Aaron Foster Graphic Design

Resume

Aaron Foster

Qualifications

• Strong artistic background in design with superior rendering skills.
• Comprehensive understanding of computer hardware, software, networking and system maintenance.
• Expertise in the use of Quark, Photoshop, Illustrator and Freehand.
• Experience with Pagemaker, CorelDraw, Strata StudioPro and HTML scripting.
• Excellent communication skills, able to relate to people at all levels.
• Excellent performance in project scheduling and allocating design staff resources to meet deadlines.
• Excellent time management and accurate time assessment in project bidding.
• Extensive experience in proofing, both with customers and with printers.
• Proactive approach to problem solving.

Education

• Southern Utah University 1995-1997
  Graduated 1998 with Bachelors of Science in Fine Art emphasis in Drawing and Painting
• Portland State University 1994-1995
• Dixie College 1992-1993
  Graduate Cum Laude with Associate of Science General Education with emphasis in Fine Art Graduated 1994
• Skagit Valley College 1987-1989

Awards

• Honors Roll & Deans List for outstanding students at Skagit Valley College 1987-1989
• Won departmental award for most promising artist at Skagit Valley College 1988
• Honors Roll & Deans List for outstanding students at Dixie College 1992-1993
• Honors Roll & Deans List for outstanding students at Portland State University 1994-1995
• Honors Roll & Deans List for outstanding students at Southern Utah University 1995-1996
• Won peoples choice award “Best in Show” in student show at Southern Utah University 1997
• Won PIA Award of Excellence in deign for Sund’s Lodge Brochure 2001

Work History

Experience

Art Direction/Project Management

• Develop demographic studies to determine target audience for clients.
• Create Marketing Plans and Advertising Budgets to properly impact targeted demographics to help meet projected growth schedules.
• Estimate time for file creation and meet deadlines as possible within overall production deadlines.
• Allocate jobs according to immediacy of client needs and production deadlines in addition to design staff capabilities and areas of individual expertise.
• Oversee print and production media to ensure highest standards of quality in graphic design and post production.
• Provide Art Direction to outsourced aspects of coding in Web Sites and Presentation Materials to ensure the highest quality in production media and website.
• Provide critiques of projects in production to improve the quality of all print and production media.
• Conduct proofing to assure customer needs are being met and that the appropriate target audience is properly impacted.
• Conduct Match Print, Blue line, Press Check, and final Off Press proofing.
• Oversee production of all the materials for a customer from Web Site design and coding, multi-media presentations, brochures and flyers to business cards and letterhead all to ensure continuity and quality is maintained throughout all phases of corporate identity and market branding.
• Develop project tracking systems and file archiving systems to enable rapid assessment of progress on production projects and to easily account for hours to be billed.
• Create project workflow systems to accommodate large projects and allow the design staff to easily determine applicable deadlines and project progress.
• Work with design staff as a sounding board for ideas in design and in production methods.
• Assist customers with questions or concerns in printing or post production applications as well as on-going interaction during file creation.

Creative input

• Work with customers to create: Display advertising, brochures, business cards, letterhead, flyers, CD’s, magazine/publication ads, Web Site design, interactive presentations, logo creation, corporate identity creation, poster design, billboard design, t-shirt design, direct mailers, catalogs, newsletters, magazines, yellow page ads, phone books, textbooks, calendars, plaques, hand made books, customized sales pieces and various other print and production materials.
• Quantify concepts for new business models and marketing strategies to enable company to be successful through the use of comprehensive support and tools such as brochures, flyers and multi-media presentations including their web presence allowing for the proper impact to their desired market.
• Provide helpful critiques of co-workers' designs to ensure the highest quality in print and production media.
• Provide research for new clients from corporate identity creation to image sources for design and final output.
• Provide alternatives for customers and assist in creating the proper look and feel for print and production media so as to meet their needs and properly impact their desired market.

Design & Production

• Image generation from computer and original renderings as needed for all types of print and production materials as well as web graphics.
• Layout, typography, image alteration, color correction, troubleshooting, preflight, template creation, scanning and any other needed elements for print and production materials.
• 3-D model creation for animation and for various projects needing dimensional artwork of objects which may not be available for conventional photography.
• Extensive use of Adobe Photoshop to create original artwork and to seriously alter existing images in such a way as to make the changes indiscernible from original photography as well as complex path creation for use in various illustrations.
• Produce illustrations in pencil, colored pencil, pen and ink, pastels, paintings in acrylic and oils as well as carvings in wood, plaster and stone.
• Digital photography, both studio and location shoots for images needed in marketing materials.
• Prepare and correct customer files for output.

Technical Qualifications

• Flatbed Linotype-Hell Saphir Ultra 2 scanner operator, extensive use of Linocolor software to produce superior quality of scans near to drum scan quality.
• Cezanne fixed optic flatbed scanner operator, including the use of a fractal algorithm program to create higher resolution images to allow for large format poster printing.
• Output to EPSON 9000 large format inkjet printer.
• Output to Colorspan 7000 and 9000 large format inkjet printer.
• Output to Scitex Dolev450 with online DuPont Easycompact 72 processor.
• AGFA Match-Print (printers color proof) production.

Office & Clerical

• Prepare files for production and archive, insuring that all related materials to reproduce the work are readily accessible for future reference or alteration.
• General system maintenance on computers to account for hardware issues, software conflicts, networking difficulties, as well as physical repair of some office machinery and some complex machinery such as printing presses, image setters, plate burners, laminators and large format poster printers.