Designer with 20+ years professional experience ranging from luxury real estate markets to small mom-and-pop venues; Successfully guiding your project from concept, to design, through production and final delivery. Offering clean solutions and well-crafted ideas; Seeking creative opportunities, environments, and people; Entertaining freelance, contract, or full-time work. *(I've maxed out my limit on this site for portfolio pages and easily have twice this amount to update. Website in progress, but "yourself" is often your last client. Coming...soon ...ish, by hook or by crook.)

EDUCATION
BFA, Graphic Design
Winthrop University

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EXPERIENCE

Senior Graphic Designer
McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture
(January, 2016 - Current)
www.mcmillanpazdansmith.com
Currently, full-time graphic designer for the in-house marketing team at a regional architecture firm with 7 locations across the southeast: Atlanta, Asheville, Charleston, Charlotte, Columbia, Greenville, and Spartanburg. Wide range of responsibilities from small, last-minute requests to larger, long-term projects managing internal assignments and external branding, including: InDesign proposals and PowerPoint templates, advertising for print + web, social media posts, invitations, emails, flyers, brochures, giveaways, conference exhibition displays, posters, job site signs, colorized floor plans, award submittals, promotional items, packaging, logos, and — anything and everything that needs graphic consideration. I have helped re-imagine the website, brand our internal sift gallery and coordinate artists + events, and guide the MPS brand experience since 2016.

Freelance Graphic Designer
Jessie Kendall Creative
(May, 2007 - Current)
www.creativehotlist.com/jkmarks
I have freelanced throughout my working life while holding a day job in most locations that I’ve lived: Charleston, Savannah, and Greenville. Clients include: Cancer Society of Greenville County, Give GVL Homes, Christophe Harbour at St. Kitts, Kiawah Island Real Estate, Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas, Smoak PR, Portman’s Music, Your Creative People, and Your Mobile Mechanic — among other local or small businesses.

Senior Graphic Designer
The Greenville News - Greenville, SC
(August, 2014 - August, 2015)
www.solutions.greenvilleonline.com
B2E, B2B, and B2C in-house designer for the Marketing and Sales teams. Responsible for B2B and internally branded collateral to represent The Greenville News Media Group, designing: sales flyers, media kits, invitations, event materials, in-house ads, digital banner ads, emails, etc. Also responsible for preparing B2C collateral to help our sales team acquire new business for Key Accounts, designing: ad concepts, flyers, presentations, and other materials upon request for client meetings. Additionally,
prepared quote requests and maintained relationships with our vendors, sales executives, and news teams regionally across both markets: Greenville and Asheville (The Greenville News and Asheville Citizen-Times).

Art Director / Senior Graphic Designer
Crawford Strategy - Greenville, SC
(July, 2012 - January, 2014)
www.crawfordstrategy.com
Promotion to “Art Director” in October, 2013 providing art direction, design, illustration, and print production for print collateral across all clients, including: Breakwater Restaurant, Greenville Dermatology, Greenville Tech Foundation, GSP International Airport, Ice On Main, Mission Health Hospital, O’Neal Engineering, Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas, and more. Also provided basic web and digital work as needed working with Mailchimp and Photoshop to create web banner ads, screensavers, social media artwork, and update e-newsletter templates.

Technical Designer / Senior Graphic Designer
Erwin-Penland Advertising - Greenville, SC
(April, 2009 - July, 2012)
www.erwinpenland.com
Promotion / internal move to the new digital "Innovation" team as “Technical Designer” in February, 2011; Designed user interface for portals, e-newsletters, DAMs, and other internal digital systems. Originally hired as “Senior Graphic Designer” in April, 2009 —working with various accounts including Verizon POS, Verizon Communications, Verizon B2B, Greenville Drive Baseball, and Greenville Humane Society; Collaborated with art directors, copywriters, and account execs to create templates, ads, event displays, web graphics, and other marketing collateral; Built and prepared files for print, outdoor, and direct mail production; Provided basic photo retouching / correction and image research; Assisted design and production for additional clients such as Denny’s, BMW, Bi-Lo, and more.

Graphic Designer
skirt! Magazine - Savannah, GA
(August, 2007 - April, 2009)
www.skirt.com
Designer for the skirt! Savannah / Hilton Head Island market; Provided ad concept and design for the magazine’s advertisers, ad photography as needed, postcards, posters, displays, table-tops, emails, web page icons, local editorial pages, and promotional materials; Prepared the magazine files for press, monthly. Often worked independently, meeting with sales reps and clients as needed.

Senior Designer
DPS Sporting Club Development Company, LLC - Charleston, SC
(May, 2004 - August, 2007)
www.dpsdevelopment.com
Collaborated with our small, in-house creative team to conceptualize and design projects including: brochures, posters, invitations, newsletters, print advertisements, logo design, signage, banners, displays, direct mail, e-promotions, and other marketing collateral; Managed jobs and provided art direction; Maintained relationships with print vendors; Attended press checks; Assisted with coordination of photo shoots. (Company no longer operating. Website still exists... maybe at the time you are reading this, but not fully functioning).

Production Artist
Kiawah Island Real Estate, Marketing - Kiawah Island, SC
(March, 2002 - May, 2004)
www.kiawahisland.com
Assistant to the director of resale marketing; Provided layout, production, and print coordination for all resale marketing print collateral; Designed weekly newspaper ads and sales center signage; Updated daily real estate listings and photography to web site; Assisted setup, clean-up, and scouting for real estate photo shoots.

Design Assistant / Intern
Mint Museum of Art - Charlotte, NC
(May, 2001 - September, 2001)
www.mintmuseum.org
Worked under the direction of the in-house, senior designer creating exhibition invitations, gallery merchandise, postcards, children’s activity booklets, and additional museum collateral.

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RELATED EXPERIENCE

Community Figure Drawing Organizer
Taylors Mill / Village Studios and Gallery - Greenville, SC
(September, 2009 - August 2014)
www.drawing-figures.tumblr.com
Managed a weekly figure drawing group for local artists and the community; Promoted via email, flyers and social media; Scheduled models; Notified artists; Maintained database of contacts; Set poses; Prepared space and equipment. (Originally offered at Village Studios and Gallery which closed in 2013, then I moved the session to a private space, Studio 5F @ Taylors Mill).

Volunteer Designer + Instructor/Organizer
Redux Contemporary Art Center - Charleston, SC
(May, 2004 - August, 2007)
www.reduxstudios.org 
Provided freelance design for a non-profit, art gallery and studio center; Organized, promoted and managed weekly figure drawing sessions.

Assistant Instructor
Gibbes Museum of Art - Charleston, SC
(Spring 2006 & Summer 2006)
www.gibbesmuseum.org
Assisted beginner drawing class: drawing from life; Prepared lesson plan; Set poses; Critiqued work.

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SOFTWARE
Indesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, Microsoft Office, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Constant Contact, WordPress

SKILLS
Typography,  Light Copy Writing + Illustration, Social Media Art, Banner Ads, Attention to Detail, Pre-press/Production Support, Client Liaison

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AWARDS

Ok, so I haven't paid for or submitted much work personally since I left small agency life, but we have a few oldies below...

2007 ADDY, Silver
non-profit poster, pro-bono freelance

2007 ADDY, Bronze
field guide 

2007 ADDY, Bronze
event invitation

2006 ADDY, Silver
direct mail piece

2006 ADDY, Silver
holiday party invitation

2005 ADDY, Silver
event invitation

2005 ADDY, Bronze
brochure

2004 ADDY, Silver
KIRE newsletter

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REFERENCES
Available upon request