PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
speakTECH, Costa Mesa, CA January 2008 to
November 2008
CREATIVE USER INTERFACE INTEGRATOR & DESIGNER
- specializing in social media.
Provided public-facing Microsoft SharePoint
design integration solutions for speakTECH’s
clients, including MySpace, Cadence and San
Diego Unified School District. These projects
had highly customized, strongly branded
front-end user interfaces requirements.
Controlled the interface using CSS and would
troubleshoot visual issues using the industry’s
emerging debugging tools. Solid understanding of
CSS inheritance and the subtle differences in
browser rendering. Worked closely with
cross-functional team members including, the
client, developers, application architects,
creative team members, business analysts and
information architects. Flexible personal work
style that encourages collaboration and
incorporates feedback accordingly. Produced
design deliverables based upon best-practices,
UI trends, usability background, accessibility
experience and other relevant theories and
practices. Generated design work that
demonstrates knowledge of the entire product
life-cycle, including ongoing maintenance.
Ability to create or work from prototypes at
different levels of fidelity, including
sketches, wireframes (schematics) and
interactive HTML. Active in the Web Design
community in the Los Angles area.
Freelance Web Designer & Art Director,
Burbank,
CA, June 2005 to Present
WEB DESIGN CONSULTING & DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
Provides front-end user interface web design
solutions with a specialization in navigation design,
interaction design and targeted branding solutions. Solutions
are characterized by being highly scalable,
elegant, cross-browser and cross-platform
compatible, optimized for legitimate search-engine
indexing, accessibility-sensitive for those with
disabilities, speed-of-use focused, low
maintenance, CSS-based and
visually compelling. Delivered results in alignment with the company's
overall internal, external and branding
communications efforts. Projects have
included redesigning websites to simplify complicated concepts and processes.
Beckman Coulter, Inc., Fullerton, CA,
November 2000 to June 2005
SENIOR WEB DESIGNER. Developed design
solutions for the company's public web site and
the intranet site. Lead designer for
high-profile projects, such as the online annual
report and the redesign of the home pages for
the public site and the intranet site. Designed
splash pages in coordination with advertising
campaigns to promote new products. Designed the
User Interface for web applications and provided
design consulting services on projects involving
the use of Flash or other front-end
technologies. UI Design solutions,
including prototypes, were created to be
compatible with Blackberry wireless
PDA/Telephone devices and multi-language
versions of Internet Explorer, Netscape and Mozilla Firefox. Older interfaces were
retrofitted to degrade elegantly when resources
were unavailable for a complete redesign.
In these cases data cascaded in a prioritized
manner.
MTVi (MTV.COM & VH1.COM), New York, NY, April
2000 to April 2001
WEB DESIGNER. Responsible for creating cutting-edge,
interactive co-branded elements featured on mtv.com's
and vh1.com's web sites. Created optimized, interactive
Flash movies. Designed mini-sites, web pages, banners
and other animated and non-animated ad elements
with Macromedia Flash, Adobe PhotoShop, 3D Studio
Max, Illustrator and ImageReady. Worked within clients'
image guidelines and mtv.com's and vh1.com's image
guidelines to creatively develop design solutions
that targeted users. Handled multiple production
projects from initial concept to completion under
tight deadlines. Developed site-wide advertising
standards and helped create templates to be used
on the entire web site. Coordinated closely with
the Art Director, Producers, Developers, Designers
and production staff at mtv.com and vh1.com. Produced
mock-ups, cut up graphics and participated in creative
meetings. Designed online advertising pieces for
the following clients: AT&T, Beatnik, Candies, CD
Now, Citra, Diet Coke, The Grinch (the movie), Guinness,
Honda, Lee Jeans, Levi's, Lucky Brand Jeans, Office
Depot, Pepsi, K-Mart's Rt. 66, Steve Madden, Sony,
Timex, U-571 (the movie), Verizon and others.
ClickTheButton.com, New York, NY, November
1999 to January 2002
FREELANCE GRAPHIC DESIGNER. Responsible for
design solutions and the production of original
online graphics utilizing the latest graphic design
programs (see list below). Designed images for the
company's web site, generated banner ads, produced
icons, pop-up ads and made GIF animations. Created
HTML-enabled e-mail with graphics designed to be
viewed in both Netscape and Internet Explorer.
The Samaritans, Suicide Prevention Hotline,
New York, NY, November 1998 to December 1999
OFF-SITE SUPERVISOR AND VOLUNTEER. Responsible
for making decisions about how to manage hotline
medical emergencies and high-risk calls. Provided
support and feedback to hotline volunteers. Responsible
for debriefing volunteers at the end of difficult
calls and at the end of their shift. Provided reports
to the executive staff about the events during these
shifts. Developed excellent crisis management skills
and communication skills.
Japan Society, Inc., Development Department,
New York, NY, March 1997 to September 1998
DEVELOPMENT OFFICER. Responsible for managing
200 Japanese and 160 American corporate membership
accounts and for meeting a corporate membership
budget of just under $1,000,000 for 1997-98. Coordinated
membership renewal requests and membership related
correspondences. Researched prospective members
and followed the latest business developments of
existing corporate members. Arranged meetings
between the Japan Society and
the heads of major corporations in the U.S. and
Japan in order to develop or further ties with current corporate members
or prospective members.
KPMG Peat Marwick, LLP, New York, NY, February
1996 to March 1997
ASSISTANT MARKETING MANAGER / SPECIAL EVENTS COORDINATOR.
Supervised the creation of Economic Value Management
marketing and advertising material and coordinated
all efforts with graphic artists. Researched marketing
databases for purchasing mailing list to target
important decision-makers by specific criteria (types
of industries, firms, locations, employee size and
size of sales). Coordinated marketing efforts with
direct mailing houses. Solely responsible for an
extensive nation wide seminars series (included
site searches, negotiation of hotel blocks and discounts,
food and beverage contracts, audio-visual, satisfying
ADA requirements, coordinating the creation of MS
PowerPoint presentations). Managed Internet marketing
services including EVManager software information
and seminar series information. Directed the production,
marketing, advertising, distribution and authorization
of new software package. Designed software manual's
image. Collaborated closely with KPMG's
Japanese Tax Management Group on projects having
mutual clients.
Jimco Music Industries, Inc., Los Angeles,
CA, February 1994 to October 1995
ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER. Aided in the
establishment of U.S.
operations for a Japanese record and publishing
company. Coordinated the company's special events
with press, artists' management, charity organizations,
and foreign record companies. Involved with the distribution
of American artists in Japan through established
distribution channels. Coordinated studio recordings with artists' management,
the studios and Japanese record company executives. Managed
music
promotional events and projects involving CD
mastering and packaging. Coordinated the set up
of
computer systems and Internet access.
Board of Education,
Kamiichi High School,
Uozu Tobu Jr. High School
&
Uozu Seibu Jr. High School, Toyama-ken, Uozu-shi, Japan,
July 1991
to August 1993
Responsible for helping to implement lesson
plans in three public schools. Assisted with
local government's international exchanges and
special events. Involved in the annual
Toyama International Charity Show, a local radio
show in Japanese and English and
an education program at the Kurobe Yoshida Planetarium.
Education
and Conferences
Nielsen Norman Group: User
Experience 2005 Conference, New York, April
2005
HOW Design Conference 2004, San Diego, May
2004
Big Brand Theory by Creatas and The Art
Directors Club, Los Angeles, April 2004
Nielsen Norman Group: User
Experience 2003 Conference, Chicago,
September
2003
After Effects Creative Explosion Tour, Trish
& Chris Meyer, Los Angeles, August 2003
SIGGRAPH 2003, San Diego, July 2003
Flash Forward Conference, San Francisco, March 2003
University of California, Flash III Advanced ActionScripting
Class, Irvine, Winter 2003
Creative Cow Conference, Digital Media
Event, Los Angeles, February 2003
University of California, 3D Studio Max Class, Irvine, Summer
2002
University of California, JavaScript and DHTML Class, Irvine,
Winter 2002
Pratt Institute, Advanced Flash ActionScripting Class,
New York, 2000-2001
Flash Forward Conference, New York, 2001 &
2000
New York University (NYU), Web Page Development with HTML,
New York, 2001
Foreign Study, Aix-en-Provence, Advanced
study of French language and culture, 1990
Mills College, Califonia, Bachelor of Arts in
Sociology, 1987 to 1991
Additional
Skills and Experience
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