My name is First Last. I’m a graphic designer by trade and an artist by nature. My professional background includes fine arts training, three design degrees and over eight years of work experience, both as an independent freelancer and as the part of creative team at the design agency. I wear many hats and provide a full range of creative services, from print to web media. In my portfolio you can find all types of projects: original concept works, brand identity packages, marketing collateral material, editorial layouts, website designs and watercolor paintings.

In addition to being a creative and well-rounded designer, I’m competent, resourceful, highly organized and detail-oriented. I’m great at multitasking (keeps things interesting) and a quick and eager learner. Design isn't just a job for me, its something I love to do, and I count myself very lucky to make a living being creative.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

I started my first design job as graphic designer at RH Publishing, designing black and white display ads for print directory books (think yellow pages for niche demographic groups). Within first two years the company changed its name to eMedia Design Group and expanded the list of services. I became a senior graphic designer and my responsibilities now included: designing ads for different publications (full color this time), creating logos and identity packages, designing banners, flyers, business cards, brochures and other collateral materials, doing editorial layouts for our directory books. For first year at eMedia Design Group my focus was mostly on the print design. But as more of our clients required web presence, I had to brush up on my web design skills, and soon I was creating online graphics, animated web banners, designing websites and even doing occasional video editing.

While at eMedia Design Group, I have successfully completed hundreds of design projects, learned important work skills and gained valuable agency experience.

EDUCATION:

My love for art began at very early age. Growing up in a small Carpathian town in Ukraine, famous for its art and craftsmanship, made its impact on my interests and future career choice in creative field.

Graphic design became a clear career choice for me in the first year of college. I signed up a Design Fundamentals class, and the rest was history. I fell in love with graphic design and digital arts. I was eager to learn it all – the concepts of design and layout, typography, branding, color and design theory. The Media & Communication Arts program at Macomb Community College included both fine art and digital media classes, which was an ideal combination for me. In 2008 I graduated with two A.A.S. Media & Communication Arts degrees with specialties in Digital Design & Layout and Art for Advertisement.

After graduation I got my first graphic design job at a RH Publishing company in Troy, Michigan. While learning the tricks of the trade in the industry setting, I continued my formal education, and in 2011 I graduated from Baker College with Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Media Design.

I’m a firm believer that to be a great designer, one may never stop learning and must continue with an education, even if it’s not in a traditional school setting. I always try to keep abreast of relevant new techniques in design software, and keep up with new trends in the field. I attend design seminars, learn new software skills, work through online tutorials and read appropriate literature. I do my best to remain well rounded, open-minded, curious, and always motivated to learn more.