Marina Grigorian - Portfolio
- 1. Marina Grigorian Graphic Designer 323.829.3881 [email protected] CONTENTS Resume Introduction 2 Professional Growth Chart 3 Employment History 4 Education 5 Professional Career 5 References and Availability to Start 5 Skills and Knowledge 6 Portfolio West Medical 7 - 33 Guitar Center 34 - 39 Benjamin Eye Institute 40 - 43 Outside the Box Project 44 Illustrations 45 - 46 Handcrafted Projects 47 Freelance (B2B Samples) 48 - 51
- 2. 2 Marina Grigorian Graphic Designer INTRODUCTION Skilled, talented, experienced graphic designer is looking for an employment opportunity with a good company, agency or organization. My colleagues refer to me as an intelligent, creative, rational, organized, trustworthy and responsible individual. I have knowledge and experience needed to be a great contribution to any marketing or creative team. I appreciate your time and attention, and would like to invite you to take a look at my resume and samples of work. Professional Qualities 7+ years of professional graphic designer experience Hard-working, goal-oriented, focused and determined Humble, yet assertive: wise leader and good communicator Able to follow direction to the last detail Problem-solver, seek and find solutions if difficulties arise Effective collaborator: take lead in projects and follow others’lead when needed Proactive self-starter, able to work independently and seek information to complete projects Strong aesthetic sense and trained eye: see errors in a design piece right away Good sense for design styles, ability to maintain branding and identity Habit to be organized: I always know where my files are Strive to maintain positive and motivating attitude Well-grounded, polite and honest Make sure that all my work-related communication is clear and direct Able to think ahead and prevent problems before they arise Always respond to work-related e-mails and address all questions asked Good logical and critical thinking skills Talent to turn chaotic information into comprehensive text, instructions and communication Responsible: always make sure that everything is taken care of on time and not the last second Able to work fast without sacrificing quality Able to lead creative teams and find common language with different people from all paths of life Eagle eye for noticing errors, inconsistencies and formatting Remarkable attention to detail; frequently catch spelling, grammar and billing errors Good at researching vendors, finding best price/quality/speed options Acquired administrative experience prior to graphic design career (skills still prove to be useful) Outside-of-the-box thinker, but regard rules, formats and agreements Lead a very calm lifestyle that doesn’t interfere with work
- 4. West Medical 2014 - 2016 Lead Graphic Designer Marketing Strategist Project Manager Improved company’s logotype and identity; ensured correct implementation by other graphic designers Designed billboards, strategized placement, worked with printing and advertising vendors (Outfront, Lamar) to get the best quality, timely delivery and accurate posting Designed and prepared for print brochures, booklets, pamphlets and other marketing materials Created ads for various publications (LA Times, Valassis/Red Plum, Pennysaver, Los Angeles Magazine, etc.) Designed and prepared for distribution online ads, banners and other web assets UX/UI design (web pages, forms, landing pages aimed to ensure conversions) Created some of the company’s social media assets Worked with legal department on creating proper disclaimers for all print and web advertisments Worked with video editors of commercials on elements relating to graphic design (typography, branding) Designed materials for expos, worked on logistics to ensure quality of the company’s representation Managed teams of graphic designers, copywriters, web developers and other professionals on various projects; trained junior designers and interns Developed successful strategies for marketing different services and products Guitar Center (Headquarters) 2013 - 2014 Graphic Designer (Production) Created web and mobile assets for guitarcenter.com Designed product launch campaigns (sets of ads and landing pages) Re-purposed key art for web and print use Designed promotional labels for Guitar Center stores Worked in collaboration with designers, web developers, copywriters, lawyers and project managers Benjamin Eye Institute 2009 - 2012 Graphic Designer Marketing Strategist Project Manager Designed promotional materials, ads, informational brochures and booklets Re-designed company’s website, from wireframe to icons Worked on marketing efforts with LA Kings brand (company provided sponsorship for the team) Managed company’s website, created content, added pages and illustrations Worked on SEO strategy and AdWord campaigns Designed newsletters, created content and ensured distribution Created technical illustrations for complex medical concepts Lead and managed various projects involving a range of creative professionals Created presentations for medical conferences and continuous medical education courses Worked on development and implementation of marketing strategy Worked on marketing efforts with referring doctors, helping to co-promote their practices Photographed surgeries and company events, staff and facilities Participated in organizing company events (prepared promotional packets, helped with logistics) Worked with printing vendors on projects requiring various printing methods RESUME 4
- 5. EDUCATION Los Angeles Community College 2001 - 2008 Graphic Design Completed numerous courses in addition to graphic design program. I realized that the required courses are not enough for the modern field of graphic design, and completed additional classes, such as Photoshop for photographers (where I learned photo re-touching), digital photgraphy (I’m not a pro photographer, but I can produce quality images if needed), marketing and advertising (it built the foundation for further know- ledge I acquired about this field), logic, philosophy and all art history courses available (exposure to art trains a graphic designer’s eye). John Marshall High School (Los Angeles) 1999 - 2000 Completed the program within 1.5 years and graduated with honors. Additional Education Continuously Completed numerous on-site and online skill-building and educational courses, as well as trainings provided by my former employers (on social media, e-mail marketing and marketing in general). PROFESSIONAL CAREER Graphic design is an occupation I chose for several reasons. I realized that I have the talent needed to pur- sue it, patience to learn and motivation to succeed in it. Yet, most importantly, design and marketing are genuinely interesting to me. Through years of my career I worked on obtaining knowledge and skills, never staying satisfied with what I had achieved. It’s no accident that at this point I can confidently claim to be an expert in my field of work: I put a lot of time and effort into becoming a highly skilled professional and acquired a valuable range of experience. In addition to being a skilled graphic designer, I have a strong understanding of marketing, which helps me in creating materials aimed to achieve conversions. I have obtained experience needed to lead and guide creative teams, worked in design production, managed design production, and worked with various prin- ting vendors and publishers. I also maintain creative hobbies that sometimes become useful in my profes- sional work. My employers valued my dedication, efficiency, integrity and ability to collaborate with colleagues. I’m very systematic in my style of work: I maintain to-do lists and reminders, ensuring successful progress and com- pletion of projects. I approach each project with enthusiasm and care, and see importance in value of work I produce. I welcome challenges and enjoy finding effective and elegant solutions. I look forward to hearing back from a team where my knowledge, skills, experience and motivation will be useful. I would truly appreciate an opportunity to introduce myself in an interview and discuss my experi- ence and qualifications. 5 REFERENCES AND AVAILABILITY TO START References will be provided upon request. Available to start right away.
- 6. 6 SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE Graphic Design Strong knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator Thorough understanding of typography; habit to use grid systems in layouts Knowledge of design identity and branding, ability to understand and implement identity guides Understanding of color systems and all aspecs of working with color (print and web) Understanding of printing processes and proper preparation of files for different printing methods Extensive experience in working with various printing vendors and publications Good brain for UX/UI design and research: strategic, detail-oriented and empathetic Digital illustration skills (technical and creative) Very good eye for photography and illustration selection; photography retouching skills Ability to work fast without sacrificing quality; shifting priorities is not a problem Ability to lead creative teams and organize effective collaboration Eagle eye for errors, inconsistencies and formatting; saved companies I worked for money and other resources by noticing billing mistakes, misspellings, printing imperfections and other errors Experience with most advertising mediums available (print and web) Experience in managing design production though all steps of execution Marketing Strategizing marketing campains and understanding how to market different products and services Understanding how to market to various target audiences and ability to create relatable contexts Understanding how conversion works and how to achieve it Experience utilizing various marketing tools Good understanding of social media as a marketing tool, ability to strategize content Knowledge of legal aspects of advertising (e.g. knowing when disclaimers are needed) Other Professional Skills Project management Fast/blind typing Very strong communication skills (visual, written and interpersonal) Strong presentation skills Excellent spelling and good grammar Ability to analyze, organize and communicate complex information Copywriting skills Impressive organizing skills and excellent memory Knowledge of e-mail marketing services (MailChimp and Constant Contact) Above-average knowledge of MS Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) Very comfortable using both Mac and Windows operating systems, basic computer troubleshooting skills Trilingual (fluent in English, Russian and Armenian) Hobbies and Interests Cardmaking (developed new techniques, remarkable percision in working with paper) Photography, art, literature, history, folklore, music, science, technology
- 7. 7 SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical When I started working for West Medical, the company just developed the brand and had plans to advertize on billboards and in various publications. I realized that we needed to address typography used in the original logotype before moving on with these plans: it was too light, and the logo would need to occupy a lot of space in order to be readable, taking it up from other important information that we would need to communicate in ads. The original typography would also make use of the logo in digital mediums problematic: smaller versions would be blurry and hard to read. I was tasked with re-designing the typographic portion of the logo, which allowed us to proceed with successful campaigns. Addressing this issue in a timely manner allowed us to establish brand recognition and create effective advertisements. Before After
- 8. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical Billboards have been consistently posted all over Southern California for over two years (new designs added with time). Stock images of the billboard harware are used to display designs due to practical difficulty in obtaining good shots of the actual panels. “Model shown”is a required disclaimer for advertising medical treatments. 8
- 9. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical My weekly responsibilities also included strategic choice of design for each billboard, depending on lifestyle or other demographic considerations for the area, as well as the side of the road and objects in the landscape (for good visibility). 9
- 10. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical Red Plum (Valassis) ad. Distributed weekly in several Southern California counties. 10
- 11. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical Red Plum (Valassis) ad. Medical ads require careful wording and disclaimers due to strict advertising laws. 11
- 12. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical Red Plum (Valassis) ad. Distributed weekly in several Southern California counties. 12
- 13. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical Red Plum (Valassis) ad distributed weekly. West Medical ads have been running in Red Plum for years and have proved to be successful (the phone number on the ad is tracked for number of calls). The ads were prepared weekly for various locations (about 20 to 60 per week). Each of the weekly ads was customized to location, design and specific size (different for each region). 13
- 14. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical Red Plum (Valassis) ad prepared for distribution during the holiday season. 14
- 15. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical 15 Red Plum (Valassis) ad prepared for distribution in spring.
- 16. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical Varicose veins and sinusitis ads for KIIS-FM‘s Wango Tango festival concert guide. Holiday postcard distributed to existing patients who expressed interest in a cosmetic treatment procedure. 16
- 17. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical Double truck (2 page) ad for Los Angeles Magazine. Sample pages from a book with treatment results. 17
- 18. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical Informational brochure on venous treatment options (four folds). 18
- 19. SAMPLES OF WORK Planning and Design forWest Medical Booth at Los Angeles UltimateWomen‘s Expo Prepared design and planning for the event, worked with large format printing vendors to ensure timely delivery of assets. Floor plan and setup instructions for the team. Assambled booth at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The strategy worked well and lead visitors to the booth. The event was a success for the company. 19
- 20. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical Some of the Facebook ads designs. The image appears in Facebook users‘ feed (linked to a landing page). 20 Design, copy and strategy for a landing page (linked from a Facebook ad).
- 21. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical Design, copy and strategy for landing pages (linked from Facebook ads). Placement of all elements is strategized for conversions. 21
- 22. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical Design for social media assets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter). 22
- 23. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical 23 Design for social media assets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).
- 24. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical Design for social media assets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter). 24
- 25. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical 25 Design for social media assets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).
- 26. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical 26 Design for social media assets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).
- 27. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical 27 Design for social media assets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).
- 28. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical 28 Design for social media assets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).
- 29. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical 29 Design for social media assets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).
- 30. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical 30 Design for social media assets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).
- 31. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical 31 Design for social media assets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).
- 32. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical 32 Design for social media assets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter); selection of quotations for #MondayMotivation posts.
- 33. SAMPLES OF WORK West Medical 33 Design for social media assets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter); selection of quotations for #MondayMotivation posts.
- 34. SAMPLES OF WORK Guitar Center Ads for guitarcenter.com homepage. 34
- 35. SAMPLES OF WORK Guitar Center 35 Ads for guitarcenter.com homepage.
- 36. 36 SAMPLES OF WORK Guitar Center Ads for guitarcenter.com homepage.
- 37. 37 SAMPLES OF WORK Guitar Center Ads for guitarcenter.com homepage.
- 38. 38 SAMPLES OF WORK Guitar Center Landing page design. The challenge of the project was to incorporate and visually separate a lot of information, while using colorful background and logo provided by Ernie Ball, and making it look in line with Guitar Center‘s style. Samples of small ads for mobile.
- 39. 39 SAMPLES OF WORK Guitar Center Promotional labels for Guitar Center stores. Form for a Facebook campaign with Rock of Ages (the movie).
- 40. SAMPLES OF WORK Benjamin Eye Institute Wireframe and design for benjamineye.com. 40
- 41. SAMPLES OF WORK Benjamin Eye Institute Design and strategy for re-marketing banners, winter and summer seasons. 41
- 42. SAMPLES OF WORK Benjamin Eye Institute Design and content for monthly newsletters. 42
- 43. SAMPLES OF WORK Benjamin Eye Institute Retractable banners. Screensaver for computers in examination rooms. 43 Pop-up display.
- 44. SAMPLES OF WORK Outside the Box Project 44 A PROBLEM: the Institute invested into printing custom binders, however the information on the cover was not accurate anymore and the plan was to discard them. A SOLUTION: I came up with a way to cover the text with a 3D illustation of the concept of co-manage- ment (in consistency with company‘s design identity, where the Institute is represented with blue, and co- managing practices with green colors). Not only did it save the binders for use, but also improved their look. Materials: a puzzle set and spraypaint. Painting process. Linked puzzle pieces. Detail: perfect execution. The binders can be used again. The idea was inspired by a photo used in contents.
- 45. SAMPLES OF WORK Illustations Motorcycle helmet design. Technical illustration describing the benefits of a laser feature. 45
- 46. SAMPLES OF WORK Illustrations Created in Adobe Illustrator. 46
- 47. 47 SAMPLES OF WORK Handcrafted Designs Handcrafted 3D greeting cards.
- 48. SAMPLES OF WORK Freelance Key art: research, concept, design and wording for business to business advertisements. 48
- 49. SAMPLES OF WORK Freelance Key art: research, concept, design and wording for business to business advertisements. 49
- 50. SAMPLES OF WORK Freelance Key art: research, concept, design and wording for business to business advertisements. 50
- 51. SAMPLES OF WORK Freelance Key art: research, concept, design and wording for business to business advertisements. 51