Graphic Designer Visual Communications

Portfolio: www.katerinamerezhinsky.net/

Professional Summary:

Innovative Art Director & Senior Graphic Designer with over 20 years of experience delivering high-impact visual solutions across industries such as government, technology, defense, and entertainment. Specializes in transforming complex technical and scientific concepts into compelling, user-centric designs that enhance brand identity and drive audience engagement across digital and print platforms.

Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, UI/UX design, and creating marketing campaigns, with a strong emphasis on accessibility standards, including Section 508 and ADA compliance. Known for delivering cohesive, brand-aligned materials that effectively communicate messages and meet organizational goals.

Skilled in leading cross-functional teams, managing large-scale, high-profile projects, and producing creative strategies that deliver measurable results. Adept at scoping, estimating, and managing budgets for multi-channel campaigns, websites, and marketing collateral, ensuring on-time delivery without compromising quality.

Recognized for fostering collaborative environments, driving innovation, and bridging technical precision with creative storytelling to communicate complex ideas to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including executive leaders.

Core Competencies:

Creative Strategy & Visual Communication: Expert in conceptualizing and executing impactful visual communications, aligning creative solutions with organizational goals to drive engagement and deliver measurable results.

Brand Development: Skilled in designing and implementing brand elements (logos, style guides, marketing collateral), ensuring consistency and integrity across digital and print platforms.

UI/UX Design: Proficient in developing responsive interfaces, wireframes, and prototypes for applications and websites, focusing on intuitive user experiences and accessibility optimization.

Digital & Interactive Design Expertise: Adept at creating diverse digital assets, including web pages, email templates, social media content, and interactive animations, leveraging technical expertise to produce visually dynamic solutions.

Visual Storytelling & Infographics: Experienced in simplifying complex concepts through infographics, data visualizations, and technical illustrations to make information accessible and compelling for diverse audiences.

Technical Proficiency: Mastery of industry-standard tools, including Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, XD, After Effects), Figma, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and compliance with accessibility standards (Section 508/ADA).

Project Leadership & Management: Extensive experience in scoping, budgeting, and leading end-to-end design projects, ensuring timely delivery without compromising quality or client satisfaction. leadership in the development of high-quality, conceptual, visual design projects.

Client & Stakeholder Collaboration: Proven ability to collaborate closely with clients and stakeholders, delivering tailored and innovative solutions that exceed expectations.

Multilingual Expertise: Fluent in English, Ukrainian, and Belarusian, with working knowledge of Polish, enhancing cross-cultural communication and collaboration.

Awards & Certifications:

Certified in Digital Accessibility: Expertise in creating designs compliant with Section 508 and ADA standards, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility.

Professional Development: Actively engaged in industry-leading conferences and training on graphic design, UI/UX, and emerging technologies, ensuring proficiency in the latest design trends and tools.

Key Achievements:

Brand Revitalization: Delivered cohesive branding strategies that enhanced organizational visibility and audience engagement across various platforms.

Creative Problem-Solving: Designed innovative solutions tailored to diverse audiences, from government agencies to commercial enterprises.

Impactful Storytelling: Produced visually compelling materials that clarified complex ideas and supported strategic objectives across multiple media channels.

Specialized Expertise:

Accessibility: In-depth knowledge of Section 508 and ADA compliance standards, ensuring inclusive design practices for all users.

Visual Storytelling: Created impactful illustrations, infographics, and data visualizations to simplify complex information for diverse audiences.

Proposal Design: Developed innovative technical and creative proposals for both government and commercial clients, enhancing communication and presentation quality.

AI-Driven Tools: Leveraging AI-powered tools to enhance design workflows, optimize creativity, and drive innovation in visual communication strategies.

Professional Skills & Expertise:

Brand Identity Development

Visual Storytelling & Infographics

UI/UX Design & Web Development

Print & Digital Marketing Collateral

Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere Pro, XD)

Video & Animation Production

Interactive Design (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JQuery, WordPress)

Social Media & Email Campaign Design

Accessibility Standards & 508 Compliance

Creative Direction & Team Leadership

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Strategic Conceptualization & Client Relations

Technical Skills:

Design Tools: Adobe CC (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Animate, XD, Lightroom, Premiere Pro), Figma, Canva, Poser, Keynote, Visio

Web Technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JQuery, PHP, WordPress, SharePoint, AEM

Social Media Platforms: Facebook Ads, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Mailchimp

Additional Tools: Power BI, PowerPoint, Excel, Google Suite, MS Teams

Compliance: Section 508, ADA, Digital Accessibility Standards

Professional Work Experience:

USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), Remote March 2024 – Present

Change Management Specialist, Visual Communications

Lead visual communication efforts for the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), driving modernization initiatives across their data environment.

Develop change management strategies, including surveys, polls, and workshops to engage stakeholders and facilitate smooth transitions.

Propose and integrate new technologies to enhance operational efficiency and data management.

Design and produce a variety of visual communication materials such as infographics, newsletters, presentations, and interactive tools.

Leverage AI-powered platforms like Power BI to create dynamic, data-driven interactive tools and visualizations.

Collaborate across departments to ensure consistent branding and effective outreach strategies for diverse audiences.

Self-Employed, Remote September 2023 – Present

Consultant: Art Director, Visual Communications Specialist

Produced promotional campaigns for dance and musical events, fostering both social and professional networks within the community.

Organized and managed successful dance and music classes, creating engaging venues and experiences for participants.

Led volunteer missions in Ukraine, overseeing logistics, fundraising, and procurement efforts for medical and military equipment.

Handled budgeting, purchasing, and delivery logistics for various humanitarian initiatives, partnering with organizations like UHU and Come Back Alive.

Citi Group, MD/Remote January 2023 – June 2023

Visual Communications Executive and Graphic Design Lead

Led design initiatives for internal communications across departments (IT, Marketing, Financial Programs), creating PowerPoint presentations, infographics, email templates, and other visual assets.

Produced visually compelling marketing materials, ensuring alignment with brand standards and corporate objectives.

Developed templates for stakeholder presentations, newsletters, and demos using Adobe Creative Suite and Figma.

Designed internal and client-facing product branding to enhance corporate messaging and drive engagement.

Created briefs, demos, and other visual materials for internal communications, ensuring clarity and consistency across departments (IT, Marketing, Rewards and Bonuses, Financial Programs).

Highly skilled PowerPoint Specialist, with in-depth knowledge of all features of Microsoft PowerPoint, including animation, custom templates, and presentation design.

Created and maintained reporting templates for PowerPoint, while preparing user manuals, training materials, proposals, and installation guides.

Edited and produced multiple presentations from scratch, incorporating animations and visual elements using Figma and Adobe Creative Suite.

NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD July 2016 – July 2022

Communications Specialist / Graphic Design Lead

Directed internal and client-facing branding projects, including logos, color schemes, and product marketing materials for major federal clients such as NOAA, DOD, and NASA.

Designed complex scientific data visualizations and infographics, translating technical concepts into visually compelling materials for non-technical audiences.

Led UI/UX design for web and mobile applications, focusing on user-centered design principles and ensuring accessibility compliance (Section 508).

Managed cross-functional teams to create digital and print assets for large-scale marketing campaigns, conferences, and scientific events.

Translated scientific data and concepts into visually engaging materials for stakeholders, including newsletters, websites, and email campaigns.

Produced marketing materials for scientific and technology conferences, such as posters, brochures, and display graphics.

Implemented visual communication strategies to improve stakeholder engagement and ensure effective outreach and communication.

Voxiva, Inc., Arlington, VA October 2015 – July 2016

Graphic Designer/Data Managing

Designed visual data libraries and ensured compliance with FDA regulations, producing accessible and data-rich materials for internal and external stakeholders.

Developed and implemented taxonomy systems for better data organization and accessibility.

Montgomery County Parks and Recreation Department, Remote April 2015 – September 2015

Graphic Designer / Web Designer

Designed marketing materials and UI components for the Active Montgomery portal.

Marketing and collateral materials for Active Montgomery new portal application

US Army, Washington DC-Baltimore Area January 2014 – January 2015

Web Developer

Developed and maintained websites adhering to Army branding guidelines.

Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC June 2013 – January 2014

Graphic Designer

Developed proposals, product branding, logos, graphics, banners, posters, and presentations for FAA projects.

Created various training materials and data visualizations to support FAA initiatives.

Utilized Adobe Creative Suite, PowerPoint, Visio, HTML, CSS, and Dreamweaver for visual design and presentation creation.

Department of State, FSI, Washington DC-Baltimore Area January 2013 – June 2013

Graphic Engineer

Designed graphics, flash movies, and websites for applications and training resources.

Developed UI for applications with a focus on 508 compliances.

Utilized Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Additional Experience:

US Government Clients:

Montgomery County MD Parks and Recreation Department (UX/UI Designer)

Department of State, FSI (Consultant/Multimedia Designer)

NASA, NOAA, FAA (Visual Communications Specialist/Technical Illustrator/Proposal Designer/Presentation Designer)

DC Mayor’s Office (OCTO/UI Designer for an internal portal)

Art Director at Logos Technologies, Inc. (Supporting DOE, DARPA, DOD)

SEC (Web Developer for a taxonomy application)

US Army/Fort Belvoir (Web Developer for additional sites under US Army web portal)

Department of Veterans Affairs (UI/UX Designer for a medical reimbursement claim application)

Commercial Clients:

Consultant-Marketing Designer at AV Architects + Builders

Senior Web/Graphic Designer at CompSci Resources, LLC

Art Director at Logos Technologies, LLC

Freelance: Integrated Technologies Group (ITG, Inc.), The Magazine Group Inc., IBM (Graphic Design, Illustrations, Visual Branding, Proposals Graphics, Marketing Strategy, Outreach, Requirements Gathering, Market Research, UI/UX, App Development)

Education:

M.A. in Industrial Design, Belaruskaja Dzjaržaunaja Akademija Mastastvau

Certified School of Web Design and Development, Rockville, MD

Languages:

Native or Bilingual Proficiency: English, Ukrainian, Belarusian

Limited Working Proficiency: Polish

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