Art Directors Club of Houston

Jobs Wanted

Date listed 3/17/2010	Job desired Graphic Designer. Permanent or contract.
Name Heidi Harvey
Phone 281-973-9199	Address 12226 Hawthorne Hill Circle, Humble, TX. 77346
Fax	Web Site Address
Email heidikarina@yahoo.com
Contact by Phone , Mail , Email
Education Deciding to make graphic design my career at age 14, I started learning as much as I could right away. At North Harris College I enjoyed a host of courses in Graphic Design, Desktop Publishing, Art (Drawing, Painting, History). I took regular academic classes as well, excelling at writing and comprehension in my English courses. I consistently maintained a high GPA. When I was 19, I earned college credits through an internship program with a small local newspaper. My intern duties were to create advertisements, use a photography equipment, and assist in organizing the layout of the classified section. After my 3 month internship was complete, the newspaper offered me a full-time position. I continued to work at the paper for a year. Although I did like the job a lot, I decided to quit because the pay was very low and I felt I needed to venture out into the world.
Experience MAY 2007 - JANUARY 2010 · LEAD ON-SITE GRAPHIC DESIGNER AT MATTRESS FIRM HQ EMPLOYER: C3 Premedia Solutions, Irving TX SUPERVISORS: Kathryn Siegling, Director of Advertising - Mattress Firm Inc Debbie Clendennen, Account Manager - C3 Premedia Solutions SOFTWARE: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Acrobat Distiller Word, Excel, QuarkXpress JOB DESCRIPTION: Hired to fill a newly created "Lead On-Site graphic Designer" position at Mattress Firm's corporate office, I successfully took on a host of responsibilities and challenges: • Stream-lining and implementing Mattress Firm's corporate branding standards. • Designing conceptual advertising material for use in the development of marketing plans. • Playing a major role in the development of mattressfirm.com. • Assisting with the introduction of e-commerce. • Effectively communicating with web developers to meet stringent deadlines. • Designing various types of online ads for newspapers and networking websites. • The development of corporate recruiting and training materials (Handbooks, Flashcards, Maps, etc). • Significantly improving the over-all design and "feel" of all print-based advertising. • Composition of clear, engaging content for both advertising materials and corporate communications. Both visually appealing and determined effective for sales, my design concepts and graphic skills were continuously acknowledged and well received by Mattress Firm. NOVEMBER 2002 - FEBRUARY 2007 · GRAPHIC DESIGNER & COORDINATOR EMPLOYER: Kroger Inc, Southwest Division Print HUB, Shenandoah TX SUPERVISORS: Kathy Graham, Manager of Creative Services - Kroger Inc Bruce Joseph, Print HUB Manager - Kroger Inc SOFTWARE: QuarkXpress, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Acrobat Distiller, Excel, Adobe InDesign PowerPoint JOB DESCRIPTION: Hired initially as a production artist, I was promoted to "Team Coordinator" in less than two years. As a Coordinator, I directed the production of all print advertising for Atlanta area Kroger stores. This meant that in addition to delegating work to the production team, I designed all new advertising circulars, newspaper ads and other marketing elements for the Atlanta region. Having a very good level of patience, I was often asked to train new employees. Also, I regularly provided conceptual layout/template options for corporate approval. SEPTEMBER 1998 - JANUARY 2002 · GRAPHIC DESIGNER & TEAM LEADER EMPLOYER: AdPlex Inc, Houston TX SUPERVISOR: Anne Kammer, Production Manager - AdPlex Inc SOFTWARE: QuarkXpress, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Acrobat Distiller, Adobe InDesign JOB DESCRIPTION: I worked on the accounts of several major retailers. My job duties were typesetting, designing, and proof-reading a variety of print related advertising material. I was promoted to the "Team Leader" position after proving myself a responsible, self-motivated employee. As Team Leader for one of AdPlex's national retailer accounts, I was responsible for heading the production of all print material for the client. After design and production was complete, I'd preflight and send proofs to the client for final approval. The position required a high level of direct communication with print staff, sales representatives and with the client themselves. I was on-call 24/7 to assist the printing facility in event of an emergency situation. MAY 1995 - AUGUST 1998 SOFTWARE: QuarkXpress, Adobe Photoshop, Paint, Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, PowerPoint, Word, Pagemaker After college, I was employed as a full time graphic designer for a local newspaper for one year through an internship program. I then worked as a graphic design temp for MacTemps and as a layout artist for the Galveston County Daily News. Also, I worked from home on several contract projects from home.
Computer Skills I have expert-level knowledge of InDesign, QuarkXpress, and Photoshop. I’ve worked in a wide variety of graphic-based programs throughout my career, quickly learning new software as needed. • Working knowledge of: Illustrator, Acrobat, Powerpoint, Word, and Excel • Familiar and comfortable with working in both Mac and PC environments
Other CREATIVE SKILLS Having an extremely flexible and resourceful design style, I excel at developing new creative concepts. At the same time, I’m capable and willing to adapt and adhere to existing standards. Layout experience: • Circulars and newspaper ads • Web page elements, banner ads and e-mail blasts • Template and style sheet creation • Corporate training and recruitment material • Brochures and direct mail pieces • Large scale graphics for billboards and presentations Additional Capabilities: • Developing and implementing brand standards • Both digital and manual pagination • Composing suitable text for advertising material • Photo-editing and digital photography experience • Logo design, redesign and replication • Creating original art through a variety of mediums PRINTING EXPERTISE Having worked closely with both inhouse and off-site printers, I’ve gained thorough knowledge of all standard printing requirements and procedures. • Use of Distiller to create press-ready PDF files • Good understanding of trapping and overprint • Electronic file transfer (AdSend, FTP, etc) • Creating proper margins, bleeds and die-cuts • Use of appropriate file formats/sizes • Color requirement knowledge (CMYK, Spot, etc) WEB-DESIGN EXPERIENCE Communicating directly with web developers, I’ve played a major role in ensuring the quality of design, functionality, and continuity of a web site by providing: • Visual mock-ups for web page layouts • PDF files for use as links • Art for original content and updates • Text, color, and font specifications PERSONAL SKILLS As an employee, I am... • professional, reliable, and take pride in the quality of my work. • effective at meeting deadlines and organizing projects. • flexible, in that I am willing to work late, on the weekend, or from home when needed.