Melissa Ellsworth
Art Director/Graphic Designer
Oak Lawn,IL
Summary
Adaptable and resourceful designer with a knack for leadership and interpersonal skills. Possesses over 10 years of experience in the design field as well as the ability to project manage, problem solve, and apply technical ability to create a more efficient work experience.
Overview
4
4
years of post-secondary education
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Art Director/Graphic Designer/IT Assistant
Carousel Checks
Palos Hills, IL
01.2015 - Current
- Promoted from Graphic Designer to Art Director and assisted COO of company to direct IT department in certain tasks.
- Developed collateral materials to support product branding strategies for financial institutions, retail, and wholesale.
- Oversaw, guided and coached small team of designers and developers, while mentoring low performing team members to improve performance.
- Worked with CEO and other departments to gather and define requirements, establish scopes and managing project milestones within branding guidelines.
- Used Adobe Indesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and other Adobe CC programs to create print images and web layouts for over 15 different retail websites and more than 1000 products.
- Developed more efficient processes and workflow for Graphics by creating new templates and introducing modern applications such as Invision.
- Photographed high-quality images for both print and internet distribution that increased Amazon sales revenue by 300%.
- Coded and designed weekly promotional emails, landing pages, and simple websites with in-house CMS using HTML/CSS and Bootstrap.
- Assigned and managed tasks through ticketing system to Graphics and IT, bringing weekly ticket closure rate up 200%.
- Mocked up UI/UX designs for in-house inventory program to increase shipping speed.
- Implemented new server organizational procedures to enhance artwork exploration.
- Hired designers, freelancers, and assisted in hiring developers that attributed so rapid project completion.
Graphic Designer
IKO Roofing
Kankakee, IL
08.2013 - 12.2014
- Integrated creative concepts with Adobe Creative Suite into clean and consistent brand marketing using a keen eye for detail.
- Created bi-lingual promotional content for new contractor programs.
- Prepared PowerPoint presentations for upper management using Adobe Flash.
Production Artist
Computershare
Burr Ridge, IL
02.2013 - 05.2013
- Contracted to prioritize and lay out a large workload of financial proxies in a fast-paced environment using Quark.
Lead Graphic Designer
West And Zajac Advertising
Tinley Park, IL
04.2010 - 02.2013
- Developed ads and collateral such as display, marketing and packaging materials to support product branding strategies for various industries.
- Retouched and manipulated digital images for project files with high proficiency using Adobe Photoshop.
- Coded and managed websites with CMS programs Word Press and Joomla, and edited sites with Dreamweaver.
Junior Graphic Designer
West And Zajac Advertising
Frankfort, IL
11.2007 - 11.2008
Graphic Design Intern
The Sterling Group
New Lenox, IL
05.2006 - 09.2006
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Illustration/Graphic Design
American Academy Of Art
Chicago, IL 09.2003 - 04.2007
Skills
Adobe Creative Cloud, Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Lightroom, Dreamweaver, Dimensions, Bridge, Acrobat
Timeline
Art Director/Graphic Designer/IT Assistant
Carousel Checks
01.2015 - Current
Graphic Designer
IKO Roofing
08.2013 - 12.2014
Production Artist
Computershare
02.2013 - 05.2013
Lead Graphic Designer
West And Zajac Advertising
04.2010 - 02.2013
Junior Graphic Designer
West And Zajac Advertising
11.2007 - 11.2008
Graphic Design Intern
The Sterling Group
05.2006 - 09.2006
Bachelor of Arts - Illustration/Graphic Design
American Academy Of Art
09.2003 - 04.2007
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