Concept development, visual communication and storytelling, typography, publication design and navigation; directories, signage, maps and wayfinding; branding and identity design, project management, client relations
I design and teach hands-on courses that meet real-world objectives, help students to find a starting point for inspiration, try alternative creative solutions, learn from feedback, and succeed
Digital and traditional illustration; logo and icon design, photo correction, compositing and re-touching; accurate color management across channels; image preparation for web, print, or digital display. Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, mixed media, paint, pencil, gouache, and acrylic
Basecamp, Wrike! Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Docs, Zoom, MS Teams, Scype, FaceTime
MS Word and Excel, TablePress, FileMaker Pro
Mac/Win cross-platform, application installation and troubleshooting, font and file management, file sharing, system maintenance and upgrades, basic virus protection, basic networking
Hunter College | Office of Student Communication . . . 2010-2024
Designed promotional and marketing communications for digital displays, email publications, web sites, and printed materials such as posters and signage. Created illustrations. Provided art direction for multi-channel campaigns. Edited and produced biweekly e-newsletters for distribution to 23,000 students. Coordinated branding and consistent messaging throughout communications for 22 internal client offices and programs. Managed up to 500 project requests per year. Built multiple websites in WordPress and within a content management system. Researched hardware and software and created proposals. Worked closely with clients and commercial printers to produce booklets, banners, signage, and branded merchandise. Designed digital displays for commencement at Radio City and Madison Square Garden. Mentored teams of 2-5 design assistants for 16 semesters.
See design projects for this employer
Read about my experience at Hunter
Hunter College | Continuing Education Programs . . . 2011-2018
Built and taught visual design and typography, branding and identity, digital illustration and image editing, information design, publication design and prepress, career planning and portfolio development.
Ganesh 43 LLC dba the UPS Store . . . 2003-2007
New York, NY
Designed an effective, low-cost marketing plan, including high-touch street promotion, which immediately tripled new inquiries for this new business located in the Chrysler Building, in Manhattan. Produced all related promotional materials, including the website; brochures and collateral; online and print advertising; billboards, posters and signage. Trained and supervised 12 employees in accurately estimating production costs and managing complex digital printing, binding, and fulfillment projects.
Prospected and engaged corporate clients for design services, including identity, annual reports, presentations, and marketing materials. Worked with clients and vendors during all phases of design, production, and fulfillment, providing timelines, drafts, estimates, proofs, invoices. Negotiated favorable contracts with vendors and printers. Helped grow the business from zero to $500,000 in three years.
Trained the metro area franchise network in document design, digital printing, and fulfillment. Represented the New York area franchise network on CNN Financial, ABC, and CBS, because of my proven abilities as a public speaker and corporate trainer.
Touro University | New York School of Career and Applied Studies . . . 2003–2012
New York, NY
Assisted in developing the curriculum for the BS in Digital and Multimedia Design program. Helped formulate program goals and constructed a degree map. In addition, I advocated for typography and information design as important topics for students entering careers where they have to design information for publication online as well as in print. Reviewed the degree program for Middle States, conducting interviews and making detailed recommendations.
I taught every course in the program, from Introduction to Visual design to Portfolio Development. Subjects included typography, branding and identity, digital illustration and image editing, information design, publication design and pre-press, career planning and portfolios for designers.
The Graduate School | Center for Applied Technology . . . 2001–2010
Washington, D.C.
Consulted on curriculum for Desktop/Electronic Publishing, Tracks I and II, and wrote curriculum for Track III. Each track was an intensive 40-hour course that ran back-to-back. I taught digital design, document layout, spot-color and 4-color design, pre-press and commercial printing. Tools included QuarkXPress, Illustrator, Photoshop, web browsers and digital printers.
The Cooper Union School of Art . . . 2003–2004
New York, NY
Designed and taught courses in digital design and illustration in QuarkXPress and Illustrator, and image acquisition and editing in Photoshop, with review of copyright.
San Francisco State University | Multimedia Studies Program . . . 1997–2003
San Francisco, CA
Consulted on the print design curriculum, as well as multidisciplinary portfolio development for graduating students. Taught visual design; project planning; digital illustration; image editing; information design; production and pre-press; portfolio development; and career planning. Worked closely with the program director and faculty in the web, animation and video tracks to ensure that all students completed a professional portfolio for entry into design and multimedia fields.
Artist Resource . . . 1995–2003
Northern California
Built, designed, and promoted this non-profit, online art community for the San Francisco Bay Area and much of Northern California. Created grass-roots outreach, offered awards, and wrote grant applications. Served over one million unique visitors—artists, designers, students, teachers, and patrons —every year. Trained and managed a volunteer staff of 20 web designers. Operated under the umbrella of California Lawyers for the Arts. Mentioned in local press and The Wall Street Journal as a valuable arts resource for artists and art educators.
Center for Electronic Art . . . 1993-2002
Chair: Designed six-month certificate program, from course map to lesson plans and learning outcomes. Managed 30 instructors. Developed policies and procedures for faculty and students. Supervised student portfolio development. Created visually engaging marketing and fund-raising materials for the school.
Instructor: Taught visual design, typography, project planning, publication design, branding, advertising, digital illustration, image editing, prepress, career planning, portfolio development.
High Voltage: Every three months, I directed 25 students, faculty and staff in designing and producing 22 course catalogs (10,000 each printing) and 12 corresponding websites. I guided both teams from client interview and concept development, through design prototyping and production, to user-testing, press check and deployment. We completed both projects in three weeks at full burn. This was the culminating course and final project for the design, web and animation students’ portfolios.
My innovative approach to managing design projects in an academic environment successfully met the client objectives, fostered team collaboration, encouraged student initiative, and produced professional portfolio projects.
New York, NY . . . 2010
Master of Arts in Illustration
Urbino, Italy
Fine Arts, Applied Arts, and Art History
New Paltz, NY
Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts
Magna cum Laude
Copyright © 2018 Li Gardiner - All Rights Reserved.
Welcome! Thank you for your interest in my services and experience. As of September 2024, I am seeking remote illustration and design projects, part-time or on a contract basis. In addition, I welcome employment as an adjunct design instructor for in-person or hybrid courses in Hudson County NJ or Manhattan.