About:
I'm a graphic designer and art director with 14 years of experience in an array of industries including sports, tech, healthcare, real estate, luxury, retail, and lifestyle. Clients have included ESPN, The Outback Bowl, Tech Data, and BioBag.
My specialties include logo, brand, digital, and web design; and I am best at tying those all together into comprehensive campaigns. I also have experience in photography, print, social media, packaging, and some UX and motion.
I've been designing since I was 10 years old, creating sports logos in MS Paint. I took design and art classes through high school and went on to focus on advertising and marketing at FSU. This gave me the needed business acumen for the creative field. After graduating with my B.A., I interned with Visit Tampa Bay, focusing on design and production, and have been working as a designer and art director since.
Design
Areas:
Art Direction • Logo Design • Branding & Identity • Digital Design • Web Design • Print Design • Social Media • Packaging • Out-of-Home • UX & UI • Layout • Typography • Color Theory
Programs:
Programs:
Adobe Photoshop • Adobe Illustrator • Adobe InDesign • Adobe Lightroom • Adobe XD • Adobe Premiere Pro • Adobe After Effects • Adobe Acrobat • Sketch • Figma
Skills:
Skills:
Photography • Image Editing • Photo Retouching • Videography • Video Editing • Pre-Press • HTML • CSS • Front-End Web Development • Project Management
Soft
Skills:
Communication • Active Listening • Collaboration • Time Management • Creative Problem Solving • Persistence
History:
Freelance Art Director
The Legacy Theory
09/2020 - Present
St. Petersburg, FL (Remote)
Freelance Designer
Chris Michalik Design
05/2010 - Present
St. Petersburg, FL
Art Director
The Spot On Agency
04/2020 - 09/2020
St. Petersburg, FL (Remote)
Graphic Designer
CEA Marketing
09/2016 - 12/2019
Clearwater, FL
Graphic Designer
BioBag Americas
09/2012 - 09/2016
Dunedin, FL
Design Coordinator
Tech Data
07/2007 - 04/2010
Clearwater, FL
Production Intern
Visit Tampa Bay
02/2007 - 05/2007
Tampa, FL
Education:
Florida State University
Bachelor of Arts
Major in Marketing
Minor in Advertising
2002 - 2006
Experience:
Design:
- Designed concepts and assets for brands, including logos, color palettes, themes, icons, and imagery.
- Developed brand guides and provided recommendations for improvements on existing guidelines.
- Created designs for projects including digital, print, web, email, social media, outdoor advertising, event signage, and retail packaging adhering to brand standards and specs.
- Collaborated with designers, art directors, creative directors, copywriters, and developers.
- Established templates for common projects with up-to-date specs, ensuring accuracy and ease-of-use.
- Built out presentation decks and mock-ups for client pitches.
Art Direction & Management:
- Managed a team of designers, along with collaboration among account managers, developers, copywriters, photographers, and freelancers.
- Wrote creative briefs to provide creative direction on projects.
- Provided direction, feedback, and guidance to designers, production artists, and interns.
- Reviewed work prior to completion for quality control and adherence to creative concepts.
- Worked directly with print shops in the preparation of art files and quality control of final products.
- Communicated directly with clients to pitch designs, provide recommendations, and keep projects in motion.
- Established scopes of work, timelines, and estimates.
Photography:
- Photographed events and products for print and digital use.
- Edited and retouched photos, including on-the-fly at events for immediate use on social media.
- Created shot lists and provided direction to a team of photographers on photo style.
- Developed brand-specific Lightroom presets for consistency in final products across multiple photographers and events.