P R I N T & I N T E R A C T I V E D E S I G N E R B R A N D S T R A T E G I S T

ROBIN WILL IAMSON

E D U C A T I O N

CHICAGO PHOTOGRAPHY CENTERDigital Photo I & II Certificate: 10/2009

ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF ART | CHICAGO, ILBachelor of Fine Arts Degree: 01/2003 – 03/2006 Area of Focus: Visual Communication Portfolio show “Best Marketing Promotion” award recipient for self -promotion package.

THE ART INSTITUTE OF WASHINGTON | ARLINGTON, VAArea of Focus: Visual Communication: 01/2002 – 12/2002

SPOTSYLVANIA TECHNICAL CENTER | SPOTSYLVANIA, VAArea of Focus: Visual Communication: 09/2000 – 06/2001Traditional paste-up and page layout, screen-printing, offset printing, digital printing and film development.

F R E E L A N C E C L I E N T S

ANNIE’S LEGACYA non-profit organization that focuses on empowering women through mentoring programs.Services Executed: Brand development and design, online/social media presence and promotional strategies.

MOSAIC DEVELOPMENT GROUPA new residential real estate development company.Services Executed: Brand development and design, grassroots marketing strategies, signage, online presence and event coordination.

A PINCH OF SOUL A food service company with a restaurant concept and a gourmet line of spices.Services Executed: Brand development and design, package design, naming, interior design and online presence.

PAT TERNS OF GOLDAn event celebrating Indo-Pakistani culture.Services Executed: Brand development, event thematic design and promotional material.

OUR HOUSE HOME HEALTH CAREA new home health care agency wanted a visual identity that communicated their ability to care for seniors and the disabled at their personal residences.Services Executed: Stationery design, promotional material design and execution.

FAMILY TREE - NEW BEGINNINGS A non-profit memorial scholarship foundation that needed to establish an identity and develop promotional strategies for their fundraising events.Services Executed: Brand development, promotional material design, event coordination and online presence.

L AKËFFEK T INC.A design studio I was employed for on a contract basis to design and develop websites and other interactive material.

OPEN DOOR CAREER CENTERA private nursing school contracted me to develop a brand that consisted of a logo, stationery and promotional material that were used to attract new applicants.

Over 10 years of experience in print and web design, web development, strategic branding and marketing.

E M P L O Y M E N T E X P E R I E N C E

ST V, INC. | CHICAGO, IL | 12 / 2008 – CURRENTMidwest Design Manager Responsibilities: Midwest proposal, presentation and public meeting branding, web design and development as well as photography.

IMAGEFICTION | CHICAGO, IL | 06 / 2006 – 06 / 2008Design & Marketing Manager Responsibilities: Designed print material, publications for American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI), website design and development as well as marketing promotions.

FEDEX KINKO’S | CHICAGO, IL | 05 / 2004 – 06 / 2006Production Associate Responsibilities: Consultations, file preparation, printed large quantities of books, binding, finishing and printed large format documents.

WIRESTONE | CHICAGO, IL | 09 / 2005 – 12 / 2005 Design Intern Responsibilities: Screen shot production for Motorola. Assisted Art Directors with research & motion graphics. Participated in brainstorming sessions.

COMET PRESS | CHICAGO, IL | 04 / 2005 – 08 / 2005 Designer/Production Associate Responsibilities: Designed business cards, letterheads, menus, brochures, self-mailers, consulted with clients, file preparation and printing.

IMPACT USA | OAK BROOK, IL | 06 / 2004 – 10 / 2004Production Designer Responsibilities:Designed promotional material for trade shows. Typeset postcards, scratch-off cards and self-mailers. Prepared files for output and digitally printed postcards.

W E B D E S I G N / D E V E L O P M E N Twww.imagefiction.com, www.brightfieldstriping.com,* www.annieslegacy.org (design only),* www.ftnb.org,* www.mosaicdevelopmentgroupinc.com, www.ilroute31.com,* www.stuartopdycke.com (development only) and www.xartentertainment.com (development only)**Websites that are currently active online

S O F T W A R E / P L A T F O R M P R O F I C I E N C Y

SCALE OF 1– 5 RATING :1=Basic Knowledge, 5=Advanced KnowledgeAdobe InDesign (5), QuarkXpress (3), Adobe Photoshop (4), Adobe Illustrator (5), Adobe Flash (4), Adobe Dreamweaver (2), CSS (2), HTML (2), Adobe Premier (1), Adobe After Effects (1), Final Cut Pro (1), Aperture (2), Microsoft Word (5), Microsoft Excel (5) and Microsoft PowerPoint (5), Mac (5), PC (5)

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Case StudyServicesExecuted:NamingBrand DevelopmentExternal ExecutionPrint AdvertisingEnvironmental DesignInterior DesignOnline PresenceMobile App DevelopmentLong-term Bonding Strategies

A P I N C H O F S O U L | I N T E G R AT I N G S P I C E S & D I N I N G

This food service company had a concept for a health conscious line of gourmet spices and a restaurant. The client desired to create a powerful brand that unified every area of their business to market their spices and dining experience effectively. An extensive analysis of their industry and audience was conducted to generate key aspects that should be communicated through their brand. The compelling story of the roots of Soul Food set a historic tone for the visual identity and branding strategy. This image was integrated across various touchpoints, which include the scroll style label on the dry spice packages, the hand drawings in their ad campaign, and the lantern style lighting that accentuated their restaurant décor. A Pinch of Soul’s innovative brand brought to life a highly identifiable look and created an emotional bond with consumers.

To add to the cooking experience the scroll on each spice label revealed classic Soul Food recipes, as well as details that document the origins of Soul Food.

The use of neutral hues and natural material set the tone of the brand and accentuated the historic feel that was extended to every piece of collateral.

Printed ads and point of sale material were produced to promote A Pinch of Soul’s availability at boutique spice shops, gourmet mar-kets and natural food grocers.

A Pinch of Soul’s restaurant became the ultimate brand experience by telling a story and engaging all five senses.

To continuously keep A Pinch of Soul not only in the minds, but in the hands of consumers a mobile app was developed that allowed users to submit their original A Pinch of Soul recipes.

Their online presence showcased their products and restaurants, and featured instructional videos for preparing dishes.

Case StudiesServicesExecuted:Brand DevelopmentMarket ResearchLaunch Event BrandingOnline PresenceSocial Media PresenceInterior DesignInternal ExecutionExternal Execution

A N N I E ’ S L E G AC Y | R E S H A P I N G A N O R G A N I Z AT I O N

Annie’s Legacy is a non-profit organization that has a tenacious ambition to empower women through nine-month mentoring programs. The essence of the organization is reminiscent of the late Annie Billy’s ability to overcome abuse and other adversities through encouraging support. The Annie’s Legacy brand was reshaped to reflect their founding premise, and give the organization a stronger corporate status.

Comprehensive research revealed that self-assurance motivates individuals to initiate progress in their lives. That insight was used to develop a creative solution with motivational phrases, such as “I am beautiful.” This typographic treatment added a harmonic balance of emotion to their new polished image. Since the launch of the clients brand strategy Annie’s Legacy has experienced elevated membership and a boost in volunteering.

I worked closely with the founder to understand the organization’s vision, so I could communicate it accurately and connect on an emo-tional level with their audience.

A tri-fold promotional piece became an economical approach for sharing information with a wide-range of potential clients, mem-bers and volunteers.

An impactful launch event was coordinated in conjunction with their annual fundraiser. Their refreshed brand became the focal point from the time the invitations were received to when the mem-orable parting gifts were given.

A critical element of their revamped brand was establishing a web and social media presence. A website was developed with a Content Management System (CMS), so staff could have full control of their website, and update it on an as needed basis without any hassles.

The organization relocated into a historic building that was in need of remodeling. A concept was developed to re-construct the space in a way that would encompass the Annie’s Legacy brand and pro-vide optimal functionality for their workshops, events as well as their mentoring sessions.

Case StudyServicesExecuted:Brand DevelopmentMarket ResearchOnline PresenceInternal ExecutionExternal ExecutionPublic RelationsPublication DesignLaunch Event Branding

M O S A I C D E V E L O P M E N T G R O U P |

C O N N E C T I N G W I T H T H E C O M M U N I T Y

Mosaic Development Group is a community based real estate development firm, which focuses on providing affordable custom homes and lifestyle conscious living environments. A brand was developed to reflective of the firm’s mission, which became the catalyst to grassroots support for their neighborhood revitalization efforts. I developed brand strategies that involved street marketing, a monthly news journal and other printed material. Each promotional effort focused on educating potential homeowners as a method of building trust and loyalty. As a result, Mosaic Development Group’s profile soared, and their new visibility opened doors to guest radio spots and contributions to local newspapers.

A clean sophisticated look was created for Mosaic Development Group, which was anchored by a logo icon that represents two criti-cal aspects of real estate development success—time and location.

A unique aspect of the firm’s residential services was that they offered a Custom Homes & Custom Payment Program. I focused a promotional campaign around this unique service, and used a game board to candidly illustrate how to become a successful homebuyer through their program.

Their brand was brought to life online by creating an interactive website that showcased the brand in the style of a floor plan.

The catalyst to grass-roots success was an educational news journal that featured local and national interior designers, as well as local business owners and organizations that are making efforts to bring positive growth to underserved communities.

Street teams that distributed the firm’s news journal became recog-nized by their “got property?” T-shirts.

Case StudyServicesExecuted:Naming Brand DevelopmentThematic Interior DesignEvent PlanningOnline Presence

PAT T E R N S O F G O L D | B R A N D I N G A C U LT U R E

An extravagant event was launched to celebrate the Indo-Pakistani culture called Patterns of Gold. The branded concept captured the essence of two aspects of the culture: One being gold, which is prominent in many households and symbolizes prosperity and good fortune. The second are the decorative garments called saris that Indian women wear draped around their bodies. Intricate patterns were developed for each promotional piece, with the patterns wrapped in a similar fashion of the sari garments. This visually stimulating theme coupled with an evening of Bollywood entertainment and keepsake gifts offered a meticulous look into the Indo-Pakistani culture.

Patterns of Gold

A Celebration of Indo-Pakistani Culture

Robin WilliamsonEvent Coordinator

P 773 936 6075F 773 936 5690758 N. Larrabee

Chicago, IL 60654robin@patternsofgold.com

With the target market in mind I knew that the Patterns of Gold brand needed to correlate with the cultural theme that would be experienced at the event, so ornate patterns and gold tones became key elements.

Gold foil printing was a technique used to maximize the visual im-pact of each collateral piece.

Additional exposure was created for the event through signs, ban-ners and ads that encompassed the brand.

A memorable keepsake gift was produced for each guest that at-tended the Patterns of Gold celebration.

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ROBIN WILL IAMSON