
Designer at O'Berry | Cavanaugh
Great Falls, Montana Area

Designer at O'Berry | Cavanaugh
Great Falls, Montana Area
Consummate designer. Truly dull to be around if you don't care that the typeface on the sign over that building needs to be kerned differently or that the door handle you just pushed instead of pulled really shouldn't have been narrow enough to wrap your hand around. Learned HTML after trying to figure out why the WYSIWYG program he was using continuously didn't understand he was editing the text INSIDE the paragraph element. In a similar fashion learned PHP after changing the top nav language on a website for the 23rd time, in Photoshop, in 7 languages.
Thorough understanding of the HTML and CSS rendering capabilities of browsers and email clients
Develop structured, semantic, Standards-compliant code using: HTML, XHTML, Microformats, CSS, JavaScript and PHP
Create comprehensive, production-ready layouts in Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Fireworks, and Photoshop for print and web
Deploy and maintain SQL databases
Create and structure content using White Hat SEO techniques
Setup and customize Google Analytics for ROI and SEO metrics
(Privately Held; Marketing and Advertising industry)
April 2007 — Present (2 years 4 months)
As a designer at O’Berry | Cavanaugh, I work to carry a brand’s image and message through to the Web. An advocate for standards-based development, I keep an eye on the human factors of design while developing creative directions for electronically-presented media. Additionally, I work closely with the marketing team to create search engine friendly content and develop social media strategies that maximize the medium.
In addition to web designer, I play the rolls of front end developer, interactive designer, information architect and sometimes even print designer—I find many of the same organizational and production challenges in print catalogs that I do on web sites and I have worked on a number of manufacturing books as well as national retail publications.
(Graphic Design industry)
February 2006 — April 2007 (1 year 3 months)
(Privately Held; 10,001 or more employees; Education Management industry)
October 2005 — February 2006 (5 months)
As an in-house designer, I worked within the established brand to create logos and print collateral for secondary projects and programs. It was here that I began my career as a Web standards advocate; while troubleshooting and re-coding their biweekly HTML email newsletter.
(Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Marketing and Advertising industry)
February 2005 — September 2005 (8 months)
I completed two back-to-back but separate internships with ID Branding. During the first, I worked in the graphic design department under the direction of the senior designer on a variety of branding projects. As part of a large team I often was the last person to touch a job—getting files press-ready under tight deadlines. During the second semester I interned in the Studio (as the production department was named), primarily working in Photoshop to create graphics for mobile interfaces as part of a large intranet project.
(Educational Institution; 1001-5000 employees; Education Management industry)
July 2004 — September 2005 (1 year 3 months)
(Graphic Design industry)
September 2004 — December 2004 (4 months)
At defacto industries I worked with Todd Houlette, the principal and creative director, on a variety of projects for Nike, Students Run Portland, and the Portland International Film Festival in the areas of production and graphic design. On a week-to-week basis this meant that I might be hand sketching logos, setting the addresses of 40 different retail locations, developing a creative direction for a promotional slide series, illustrating the merchandising of a new clothing line, or optimizing graphics for output on a 30x10-foot triptych. All-in-all, this was one of the most diversely creative jobs I’ve ever had.
BS , Graphic Design , 2002 — 2005
I studied Graphic Design at The Art Institute of Portland in Portland, Oregon. The Art Institutes’ curriculum develops creative thinking through the study of the social sciences and fine art while working with current technologies and process in use in the field of study so that the production abilities of its graduates are generally top notch. While I was there I worked part time as a print production person in the school’s print-service center. I also served as President and Vice-President of the student AIGA chapter where my duties primarily involved serving as an ambassador between the school and city chapters, finding and bringing in guest speakers, promoting the club within the school and helping at city chapter events.
AIGA, The Art Institute of Portland, Web Directions North, Off the Grid