Senior-Level Creative Director

Carl Cox Senior Creative Professional 410-***-**** Email LinkedIn

STRATEGIC CREATIVE DIRECTION & VISUAL DESIGN

Excellent leadership, business acumen, and artistic talent leveraged to build and manage teams, focusing creative talent to deliver quality marketing, branding and digital projects. Solid success directing and implementing a broad range of revenue-generating strategic design projects, from conception through launch. Collaborative hands-on leader able to pro- vide innovative and creative direction to exceed client expectations, coordinate marketing and produce exceptional solutions that meet all project requirements. Passionate and award-winning artist skilled at interpreting strategic and creative needs of stakeholders and clients to deliver successful marketing and brand endurance strategies. Proficiencies include: Adobe Creative Cloud (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat), MS Office Suite, Wrike, Trello, and BaseCamp.

• Full Life Cycle Project

Management

• Cutting-edge Design

& Production

• Multimedia Campaigns

• Organization

& Prioritization

• Corporate, Non-Profit

& Agencies

• Staff Leadership

& Direction

• Process Improvements

• Brand Narrative

& Enhancement

• Cost Control & Budget

Administration

• Global Marketing

Initiatives

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Freelance Creative Director/Branding Consultant 1993-Present Partner with clients to provide marketing strategy and creative development services for agencies, organizations, companies, and lines of business large and small. Creative Director 2019-2020

Association for Talent Development, Alexandria, VA Led all creative efforts for the in-house Creative Services team including graphic design, project management, and copywriting. Partnered with internal marketing staff, authors, and external vendors to satisfy organizational needs for its many channels of information distribution and promotional activities for products, services, and major events.

• Fine-tuned the marketing and creative operations of a highly productive creative team of 6 direct reports (plus freelancers and interns) responsible for nearly 2,500 projects per year.

• Retooled the strategic project life cycle from launch to deployment and project analytics.

• Helped decrease project turn around times while increasing the number of projects completed by reimagining the processes and involving the creative team earlier. Director, Creative Services 2013-2018

The Chronicle of Higher Education/Philanthropy, Washington, DC Provided leadership and direction to the creative team, fostering a collective work environment dedicated to fulfilling client needs, overseeing delivery of high-quality and consistent branding solutions, and managing the strategies and execution of design activities for the full life cycle of each project.

• Developed and executed plans to establish a productive and creative department, combining 5 in-house design professionals, 8 freelancers and 2 collaborating agencies over the course of my tenure into an efficient and highly reliable team.

• Streamlined workflow and processes to triple the volume of projects while maintaining staffing levels, high quality and strict schedules.

• Introduced innovations for the email marketing strategy and Design-Thinking methods in daily workflow to improve productivity and shorten project schedules.

• Decreased production costs by partnering with on-demand service providers. Senior Art Director (Creative Consultant) 2012 – 2013 Brainstorm Creative Resources for Marriott Global Marketing, Bethesda, MD Oversaw the production of elegant designs consistent with branding, organizational goals, and industry standards as an In-House Creative Consultant. Facilitated creative brainstorming sessions with cross-departmental teams to develop strategies for marketing and enhancing project quality and innovation.

• Designed and executed initiatives to improve and enhance global awareness for Marriott and its 13 hospitality brands, establishing multi-lingual multimedia campaigns, promoting employee engagement and introducing innovative promotional design solutions.

• Introduced new technology and established tactical approaches that reduced costs and capitalized on engagement of international audiences. Senior Art Director (Creative Consultant & In-house Staff) 2011 – 2012 Fathom Creative, Inc., Washington, DC

Interpreted client requirements and needs to create strategies and campaign plans, proactively analyzing market trends and identifying innovative techniques to improve marketing and branding. Coordinated daily activities of internal and external creative teams working from conception to completion of projects.

• Championed the introduction of a new service offering end-to-end marketing strategies and branding campaigns, building a client base of accounts by reducing time-to-market and increasing opportunities in the development process.

• Implemented new technology to adjust and enlarge photo assets to reduce prepress costs.

• Ensured consistent branding, monitoring team activities and liaising between clients and staff to enforce quality and project schedules.

Vice President/Creative Director/Co-Owner 2000 to 2011 Incite Creative, Inc., Baltimore, MD

Directed and executed strategies and design activities to deliver marketing campaigns that exceed- ed client expectations, overseeing a productive creative staff, agency personnel and contractors in the planning and execution of designs.

• Managed creative projects for key clients like Brown Capital Management, Calvert investments, Custom Payroll Services, HealthPlan Headquarters, Legg Mason, M&T Bank, T. Rowe Price, and the University of Maryland School of Law to name a few.

• Developed and executed rebranding strategies for existing companies and established plans for launching new organizations that won multiple awards from prestigious organizations like the International Association of Business Communicators and Graphic Design: USA.

• Networked with production companies to negotiate and establish partnerships that cut operating costs and expanded opportunities for the company and its clients. Assistant Vice President and Design Manager 1993 – 2000 T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (Promoted three times over my tenure) Administrative Assistant 1991 – 1993

Hunt Valley Transportation Association

EDUCATION

Master of Arts in Publications Design, Yale Gordon School of Liberal Arts, University of Baltimore Bachelor of Science in Geography and Environmental Planning, Towson University PEER RECOGNITION

Advertising Association of Baltimore, Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington, Graphic Design: USA, International Association of Business Communicators PORTFOLIO

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