PAL SINGH Cell 647-***-****; E-mail: acx84d@r.postjobfree.com

HIGHLY PASSIONATE VISUAL DESIGNER, ILLUSTRATOR, PHOTOGRAPHER AND PRINT-PRODUCTION ADMINISTRATOR WITH OVER 10 YEARS OF HANDS-ON B2B/B2C DESIGN EXPERIENCE

A highly creative professional who lives to create kickass work. Proven track record in driving user engagement through original ground-breaking designs for print and web. Expertise and energy to thrive at hands-on projects from brainstorming creative concepts and developing original campaigns, to participating in client presentations and ensuring deadlines are met, all the way to launch. Drive to excel in creating big pictures with impeccable details. Thorough knowledge of practical trade-secrets and techniques of design, colour and pre-press, contemporary software on MAC/PC, Adobe Muse, UI/UX, HTML and CSS. Humble team player and fast learner. Excellent illustrator, cartoonist and photographer. PORTFOLIO: WWW.SETUPCOMMUNICATIONS.COM

Head of Design & Strategy Setup Communications (February 2013-till date) Led strategic brainstorming, creative brief development, campaign development, and execution. Consistently produced great deliverables within the budget, leveraging on the in-depth knowledge and experience in branding, layout, colour-application, typography and print-production. Known for “saving the day” on projects by skillfully applying thorough knowledge and understanding of marketing and display techniques to produce award-wining products. Every month accomplished three projects from concept through to final production with a solid understanding of production, pre-press, print and web-based technologies. Supervised design and development of three regular magazines and pitched two projects and won annual contracts from various government and private corporations. Prepared design-pitches and won new projects, thereby helping the employers retaining existing clients and bringing in new business, built good rapport with clients. Pioneered innovative design techniques for web and print and inspired staff. Supervised and guided activities of team-mates to ensure highest standard of deliverables. Successfully coordinated with internal and external resources with an aim to produce and deliver ready materials as per schedule.

Worked well under pressure and produced excellent results within tight deadlines taking minimum time in creation and improvisation.

Planned and directed indoor and outdoor photo shoots. Researched and developed innovative and artistic ways of shooting images to enhance subject appearance and beat the competition. Conceived initial designs for websites and prepared final artworks for CD interfaces and labels. Checked team members’ final digitalized PDF files ensuring creation of high-quality designs. Achieved honourable mention awards for producing highly effective promotional material, rated among top ten designs of the world in page layout & Design category in the World Design Contest by Corel Corporation, Ottawa. Independently performed photo shoots in order to stay on budget and save time. Photography samples featured in US web-zine: DT&G.com. Art Director Communication Matters (Contract, August 2013-till date) Successfully wireframed and created corporate websites of Communication Matters and Setup Communications using contemporary design, wireframing and UX/UI techniques and practices. Brainstormed, conceptualized and designed various publications for the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) of Canada. http://www.ieee.ca/canrev/cr72/index.htm. Page 1 0f 3

Passionately created highly effective original ideas and designs exceeding clients’ expectations. Impactfully presented deliverables and articulated rationale behind creative solutions to stakeholders. Delivered under tight deadlines and budget constraints managing various tasks without getting stressed and communicating gracefully.

Built good rapport with clients by suggesting and producing designs that work the best in-line with their business objectives and brand guidelines.

Consistently produced great deliverables within the budget, leveraging on the in-depth knowledge and experience in branding, layout, colour-application, typography and print-production. Designer Signs2go.ca. (April 2012-January 2013)

Interpreted briefs and created conceptual sketches for on-the-spot presentation and approval. Creatively conceptualized and developed creative solutions that meet business and communication objectives while maintaining the integrity of every client’s brand. Taken ownership, led initiatives and provided direction to designers, production & Pre-press department persuading successful execution through all stages of development and production. Monitored quality, accuracy, and timeliness of all projects to ensure commitments are met through production of high quality materials.

Skillfully solved day-to-day challenges and contributed to the success of the various on-going projects by communicating well with parties involved. Written and edited internal marketing communications. Editorial Designer Star Media Group, Toronto. (Contract, September 2011-till March 2012) Excelled in brainstorming and developing designs to suit the business objectives and strategies. Presented on the spot and discussed design sketches with internal and external clients. Successfully developed highly innovative concepts with details, multitasking under tight deadlines. Created extremely engaging and effective digital assets and designed specs for development. Delegated assignments and shared work-loads.

Sourced images and edited/manipulated as per the subject and demand of the features. Shot photos on location and created photo-illustrations to enhance the project-appeal. Retouched, enhanced and colour-corrected images for best reproduction. Prepared files for press ensuring zero error and no time loss. Attended press checks, discussed press proofs with production supervisor for improvements. Art Director Parvasi Media Group, Mississauga, ON. (Contract, September 2010-February 2011) Conceptualized and art-directed multiple designs to create 600 pages ‘GTA Business Pages’ directory, saving 30% time and resources ensuring utmost client satisfaction. Dealing directly with clients, skillfully assessed brand requirements and created powerful designs. Effectively communicated with clients and staff to prioritize on-going projects for timely finalization. Established rapport with GTA clients for stronger business relationships. Created an efficient project management system liaising with the management. Effectively processed and managed multiple artworks simultaneously. Maintained 100% accuracy with speed in finalizing and uploading artworks for press. Managed day-to-day affairs of the creative department with excellent interpersonal and communication skills and ensured smooth work-flow. Shot photos on-location and sourced stock-images from various sites. Mentored and guided junior design staff to make them understand and execute design projects. Page 2 0f 3

Cont. Pal S.; Cell 647-***-****; E-mail: acx84d@r.postjobfree.com Project Designer Toronto Star, Toronto, ON. (Contract, May 2010-July 2010) Exceeded the expectations of the Editorial Director with the most competitive, fresh and innovative designs produced on time and budget.

Effectively coordinated with editorial, production and sales for timely project completion. Successfully created promotional designs for print and web to support marketing efforts. Shot photos and created photo-illustrations to enhance the subject. Retouched and corrected images for better colour reproduction. Top officials indicated that I had ‘proved myself’ in the position. Art Director, Associate Art Director, Senior Designer Motivate Publishing, Dubai. (May 2000-March 2010) 100% success rate in pitching and winning the projects from major national and international corporations like Emirates Airlines, Forbes, Golf Digest and many more. Demonstrated high level of creativity and sophistication in creating concepts and executing creative ideas to produce six magazines and promotional materials every month. Developed lasting client relationships based on value, quality and responsiveness. Successfully designed and managed production of multiple design-projects dealing directly with major business houses and government organizations. Developed conceptual designs for web-portals and prepared final artworks for CD-interfaces Prepared six monthly titles on fashion, lifestyle, gadgets, sports, aviation, travel and tourism to hit the stands on the 1st of every month along with sales and marketing support materials. Delivered highly creative and innovative designs for the corporate branding, working closely with the Managing Director.

Known for ‘saving the day’ on projects by skillfully retouching, enhancing, and colour-correcting images utilizing thorough knowledge and understanding of colour theory to produce rich tones and great colour variations.

Supervised and guided activities of team-mates to ensure highest standards of design, layout and pre-print materials.

Coordinated internally all aspects related to design and production with an aim to send materials to press as per schedule. Liaised on a regular basis with production team, editors and advertisement manager for achieving objectives.

EDUCATION/TRAINING

UX/UI and Web Design diploma.

Advanced Diploma in Web Design with Specialization in ASP.NET: Designing and maintaining portals using Dream Weaver, HTML and CSS.

Certificate in Commercial Arts and Advertising: Advance studies and practical training regarding Strategic Brand building through designing direct marketing materials. Diploma in Business Management: Studies in managing production resources for maximum utilization, knowing market trends, managing cost. 15 years of academic education including Bachelor of Arts degree. Desktop Publishing Diploma: Detailed theoretical and practical studies to obtain a high level exposure of the software used in Page-making, graphic designing, image retouching, operating high-resolution scanners and introduction to the printing technology. n Pal Singh. Toronto, ON

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Cont. Pal S.; Cell 647-***-****; E-mail: acx84d@r.postjobfree.com