MARY JAMES
Richmond,VA
Summary
Results-oriented Graphic Artist successful at applying technical skills to create art that informs and engages customers. Clear communicator and collaborative team player with an eye for detail and skill in customer relations.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
ART DIRECTOR
CarMax
01.2014 - Current
- Create and update designs supporting store growth and expansion across the country in a high-speed retail environment
- Specializing in large format retail signage such as banners, promotional materials, vinyl graphics, digital display designs, small format in-store materials, and geographic-specific graphics
- Also have supported
- Employer Brand with recruitment materials such as flyers, animations, web, and billboard advertisements
- Additionally supporting Diversity & Inclusion and PR/Local
- Events with large scale experiential design and digital materials
- Major Achievements: Advocated for design improvements to enhance the customer experience and increase staff pride in retail stores
- Became the go-to person for event experiential designs
- Trained team members on store retail design, photography, and event design
- Helped to lead our Agile workflow team of innovators to develop new and exciting store experiences for our customers
- Led our design team on the implementation of new environmental designs inside call centers and new office locations across the country with large, impactful creations.
- Mentored junior designers and provided design guidance to improve standards of overall team output.
- Collaborated with content and marketing teams to confirm design compliance with brand guidelines.
- Developed creative design for print materials, banners and signs.
- Employed design fundamentals when selecting typography, composition, layout, and color in design work.
- Developed creative design for print materials, brochures, banners, and signs.
- Created digital image files for use in digital and traditional printing methods.
- Met with customers to present mockups and collect information for adjustments.
- Completed final touches for projects before rollout.
- Implemented design feedback from customers and internal stakeholders to improve project outcomes.
- Edited and enhanced existing artwork and graphics.
- Utilized Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office Suite to develop creative designs.
- Collaborated with other designers to create visually appealing graphics for range of print and digital media.
- Implemented feedback and suggestions from clients to improve designs.
- Applied color theory and composition techniques to construct appealing designs.
- Worked with clients to gather and define requirements, establish scopes, and manage project milestones.
DESIGNER
FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
01.2006 - 01.2023
- Provide branding, photography, print design, package design, web design elements, social media, and illustration services for private, corporate, retail, non-profit, and government clients
- Clients & Agencies: Profiles, Brainstorm Creative, Boss Staffing, Randstad Staffing
- Armor Group, Think Design, Hairy Hound Dog Training, The Bee Folks, Michalene's
- Soaps, D2, Amberient, PointWright, Mjach Designs, and Bold River
- Pro-bono photog- raphy and design work for animal rescue groups in MD, PA, and VA.
- Developed creative design for print materials, brochures, banners, and signs.
- Met with customers to present mockups and collect information for adjustments.
- Researched trends and projected industry changes to capitalize on emerging opportunities.
- Coordinated with external vendors and suppliers to verify quality and accuracy of printed materials.
- Edited and enhanced existing artwork and graphics.
- Created logos, illustrations and typography for various organizations.
- Utilized Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office Suite to develop creative designs.
- Developed graphics and visual content for social media campaigns.
- Created artwork for product packaging and promotional materials.
- Applied color theory and composition techniques to construct appealing designs.
- Implemented feedback and suggestions from clients to improve designs.
- Worked with clients to gather and define requirements, establish scopes, and manage project milestones.
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER
BRTRC
01.2004 - 01.2006
- Created materials for government trade shows and annual events including pop-up banners, stage and photo backdrops, event programs, posters, way finding signs, brochures, table setting signage, and more
- Developed and designed awards for government clients and internal team
- Trained junior designers and peers as well as directed and implemented team's first procedural manual
- Major Achievements: Overhauled design team's processes and procedures, stream- lining production and reducing mistakes
- Enhanced team-building and introduced learning initiatives
- Maintained ties with senior management and VPs while assisting remotely located Art Director in managing team and tracking workflow.
- Mentored junior designers and provided design guidance to improve standards of overall team output.
- Coordinated with external vendors and suppliers to verify quality and accuracy of printed materials.
- Developed creative design for print materials, banners and signs.
- Employed design fundamentals when selecting typography, composition, layout, and color in design work.
- Utilized Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office Suite to develop creative designs.
ADVERTISING MANAGER
HUDSON TRAIL OUTFITTERS, HTO
01.1999 - 01.2004
- Coordinated advertising research, marketing, production, and implementation of graphics solutions for retail store locations in-house
- Managed all aspects of print, web, and retail display advertising including corporate collateral, newspaper and online advertising, consumer e-mails, and point of purchase materials
- Performed computer system upgrades/maintenance and made purchase recommendations
- Managed and trained junior designers as needed
- Major Achievements: Redesigned company logo and created design standards within a year of joining the company
- Increased in-house production capabilities overtimes the output of previous years
- Secured new and expanded co-op advertising partnerships with vendors netting $115K in advertising dollars in 2002.
- Developed campaigns, led design and tracked results.
- Worked with marketing department to create targeted advertising strategies for key customer demographics.
- Collected performance data on each promotion to better plan future events.
- Developed advertising tactics and implemented new solutions for increased brand awareness.
- Worked closely with clients to design effective promotions to meet customer needs and exceed sales goals.
- Planned and prepared advertising and promotional material to increase sales of products or services and work with customers, company officials and advertising agencies.
- Attended customer meetings, trade shows and conferences as company representative.
- Conferred with department heads or staff to discuss contracts, advertising media selection or products to be advertised.
- Inspected existing ads and marketing materials to achieve consistency throughout multiple platforms.
- Monitored product development and audience response to adapt marketing and promotion campaigns accordingly.
- Collaborated with media representatives to optimize coverage of special events.
- Increased longevity of accounts by providing individualized customer service and developing relationships with account holders.
Education
BS - Graphic Design
AA - General Studies
Skills
- Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Acrobat
- Photography, Photo Editing, illustration
- Corporate Identity Branding
- Visual Communication Expertise
- Oversee Projects
- Copywriting, editing, and social media management
- Lean Kit and Agile workflows
- Microsoft Office 365: Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint, OneDrive, Sharepoint and Teams
- Backup systems operation and recovery
- Asset management and tracking systems
- Excellent team player with superior time management
Timeline
ART DIRECTOR
CarMax
01.2014 - Current
DESIGNER
FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
01.2006 - 01.2023
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER
BRTRC
01.2004 - 01.2006
ADVERTISING MANAGER
HUDSON TRAIL OUTFITTERS, HTO
01.1999 - 01.2004
BS - Graphic Design
AA - General Studies
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