A first thing.
Genuine. A personality trait that continues to shape my fascination with communication. Cause that's what design really is, right? Design is communication. So then throw my personality trait into any expression and mustn't be anything less than real and genuine. That's why my life is a continual adventure of understanding and connecting with someone first, then communicating in an attempt to bring that adventure to others.
A story, if you'd like.
I was the sole designer for screen printing shop in Albuquerque, NM when we received an order for a single custom print, which is fairly odd, as the majority of our business came from businesses and sports teams. Oddly further, was their request that the print would look old and faded. Like as if the shirt came from a thrift store! Oh, and it needed to be completed in 24 hours... In a slight state of confusion, I started the design process. Fast forward a couple "odd orders" later and I find myself in my car, hand delivering (this time) another "thrift store style" shirt. Yeah, this client was needy... As I pulled up to the address given, things started to make a lot more sense. This was a film set and I was designing for a Netflix Original series.
Less than a month into the shop's relationship with Netflix, my boss decided to shut the doors on our screen printing operation and I was going to be out of work in less than a week. Conveniently, I had planned a vacation for the following week. Inconveniently, it was supposed to be a paid vacation. In the few days before shop closed, I had signed on as a contract designer for the Netflix series, found another shop to print out my designs, and taken on a handful of clients from that shop. Thus, the beginning of a freelance career. Of course, I waited until I returned from my vacation. I wasn't going to miss backpacking in Iceland!!!
Just experience, if you'd prefer.
I have a BS in Marketing Management, AA in Business, and AA in Music. I picked up a couple design jobs for friends using Photoshop, got most of my work because of my design experience rather than my degrees, and kept all of those positions because of my work ethic. Most of my design endeavors are informed by a marketing lens and understanding the intended audience (or target market). It's custom work, not copy and paste. Some of my experience includes:
Logos • Website Design • Marketing Materials • Social Media Graphics • Print Design
————
There's plenty more to talk about, so reach out to me in the below channels. I'd love to collaborate with you on a current project, talk design ideas, or anything else you can think of! Hit me with some specifics.