Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft, Wrike, Jira, Workfront, PowerPoint, Excel, Generative AI in copywriting and image development and retouching, AODA and accessibility
Lisa de Nikolits
Toronto,Ontario
Summary
• Accomplished Art Director and Graphic Designer with an extensive international career spanning Canada, Australia, the U.S.A., the U.K., and South Africa.
• Recognized for impacting top-tier publications and global brands, while excelling in art direction, production, design, and content creation for a wide range of media.
• Portfolio includes high-impact work for renowned clients including Walmart, Canadian Tire, and Pet Valu, and known for delivering exceptional results while maintaining a unique and original creative voice.
• Recognized for leveraging proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and various design software to drive creativity and project success.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
CONTRIBUTING ART DIRECTOR
SJC Content
08.2022 - Current
- Triage Design & Production: Print, digital, and on-set art direction
- Clients: Walmart, Pet Valu and others
- Campaigns: Patio, Home, Festive Season, Toy Book
- Print & Digital Deliverables: Flyers, banners, OOH, new store promos, signage
- Casting & Shoot Direction: Directed Pet Valu shoots, including wardrobe, hair, makeup, and location scouting
- Pet Valu LookBook: Designed AODA-compliant LookBook
- eCommerce Design: Pet Valu Spring Summer 2023 (on-figure design, gifs, stop motion)
- Art Direction & Retouching: Directed on-set photography and retouching for Pet Valu assets
- Behind-the-Scenes Content: Created storyboards, edited videos, and managed music for Pet Valu shoots
- How-To Photography Guide: Developed for Pet Valu in-house use
- Seasonal Content Creation: Designed, developed, and executed Pet Valu’s seasonal programs
- Media Kits (2022-2023): Created for Châtelaine, Fashion, Canadian Business, Today's Parent, Toronto Life, and more
- Social Media & eBlasts: Designed eBlasts, e-Sales sheets, and sourced stock images for multiple clients
- Graphics & Stock Images: Created graphics in Illustrator, sourced Getty images
SPECIAL PRINT DESIGNER
Canadian Tire
01.2022 - 07.2022
- Position: Design and production of monthly digest print books and inspirational events with digital AI component
- Achievements:
- Designed seasonal programs in collaboration with Category Business Managers and Creative Director
- Conducted photo research, design, and production management of images, copy, and pages
- Ensured accurate SKU lists, product info, and alignment with digital grids and AI protocol
- Designed support indicatives for digital initiatives, including creating icons and interactive elements
- Managed approximately 35 incoming emails and workflow directives per day from Wrike.
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR
Hello! Canada, SJC
01.2018 - 12.2021
- Role: Key team player on fast-paced weekly publication focused on breaking royal/celebrity news and trends
- Achievements:
- Adhered to international brand formula and grids while creating unique Canadian content and design
- Sourced stock images for beauty, travel, and World In Pictures sections
- Managed production of image retouching and copy trafficking
- Tracked online trends and supported Hello! Canada’s print and online presence
- Contributed design to Wedding, Travel, Commemorative, and Holiday supplements
- Managed 50 plus daily incoming messages on Slack, email and Teams from editor and creative director
ART DIRECTOR
Rogers Publishing
01.2008 - 12.2018
- Air Miles & Custom-Content Magazines: Art directed regional Air Miles FR and ENG custom-content magazines for 4 Canadian geographic regions
- Developed a 10-version, highly targeted reward-program magazine with accurate reach
- Magazine Relaunch & Rebrand: Relaunched/rebranded Rexall-sponsored Canadian Health & Lifestyle and Cosmetics magazines
- Spearheaded successful transition from print to digital design with a fresh look
- Client-Facing Collaboration: Attended client meetings with Canadian Tire, presented layouts, and resolved issues proactively
- Layout Design for Supplements: Designed layouts for supplements including MAXIMUM Tool Guide, Fragrance Guide, Luxe Beauty, and more
- Interactive Digital Design: Adapted Hello! Canada print content for an immersive iPad experience using interactive digital design tools
Education
Bachelor of Arts -
University of The Witwatersrand
Johannesburg, South AfricaSome College (No Degree) - Copywriting That Sells
University of Toronto
Toronto, OntarioSkills
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Print Digital Design Gen AI
- Social Media Email Banners Flyers
- Mock-ups
- Client Collaboration
- Accessibility AODA
- Project management
- Brand consistency
- Market research
Certification
- Advanced Accessible PDFs
- Essential Skills in Adobe InDesign
- Ethics in the Age of Generative AI
- InDesign 2024 Essential Training
- Leveraging AI in Adobe Photoshop and Creative Cloud
Commercial Clients
- Manulife/Oliver Agency
- Walmart
- Canadian Tire (FWD and digests)
- Sports Chek
- PetValu
- Home Hardware
- Toyota
- Sobey's Community Concepts
- Egg Farmers
- Alpha Broder Outerwear Guide
- Home Hardware eBlasts
- Canadian Tire FWD
- Shoppers Drugmart
- The Brick
- Air Miles
- Sears
Catalogues Digests Flyers
- Canadian Tire Print and Digital Catalogues, Special Print Flyers
- Walmart Digests and Flyers
- Art Director RedCat UK
- MAXIMUM Tool Guide
- Marks Warehouse
- Amway/Quickstar Catalogue
- Sports Chek
On Set Art Direction
- Fashion
- Beauty
- Decor
- Lifestyle
- Portrait
- Food
- Motoring
- Outdoor
- Pets/Animals
- Location
- Studio
- Editorial
- Commercial
- Custom Publishing
Online Media Kits
- Fashion
- Pivot
- Porter Airlines
- Chatelaine
- Macleans
- Today's Parent
- Toronto Life
Online Design
- PetValu Look Book
- Cosmetics
- Walmart Banners
- Digital ads
- E-blasts
- Newsletters
- OOH banners
- Flaps
- Trend tracking
- IPad design
- Website design
- Icon creation
- Interactive game creation
Project Pre Production
- Interpret brief
- Create concepts
- Develop linears
- Create deck integrating client assets
- Attend client meetings
- Create and produce storyboards/scripts/production
- Conduct stock image research
- Template design
- Library creation
- Style guide creation
Post Production
- Image selection
- Quality control of retouching
- Print and digital file preparation
- Photoshop asset management
- Work in InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, Word and Excel
- Storyboard videos
- Edit
- Choose soundtrack
- Colour management of CMYK vs RGB vs HEX
- Check AODA compliancy
Magazines
- Vogue Australia
- Vogue Living
- Vogue Entertaining & Travel
- GQ
- Cosmopolitan
- SHE
- Marie Claire
- TopCar
- Longevity
- Canadian Living
- Canadian Health & Lifestyle
- Cosmetics
- Hello! Canada
- IT Business and Computing Canada trade publications
Custom Magazines
- Air Miles
- Walmart Live Better
- Kraft
- Illinois Bureau of Tourism
- Dell
- J.C. Penney
- Telus
- Sears Canada
- Home Depot USA
Degrees Certificates
- Bachelor of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand
- Copy Writing That Sells, University of Toronto
New Business Pitches And Wins
- Pet Valu Lookbook
- Illinois Now! USA
- PetValu (image bank, look book)
- Home Depot USA
- Dell USA
- Sears Canada magazine
Accomplishments
- Supervised team of 4 staff members.
- Achieved print and digital deadlines by completing tasks with accuracy and efficiency.
- Resolved design and production issues through effective communication and project management with retouching team, project managers and client.
- Used Adobe Workfront, Wrike, Jira and other workflow programs to communicate with client and teams.
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Work Preference
Work Type
Full TimeContract WorkWork Location
HybridImportant To Me
Company CultureWork from home optionWork-life balanceFlexible work hoursSoftware
Interests
Novel writing, health and fitness, music, travel, cats, nature, reading
Timeline
CONTRIBUTING ART DIRECTOR
SJC Content
08.2022 - Current
SPECIAL PRINT DESIGNER
Canadian Tire
01.2022 - 07.2022
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR
Hello! Canada, SJC
01.2018 - 12.2021
ART DIRECTOR
Rogers Publishing
01.2008 - 12.2018
Bachelor of Arts -
University of The Witwatersrand
Some College (No Degree) - Copywriting That Sells
University of Toronto
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