I’ve been an expert digital designer, illustrator, and educator for over 30 years. I have deep experience in creating imaginative illustrations in traditional and digital media, and designing promotional communications and multichannel campaigns for email, digital displays, and websites in WordPress and content management systems, as well as printed material. I’m also experienced in prepress and commercial printing, from books to billboards to branded merchandise. I enjoy brainstorming solutions to visual storytelling challenges, and understand the importance of taking a user-centered approach: crafting consistent images and messages that engage the target audience. For more on this topic, please see my design philosophy.
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 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
New York, NY . . . 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
New York, NY. . . 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
New York, NY . . . 2003-2007
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
New York, NY . . . 2003–2012
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
Washington, DC . . . 2001–2010
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.
Northern California . . . 1996–2006
Built, designed, and promoted this non-profit, online art community and publication 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. Recruited, trained, and managed a volunteer staff of up to 25 artists and 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.
The Cooper Union School of Art
New York, NY . . . 2003–2004
Designed and taught courses in digital design and illustration in QuarkXPress and Illustrator, and image acquisition and editing in Photoshop, with review of copyright.
Center for Electronic Art
San Francisco . . . 1993-2002
Program Chair: I built a successful, full-time six-month digital design program, from course map to curriculum to classroom experience, which became the model for our Web Design and Animation programs. As the Dean, I hired and supervised 30 industry-expert instructors, and coordinated academic strategy with the web and animation program chairs and the director. Established school-wide policies and procedures for faculty and students. Supervised student portfolio development.
Digital Design Instructor: Taught visual design, typography, project planning, publication design, branding, advertising, digital illustration, digital image acquisition and editing, prepress, career planning, portfolio development. Applications included Aldus PageMaker, QuarkXPress, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
High Voltage: Every three months, I directed 20-30 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.
San Francisco State University, Multimedia Studies Program
San Francisco, CA . . . 1997–2002
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.
Urbino, Italy
Fine Arts, Applied Arts, and Art History
New Paltz, NY. . . 1981
Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts
Magna cum Laude
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