A passionate communications and marketing creative director with a keen eye and attention to detail who is constantly striving to improve the deliverables and the creative process. I work best in environments that require critical thinking and strategic planning and enjoy fast-paced, challenging opportunities. I’m a firm believer that there is no right way to communicate with all audiences, so our job as communicators is to reach as many members of our target audience as possible, in the most effective ways possible.
Experience has taught me consistency plays a major role in successful communication. While it’s important to utilize different mediums and adjust the voice depending on the type of output, the primary message should always be consistent. Today, when we are inundated with technological input with a multitude of media channels, it’s the communicator’s job to ensure the messages are clear, concise, and consistent. As an art director overseeing hundreds of sets of deliverables on any given day, it’s imperative that the designers clearly understand the objectives (audience, goal, message) before they even begin conceptualizing the project.
KPIs, analytics, and objectives play a critical role in measuring the success of campaigns. All points of measure help us recognize what works and what doesn’t in order to get a better understanding of what to do differently on upcoming projects. Because measuring only quantitive data or only qualitative data may give only a partial view of the overall success or failure of a campaign, it’s important to consider measuring a well-rounded variety of indicators that can provide the most accurate 360 views of the campaign’s success.
One of my greatest accomplishments during my 15-year tenure at Georgia State was to create and implement a streamlined process using the students from the university’s own elite graphic design program. In order to balance the tight budgetary restrictions with the resources necessary to maintain the 30+/- websites and deliver 500 to 800 original pieces of collateral per month, I had to be innovative. I realized we had a strong talent pool within our student body. Although a student staff would be less experienced, if I could develop a full-proof process, we could ensure a high-quality product. The outcome was a success. With a team of 10-12 students, we met volume requirements, stayed under budget, developed consistent, professional collateral, while offering what became coveted, paid internships.
When the university migrated the websites from RedDot (CMS: Content Management System) into WordPress to save on costs, all web development positions were eliminated and we were again faced with budgetary restrictions. We were still responsible for maintaining the 30+ sites within the division, but now, without developers. I developed the plan to train staff members within Student Affairs which saved on costs, ensured better accuracy of the content, and elevated the level of understanding and experience of web development and communications across the division.
My years of retail managing a staff of forty and a several million dollar budget prepared me to build and manage an amazing design and web team while also maintaining the daily requirements of running the department. Teaching professionals in many of the major companies throughout Atlanta and managing the web and design training teams gave me the experience necessary to train people on every level, from beginners to advanced, to communicate well with a variety of personalities and be a confident public speaker.
Although my professional development has included education, formal training, and on-the-job experience, I believe the foundation of my greatest strengths comes from my childhood. As the youngest of 13, I learned to work successfully with a variety of personalities, communicate well to be heard, and be creative within tight budgets.