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Experience, Technical Skills & Testimonials

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RESUME

I am a graphic and web designer with 20 years experience.
I specialize in creating professional, modern customized designs to reflect each businesses personality according to their needs.

 

For the past few years I’ve been freelancing for many types of clients: startups, creative agencies and companies, working on small business sites and more. Startups have been a lot of fun to work with as I’m able to play an intrinsic role in helping shape and build their product.

 

I love being able to take an idea from start to finish. I enjoy working with new clients and people. I also recognized the necessity of keeping my finger on the pulse of the latest trends and styles in addition to staying current on emerging technologies and techniques. 

I truly look forward to working with you!

 

Experience

GRAPHIC & WEB DESIGNER (contract employee), 2012-Present

• INT CREATIVE (Buffalo Grove, IL)

A variety of projects including designing product labels, web images, web banners, business cards. Coding html in websites, including mobile design. Creating html emails for bulk emails.


WEB DESIGNER (contract employee), 2013-Present

• A Great American Balloon Company (Winnetka, IL)

Updating and redesigning four business websites including optimizing content (SEO). Revamping the social media sites and managing their presence. Creating graphics and images for the websites. Designed new company logos. Devising promotional flyers and business cards. Video editing customer promotional videos.


GRAPHIC & WEB DESIGNER (contract employee), 2011-2013

• UMcDeal (Park Ridge, IL)

Developed and refined images used in advertising by a daily deal website. Conceptualized 5-7 different image sets for each client’s ads, including placement of taglines. Retouched and adjusted images. Created typography to fit ad layout. Designed web backgrounds and online menus for retail establishments. Created direct mail pieces in print publications.


GRAPHIC & WEB DESIGNER (contract position), 2012

• Ione, Inc. (Niles, IL)

Created graphics for existing website and social media sites for an online retailer. Designed weekly email blasts. Maintenance of website with HTML and admin panel. Posted material on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Edited videos for the company's YouTube channel.


SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER & MARKETING MANAGER, 1993-2011

• Pittsburgh Reporting Service (Pittsburgh, PA, 2008-2011)

• Powers, Garrison & Hughes ( Pittsburgh, PA, 1993-2008)

Graphic & Web Design/Digital Editing: Developed concepts to fit the theme of various advertisements, marketing materials, and websites. Prepared formats and layout for print brochures, postcards, notecards, business cards, labels and ad inserts. Edited images, including retouching and resizing. Ad layout design for print and web publications. Enhanced photo exhibits used during court proceedings.

  • • Constructed and managed websites for two companies, including page layout, designing web images, forms, drop down menus, uploading embedded video and SEO.
  • • Created company newsletters (print and PDF).
  • • Designed mailers to optimize messages while controlling costs.

Marketing: Identified potential clients and how to reach them. Coordinated projects for the production of marketing materials, overseeing design, layout, and formatting. Wrote ad copy and headlines to fit the company's messaging strategy and industry language. Collaborated with several
co-workers to generate new ideas and refine messages. Solicited feedback from clients to identify strengths and use them in copy. Organized mass mailings and email campaigns.

  • • Achieved #1 ranking in several search engines for the industry category (court reporting) in the Pittsburgh Market.

Videographer Duties: Recorded meetings, transferred DV to digital and edited for video playback for use at trial. PowerPoint presentations. Managed videographers.

Education

ART INSTITUTE OF PITTSBURGH; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Associate Degree: Music & Video Business; 1992


Skill Levels

Level Graphic
Familiar star
Functional starstar
Competent starstarstar
Proficient starstarstarstar
Expert starstarstarstarstar
Tool Mastery
Photoshop starstarstarstar
Illustrator starstarstarstar
InDesign starstar
Dreamweaver starstarstarstar
Edge Animate starstarstar
Flash star
Premiere Pro starstarstar
Audition starstar
Quark xPress star
Word starstarstarstar
Publisher starstarstarstar
Access starstar
Excell star
FrontPage starstarstar
PowerPoint starstarstar
HTML5 starstarstarstar
CSS3 starstarstarstar
SEO starstarstarstar
Javascript starstar
JQuery star
PHP star

Testimonials

Joseph was my graphic designer for the past few years at UMcDeal. Joseph was responsible for designing graphic images for particular deals we would have. He is highly competent, well-organized, outgoing with excellent design skills. Joseph always got his projects done on time. I regret that we have no such position to offer him at UMcDeal. Our loss will be another organization’s gain. I highly recommend Joseph.

Should you wish to discuss my recommendation further, please do not hesitate to call.

Yours truly,
Chris Jung, Former President,
UMcDeal

Mr. Lawrence,

We would like to take the opportunity to thank you for your professionalism and courtesy regarding the various endeavors you have undertaken on behalf of Ament & Ament Court Reporting.  Your skills with computers have been invaluable when it comes to our business.  Your knowledge of the various marketing strategies and linking that to our company and the projects you’ve assisted us with in the past has helped us grow in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area.

We strongly believe you have the capability to help enhance many other businesses through your expertise.  We wish you all the best of luck and success in your future challenges.

Sincerely,

Kurt M. Ament, President
Ruth M. Ament, Vice President
Ament & Ament Court Reporting
Pittsburgh, PA 15239
I have known Joseph A. Lawrence for approximately twenty years. He worked under my supervision at the former Pittsburgh court reporting company of Powers, Garrison & Hughes.

I have always known Joseph to be very dependable and reliable as well as a very hard-working individual. He has always been quite ambitious and very much a self-motivated and conscientious worker. Joseph was constantly coming up with new ideas for the company’s advertising and promotional needs, often times without being directed to do so.

It is my opinion that Joseph would be a wonderful asset to any company and he has my highest recommendation. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Janet A. Addlespurger

Administrative Assistant
Duquesne University
412-396-6389
addlespurgerj@duq.edu