Artistic and critical-thinking Creative Operations professional with strong design, art direction, and data management experience. Specialize in strategic growth and continuous process improvement to promote efficient, effective and accurate product and program delivery.
Experience
Operations and Marketing Manager
Aug 2019 - Present
Treelotta, LLC., Englewood, Colorado
The Operations & Marketing Manager manages and enhances workflows, teamwork, and client collaborations to conceptualize, implement, and deliver brand-aligned creative products.
Creativity and problem solving for both internal and external audiences
- Develop our branding, creative marketing and proprietary products
- Manage all creative marketing and product development initiatives, including creation, testing and production of products and classes.
- In-house graphic designer for communications and products. Use Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign as well as Canva (for our self-service templates).
- Provide design and technical consultation to our customers, including color and pattern selection and application of design principles to their projects. Our customers appreciate my knowledgeable, creative and easy to understand feedback.
Manage all digital assets around product inventory, cataloguing and web sales
- Currently reworking our integrated point of sale database and website to allow for an improved asset management, customer experience and better reporting and inventory tracking.
- Developing and implementing a comprehensive new taxonomic structure to manage over 10,000 products.
- Directing all User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI) and creative aspects of our database and website.
- Troubleshoot all technical aspects of the database.
Initiate all aspects of continuous process improvement for company operations
- Identified and implemented a new process using MS Excel for receiving inventory that reduces our task time by over 65%.
- Developed a system for managing our purchasing and receiving process to allow for tighter budget control and planning around our receiving schedules.
Created and implemented strategic direction for company expansion
- Worked with owner to reassess vision, set and meet aggressive sales goals, expand product and service offerings, improve operational efficiencies and increase revenue. (Total annual revenue has grown on average, 300%, with a total increase of over 1000% in three years.)
- Monitor industry trends to incorporate into our product and services offerings.
- Adapt to changing trends and set goals throughout the year.
Led relocation initiative to new, centralized retail location
- Conducted research, managed contract negotiation, coordinated resources, organized move logistics and managed all aspects of the build-out of the new space
- Increased visibility and accessibility has lead to a more than 35% increase in customer subscribers within one year.
Supervise and mentor team of 12 associates and two managers
- Recruited management staff to meet rocketing customer service and team needs.
- Developed training and process documentation for staff. Communicate company vision and values to staffing.
Design and Creative Operations Manager
Aug 2018 - Apr 2019
Empower Retirement, Greenwood Village, Colorado
The Design & Creative Operations Manager strategically supervised design thinking and facilitation processes for marketing and other business assets to increase subscriptions and enable business growth.
Implemented Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution for creative assets.
- Consulted with DAM vendor on programming requirements and Agile implementation strategy.
- Long term ROI focused on efficiencies gained from centralized content management and increased creative output as well as improved customer satisfaction.
Led marketing automation program to service over 30,000 clients and nine million participants.
- Worked with outside vendor to create a ground-breaking, self-service tool to integrate customized communications, branding, plan features and compliance language.
Worked with Information Technology leaders to integrate marketing data into centralized data warehouse.
- Developed integration and omni-channel marketing plan to incorporate enterprise data sources.
- Represented the data needs for creative and marketing tools including Digital Asset Management (DAM), Content Management System (CMS), Salesforce Marketing Cloud, SAP and other proprietary data sources.
Initiated and led a cross-department governance and development board.
- Created diverse team of program owners to work together to define strategic direction, reduce inefficiencies and expenses around universal and automated programs updates.
Design Marketing Manager
Jan 2014 - Aug 2018
Empower Retirement, Greenwood Village, CO
As Design Marketing Manager, led a 9-man creative team to deliver marketing products aimed at expanding financial product userbase while improving team performance and resolving escalated issues.
Designed communications programs, product development and sales marketing for financial organization.
- Developed multiple-audience collateral, templates, electronic tools for major B2B and B2C marketing initiatives with a reach of over 8 million individuals.
- Led art direction and completed graphic design for several cornerstone, industry-leading programs.
- Managed complex creative projects including concept analysis, research, copy development, product design and reporting/metrics for all project types and audiences.
- Created collateral and marketing materials for internal and external clients using Adobe Creative Suite.
- Applied design theory, behavioral science and variable data technology to create highly effective communications campaigns.
Consultant on visual communications strategies, strategic direction and problem solving.
- Worked with product developers to develop content and information graphics to simplify complex concepts in order to drive to action or behavior change.
- Conducted research and used analytical techniques to refine communication objectives and tactics.
Led creation of variable data solutions to integrate customization and targeted messaging across distribution channels.
- Files were built and organized to manage complex data, minimize risk and error and to maximize efficiency in programming and maintenance. (One program reduced design time by over 95% by implementing a variable data solution, reducing job from over 8 hours design to less than 15 minutes.)
Organized and managed digital assets for Marketing and Agency resources.
- Worked with outside vendors to launch digital asset management (DAM) tools, automated programs, self-serve programs, and production services.
- Helped establish scope, taxonomy and architecture for DAM.
- Collaborate with users to identify business needs for DAM implementation and coordinate communication with vendor.
Led creative design of internal and external branding
- Developed cross-business brand strategy, guidelines and templates for launch of new company brand.
- Developed custom branding for high profile clients. Managed brand development of client brands as needed for support projects.
Led creative design of internal and external branding
- Tracked monthly analysis and reporting of all team project metrics.
- Assigned work and acted as point of escalation when required.
Senior Graphic Designer
Jan 2005 - Dec 2014
J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services, Overland Park , KS
The Senior Graphic Designer served as a front-line leader and liaison across designers, contractors, and freelance staff to drive creative design and development for marketing collateral.
Managed team of eight full-time designers, contractors and freelance designers.
- Supervised team during manager’s extended leave of absences and during structural changes. Included budgeting, coordinated resources, project management and traffic and monthly analysis and reporting on creative team work flow.
Developed communication and design strategy and collateral for all B2B and Sales communications.
- Created a templated sales deck with tailored infographics for plan sponsors and sales prospects. Incorporated concept analysis, research, copy development, information design and reporting/metrics.
Developed comprehensive visual brand development and documentation.
- Developed design concepts and brand standards for J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services as well as individual or white-labeled client communications for over 40 clients including Hallmark, Coca-Cola Enterprises, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co, Viacom, Procter and Gamble, and TJMaxx).
Art directed universal, branded communications collateral for employer retirement plans.
- Applied understanding of financial services and retirement plans types across all market segments.
- Conducted research on clients, communication trends, and best practices to offer highly effective creative design solutions.
Improved team efficiencies and output.
- Evaluated and rebuilt over 50 templates to allow for variable data input, programming and ongoing maintenance, reducing support by an average of 90%.
Graphic Designer
Jan 2000 - Dec 2005
J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services, Overland Park, KS
Lead designer for product initiatives
- Graphic design of branded collateral and consulted on product communication strategy for cornerstone company products.
Designer for client communications.
- Creative design communications material for 40-50 clients.
- Managed 10-20 concurrent jobs on a daily basis
- Met all delivery deadlines on time with accuracy and excellence.
Sales Marketing design and production.
- Created custom sales presentations and creative packaging for major sales initiatives.
- Used MS PowerPoint and Adobe Creative Suite to fulfill objectives.
Education
Skills
Proficiency with Computers, Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Design Software, MS Office, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Word, Canva, Google Suite
Graphic Design, Art Direction, Creative Direction, Brand Development, Layout, Typography, Logo Design, Information Design, Charts and Graphs, Templates and Forms Design, UX/UI.
Marketing Communications, Targeted Marketing, Campaign Management
Strategic Consulting, Taxonomy, Digital Asset Management (DAM), Time Management, Meet Deadlines, Conducting Research, Requirement Analysis, Agile Strategy
Supervising, Management Skills, Ability to Delegate, Communicative, Coordinate Resources, Communication Skills
Adaptability, Accountability, Multitasker, Time Management Skills, Excellent Interpersonal Skills, Speaking and Presentation Skills, Troubleshooting, Problem Solving.