Summary

Experienced, passionate and adventurous Design Professional with a sharp, creative eye for layout, color, typography, photography, and consumer-relevant product innovation.

Expertise

• Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
• Excellent conceptual thinker
• Extensive experience in

new product development

• Knowledge of legal landscape
• Digital asset management
• Strong communication, and

time management skills

• Sense of urgency
• Detail oriented
• Organized
• Consumer focused
• Patent holder
• Photographer
• Fine artist
• Published author

Professional Experience

New Theatre Restaurant • Overland Park, KS

Graphic Designer  1/2015-Present

Create visual graphics for all marketing materials including: show programs, theatre signage, newspaper ads, magazine ads, and website graphics. Preparing final artwork for, and working with outside agencies and printers.

Hallmark Cards, Inc • Kansas City, MO

Senior Designer - Humor Studio  2002 – 1/2015

Designed full range of compelling and relevant Humor greeting cards, and original Humor card collections for all occasions.

• Created new paper mechanic formats from concept through completion.
• Developed innovative technology product of sound, light, and motion.
• Worked with a variety of attachments including: Springs, mirrors, and googly eyes.
• Manufacturing processes including: Foils, varnish, glitter, and emboss.
• Digital asset management including: Photography, illustration, and editorial.
• Experience directing photographers, models, illustrators, and photo retouching.
• Performed as lead designer on many teams assisting art directors.
• Product sold at Hallmark Gold Crown stores, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and multiple grocery store chains.

Senior Creative Product Designer/Innovation - Gift Wrap Division  1996 - 2002

Lead the innovation efforts for $291 million dollar business unit. Responsible for creation, design, development, and consumer testing of innovative gift wrap product including: Gift bags, gift wrap, ribbon, bows, and accessories.

• Collaborated with the Legal department on issues of patentability.
• Worked with manufacturing on cost, feasibility, and production of internally produced

new product, and Purchasing on vendor sourcing, cost, feasibility, and production of

new product and materials produced outside of Hallmark, domestically and overseas.

• Traveled to Hong Kong twice to present new ideas to foreign vendors.
• Developed 253 new product concepts and tested these with consumers.
• 63 were added to various lines resulting in $180.7 million wholesale dollars.
• 14 were investigated for patent protection.
• 4 were awarded United States patents.
• Member of the Hallmark Patent Committee from 1996-2001.

Additional Hallmark Experience

Senior Creative Product Designer/Innovation - Party Division

Responsible for the creation, design, development, and consumer testing of innovative party product for $183 million dollar business unit. Product formats included: Invitations, centerpieces, streamers, cake and wall decorations, cups and plates. 55 new product concepts were created and tested with consumers.

Designer - Package Design Studio                                                                           

Responsible for innovative package design solutions for all types of Hallmark product ranging from simple 2-dimensional hangtags and labels for individual products, to complex 3-dimensional folding cartons for major programs such as the “Keepsake” ornament line, and “Crown Chocolatier.” In all cases packaging graphics conformed to marketing and cost objectives, merchandising plans, and federal regulations. During this time I won 8 graphic design awards, including an appearance in Print Magazine.

Other Creative Endeavors

Santa’s Ho! Ho! Hat! TM is a holiday Christmas cap I invented and developed. The concept has received a U.S. Patent. The name has also been trademarked. Manufactured in Guangzhou, China, the product has appeared on The TODAY Show, The NFL Today, and Late Show with David Letterman. It has been a featured product at Spencer’s. Thousands have sold on eBay.

Where I’m Supposed To Belong is a memoir I wrote about a trip I took to Europe. I worked on the original manuscript for two years, then another year with a professional editor. The memoir consists of four parts. In Part One I travel to the French Alps to climb the most famous mountain in professional cycling: Alpe d’Huez. Part Two: The French Riviera. Part Three: Avignon. And Part Four: Barcelona. Reproduced throughout the book are train tickets, restaurant receipts, postcards, etc., and the actual sketches I did along the way. Published in December of 2012, it is available at Amazon.com.

foundArtNEWYORK is a series of assemblage art pieces I created where every object was found in one of the five boroughs of New York. The art was on display at 2010 Gallery, 2010 Main, in the Crossroads Arts District of Kansas City, MO., for 2 years.

foundArtKC.I and foundArtKC.II II are two explorations of assemblage art pieces I created where every element was found in various scrap metal recycling plants around Kansas City. The art has been shown in the Crossroads at MOD Gallery, The Express Gallery, Pop Up Art Gallery, and RAW:Kansas City presents GLIMPSE.

Education
Studied graphic design at Longview College, and The Kansas City Art Institute.