YOU MADE IT! Take a look around. It’s About Me.
Creative
Innovative Strategic
A wise business friend once told me “To find the correct path forward always start at the end and work your way back to the beginning. Then you’ll now how to get where you need to start, as well as how to get where you’re going.”
Yep, I thought it was weird too, but it works, and I do this with every creative challenge I tackle.
Professionally
Stated succinctly:
- + 20 years as a creative lead
(Agencies, in-house marketing teams, start-ups, business owner, franchise) - Deep portfolio developed over +20 years
(Strategic planning, creative direction, team builder, synergist & mentor) - Experience across nearly all media.
- Teacher to Dreamers
(I love teaching and mentoring as much as doing) - Synergist
(Mediator and motivator, I excel at being the person that keep the ball rolling in the most positive fashion. I care about people and believe we achieve the most when we work together.)
But for those who just need MORE, see below.
Started at age 17
Over Two Decades of Generating New Ideas & Creatively Solving Problems
Before being hired by a Detroit agency as a Graphic Designer in the 90’s. I spent several years working part time in print shops, teaching art part time, learning design software, and doing old-school key-lining, illustration and desktop publishing.
Years Creative Direction
Years Graphic Design
Years Web Design
Years Mentor & Teacher
CREATIVE VIEW
I care about the “story” of it all.
Every design and marketing challenge is it’s own story with a beginning and an end. It has characters, plot twists, a landscape and props.
I often tell my kids, “stories are the one thing in life that we collect that we can freely give away, but still keep. They are truly also the one thing you can take with you when you go.”
Find what inspires someone in each story and you can touch them emotionally. If you can do that they will want to keep the story.
In case you missed the metaphor the “Story” can be a product, a service, an event or anything else you can think of.
My Skill sets
I’ve been doing this long enough to acquire a variety of mainstream and some fringe skill sets. There is always something new to learn and the creative world is never static.
If it has a bullet point beside it below I have a project related expereince/story to go with it.
Creative Direction
Business leaders love to say they look at a topic from a "10-thousand foot view". Creative direction is looking over that leaders shoulder with kaleidoscope glasses. We see the big picture but in countless different ways, such as:
- Graphic Design, Illustration (Digital & Traditional)
- Developing & Executing Targeted Creative Direction
- Guiding & Mentoring Diverse Creative Teams
- Leading Creative Thought Process with Designers, Copywriters & External Team
- Being Mindful of Budgets, Messaging, Mission Statements & Target Audience
- Being responsible for Programs, Cradle to Cradle
Brand Visual Identity
If a business or a product had a true "soul" it would be its BRAND.
All caps - yes! Done correctly it is the visual, tangible and ephemeral culmination of that soul in a single visual statement. Plus, I like:
- Creating New Brands & Revitalizing Existing Brands
- Being the Guardian of the Brand & its Specifications, History & Evolution
- Maintaining Brand Consistency Across all Touch Points Such as Print, Digital, Social & Experiential
Media Creation
In a nut shell, "OK creative guru, you just verbally painted me an amazing concept...
Now Make It Real!"
Video for Web, TV, Radio, UI design. The first thing to know:
- You Don't Know it all, Hire Great Resources
- Direct the Vision & Keep it ON BRAND
- Be Very Budget Conscious
- Never Volunteer to be Teleprompter Guy
- Know Enough to Ask the Right Questions in the Beginning
- Be BOLD & Whenever Possible, Bring the Funny (Humor, Joy & Love Sells... and Occasionally an Explosion, Dog or Baby, but Not All at Once)
Portfolio
Brand Strategy
A good brand strategy means everyone know who you are, what you do or sell and why you're so awesome all your competitors emulate you.
A poor brand strategy is everyone else.
You want details, buy a book.
Or hire those of us that already have that knowledge, like:
- Review of Competitive Landscape
- Understanding Stake Holders Vision and Expectations
- Cultivating Existing Structures and Evolving Them as Necessary for Success
- Seeing Beyond the Perceived Future of the Brand
Portfolio
Web Design
Everyone wants a cutting edge, SEO monster, Lighthouse loved web presence.
Anyone can figure out Word Press. I taught the high-school robotics team I coached how to do it, but making it pretty and semi-functional is only a third of the work. The other two-thirds involve:
- Design, From Napkin Sketch, to Wire Frame, to Prototype and Then Final Look & Brand Driven Feel
- Consideration & Appropriate Execution of Back-end Architecture Based on Needs, Wants (and No Wishes - They Waist Time)
- Proper Use of; Copy for Web, Key Words, SEO Titles, Meta Descriptions, Graphic File Creation & so on
- Determining Appropriate Use of "Bells & Whistles"
- Video, Social, Personalization, Kitchen Sink
- Understanding Metric Generation, Value & Use
Portfolio
Photography
Point and click, point and click. Cameras today are amazing, but a real photographer know lighting, stage setting, and all the tricks that distinguish phone photography from Ansel Adams.
I know just enough to be dangerous and am wise enough to know who to hire and how to work with them to get the shot that is the "want" and not just the "need". To get this:
- Hire People That Know How to Really Use Lights
- Hire People You Trust & Make Sure They Can Trust You
- Hire Pros; Talent, Post, Camera & Support
- Location Matters & is Often Expensive
- Mind the Paperwork & Copyright Needs
- Know Enough to Keep Them On Their Tose & Never Stop Learning
Portfolio
Brief Overview
At age 17 a hotel owner near my home town asked if I would take a look at designing a brochure for him. I was just fresh out of high school and I remember well that layout really demonstrated that.
In college I worked two jobs, one of which was at a small print shop. I was there in the days of hand illustrating graphics with pen and ink, key-lining typesetters’ galleys, using rubylith for borders and waxing the backs of everything to adhere them to the layout sheets. I used the stat-camera, worked in the darkroom, made press plates and ran an old AB Dick 8600.
After completing my BFA and BS in Education I worked a variety of jobs to pay the bills, but was always either teaching design, running production machines or doing desktop publishing, until I got my first “real” job as a Graphic Designer at a marketing firm call Detroit Art Services. After that it was “off to the races”. How fast can I learn and how fast can I advance. I’ve been on the creative roller coaster for over 30 years. I’ve worked at agencies, owned an agency, started a dot.com, been an Art Director, a VP of Creative Services, and a Director level at B2C and B2B companies on several occassions. It’s been a journey.
As I move into this next decade of challenges, I hope it will be filled with less execution of design output and more guiding creative teams or classes. I really want to help develop and inspire the next generation of creatives.
In the very inspirational words of Edna Mode, “Luck favors the prepared darling.” Well, after 30 years of prep… I’m very prepared and often lucky.
Performance Level – Key Skills
- Synergist – 110%
- Graphic Design – 110%
- Creative Direction – 100%
- Mentor / Teacher – 100%
- Traditional Illustration- 95%
- Web Design – 90%
- Operational Structure Architect – 90%
- Pain in the Bosses Glutius Maximus – 2%
Software Experience
My software usage core is the Adobe CC suite and lately WordPress, but I have used a wealth of apps professionally over the years.
Guru Percentage – Core Software
- Adobe Illustrator – 99%
- Adobe InDesign – 99%
- Adobe Photoshop – 95%
- Adobe Acrobat – 90%
- WordPress – 90%
- Microsoft 365 Suite- 80%
Note: I’ve been using and teaching much of the Adobe core application suite for decades, and because of this constant use I fully realize that there are few (not working at Adobe developing the apps) that know the full potential of these amazing apps at a 100% level. They simply add new features so often (which is awesome BTW). As a professional designer I use them well above the average level, but I’m always learning.
Recent Work
I recently (and voluntarily) moved on from a great company and a great team at JELD-WEN Window & Doors. One of my various responsibilities was creative team lead for MMI Door (a division of JELD-WEN). Below are a few samples specifically from that content of work.
Find them in use on various big-box home center websites such as HomeDepot. Click here to see it in use.
Feel Free to Reach Out
& Say Hello!
Questions, queries, ponders or for pointers.