.
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Caricature Artist
Kaman's Art Shoppe
May 2001 - Oct 2001 (5 months)
Rendering Caricatures, Illustrations, Portraits
Consistently drew over 25 profile portraits or humorous rendering of client per part time day
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Lead Graphic Artist
UUAB (University Union Activities Board) at SBI
Oct 1997 - May 2000 (2 years 7 months)
Designed posters, fliers, brochures, editorial ads, t-shirts, and event calendars for all events
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Graphic Artist
Phase 1 Advertising Company
1997 - 1998 (1 year)
Designed layout and logos for advertisement in print.
