Brand Specialist - Agriculture Financial Services (AFSC)
March 2018 - Present
Develop and implement strategies to manage the AFSC brand, such as the brand marketing strategy, visual brand strategy and the annual advertising strategy. Design all internal and external marketing and communication pieces, such as advertising campaigns, reports, strategic plans, presentations and social media graphics. Build, strengthen, and amplify the AFSC brand internally through the development of brand training programs and externally by unifying the brand across all platforms and identifying areas for brand building. Create, monitor and reconcile the budget for all money spent as it relates to the brand strategy, marketing strategies and annual advertising strategy.
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Graphic Design Specialist - Red Deer College
April 2011 - November 2017
Used advanced graphic design expertise and writing skills to produce a variety of marketing pieces including recruitment campaigns, annual reports, booklets, brochures, billboards, posters, advertisements and social media campaigns that respect the corporate brand. Created and implemented a visual identity for the RDC school model - collaborating with team members to create key messages reflective of the target audience and the brand voice.
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Community Relations Assistant - Red Deer Public School District
December 2010 - April 2011
Supported communication and public relations activities through content development, website administration, photography and graphic design. Managed the day-to-day operations of the Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools.
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Graphic Designer - Cascadia Motivation Inc
October 2005 - August 2010
Created content and designed client proposals, websites and marketing pieces such as brochures, postcards and travel documents to promote incentive programs for clients. Developed a new corporate identity for the company and designed brochures, website, business cards, stationery, advertisements and client proposals to reflect the new brand. Built the online and print catalogues for the merchandise incentive division.
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Editor/Designer/Production Manager - Various Publications
1998 - 2005
Responsible for writing, editing and designing for a variety of publications.
Journalism
Completed the program in April 1997 at MacEwan University, Edmonton. Course included training in Journalism, Graphic Design and Photography. Received the Hilda Sellers Scholarship for outstanding achievement in Journalism.
---Continuous Improvement
Completed training in Unconscious Bias, Crucial Conversations and Project Management. Improved skills in marketing, leadership, creative-thinking, and Emotional Intelligence through Percipio's online learning platform. Utilized lynda.com for online tutorials on a variety of design related subjects including colour management, typography and brochure design. Completed advanced courses in Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
Attended a variety of leadership, brand and design conferences such as The Gathering - a Forbes top-rated business summit and a master class for brand leaders looking to reap the benefits of a cult-like adoration; UCDA Design Conference - a marketing and design conference specializing in post-secondary marketing and communications; and Adobe Max which features program updates and tips, tricks and trends of using Adobe Creative Suite.
Leadership
• Facilitating strategic planning and training sessions
• Developing department strategies and tactical plans
• Aligning campaigns with corporate strategic goals
• Project Management, budget preparation, tracking and reconciliation
• Coaching and mentoring team members
Technical Expertise
• Advanced knowledge of Adobe programs including InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and Acrobat
• Experienced in Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
• Website development, content management systems, intranet development (SharePoint)
• Preparing files for pre-press, in-house print or digital formats
• Familiar with both Mac and PC platforms