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Summary
Overview
Timeline
Work History
Skills
Software
Accomplishments
Education
Affiliations
Skills (Expanded)
Work Availability
BusinessDevelopmentManager
MARK EDWARDS

MARK EDWARDS

Long Beach

Summary

Passionate and innovative creative leader with a rich background spanning over 12 years in the dynamic realms of creative storytelling, design, and strategic brand management. Proven success in steering diverse projects, teams, and brands, employing data-driven insights to craft memorable experiences that consistently meet and exceed client objectives. Specializing in brand development, core messaging, and visual identity, I thrive in dynamic environments and am now seeking a design position within a dynamic team committed to crafting exceptional experiences.

Overview

14
14

Years of professional experience in creative

10
10

Years of experience in finance & training

Timeline

Creative Storyteller, Designer & Strategist

MARK EDWARDS DESIGN
06.2019 - Current

Art Director

APEX PERFORMANCE
08.2014 - 06.2019

Art Director

ALCONE
05.2011 - 08.2014

Graphic Designer

VISION DESIGN STUDIO
07.2010 - 05.2011

Bachelor of Science - Graphic Design

THE ART INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA—OC

Work History

Creative Storyteller, Designer & Strategist

MARK EDWARDS DESIGN
06.2019 - Current
  • Conceptualized and executed strategies for small businesses and start-ups, ensuring alignment with brand values and compliance standards.
  • Spearheaded brand development, core messaging, and visual identity efforts, delivering compelling client presentations and maintaining creative vendor resources.
  • Proactively prioritized client objectives, values, and budgets, consistently meeting project timelines and targets.
  • Specialized in brand development, core beliefs, and ADA-compliant digital platforms, meeting or exceeding client objectives.
  • Forecasted macro/micro trends in design, color, consumer industries, people & society, and media & technology.
  • Enhanced audience engagement by incorporating compelling visuals and interactive elements into digital stories.
  • Boosted brand recognition with captivating storytelling, tailored to target audiences across various platforms.

Art Director

APEX PERFORMANCE
08.2014 - 06.2019
  • Collaborated with Creative Director on concepts and designs for premium automotive accounts (Lexus, Toyota, Audi, BMW, Acura).
  • Managed and optimized workflows for multiple projects and teams, ensuring consistent brand identity across channels.
  • Led account-specific brand alignment and strategy training, contributing to the Lexus International rebranding.
  • Enhanced overall design quality by mentoring junior designers and providing constructive feedback on their work.
  • Improved brand consistency by developing and implementing comprehensive visual guidelines across all platforms.

Art Director

ALCONE
05.2011 - 08.2014
  • Partnered with the Creative Director to create compelling concepts and designs for diverse clients, including the California State Lottery, Safeway, Nestlé, Patrón, and Kraft-Heinz.
  • Facilitated collaboration with account management teams, ensuring a deep understanding of client objectives and expectations.
  • Collaborated closely with copywriters on concepts and initial comps.
  • Improved brand consistency by developing and implementing comprehensive visual guidelines across all platforms.
  • Enhanced overall design quality by mentoring junior designers and providing constructive feedback on their work.

Graphic Designer

VISION DESIGN STUDIO
07.2010 - 05.2011
  • Managed projects from concept to completion for national campaigns (The Art Institutes, The Salvation Army).
  • Conceptualized and designed diverse marketing collateral, from brochures to web banners, ensuring high-quality and visually appealing deliverables.
  • Worked flexible hours across night, weekend, and holiday shifts.

Skills

  • Communication
  • Leadership
  • Collaboration
  • Creativity
  • Organization
  • Graphic Design
  • Adobe Creative Suite Expertise
  • Project Management
  • Marketing and Branding
  • Copywriting
  • Digital Design
  • Project Management and Automation
  • Ecommerce
  • Strategic Thinking
  • RFP & Presentation Design
  • Logo Design
  • Print Advertising
  • Image Manipulation
  • Adaptability and Flexibility
  • Trend Research
  • Type Selection
  • Advertising Understanding
  • Image Editing
  • Mobile Applications
  • Business Development Understanding
  • Retail Operations Management

Software

Adobe Experience Design (XD)

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Lightroom

Adobe InDesign

Adobe Creative Cloud (individual & teams)

Adobe Rush

Adobe After Effects (familiar)

Adobe Dimensions (familiar)

Figma (familiar)

Apple iWork (Keynote, Pages, and Numbers)

Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Sites, and Slides)

Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, and Word)

Squarespace platform (Circle Member)

Wix platform (Wix Editor & Wix Studio)

Slack

Asana

Zapier

Accomplishments

PUBLISHED WORK

Foundations of Digital Art and Design by Peachpit Press, a division of Pearson Education

  • The "AIGA Join Campaign" is highlighted in the First & Second Editions, 2013, 2019.

AWARDS

  • American Ad Federation (ADDY) Awards (2014)
  • Pro Awards (2013)
  • Reggie Award (2013)
  • Creativity International Award (2013)
  • American Ad Federation (ADDY) Awards (2013)
  • Creativity International Awards (2012)
  • American Ad Federation (ADDY) Awards (2011)

Education

Bachelor of Science - Graphic Design

THE ART INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA—OC
Santa Ana, CA

Affiliations

  • Member of American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)


Skills (Expanded)

SOFT SKILLS

Communication: Strong communication and presentation skills, effective collaboration, and ability to convey ideas confidently.

Leadership: Experience in team supervision, creative direction, and fostering a collaborative and innovative culture.

Adaptability: Proactive, flexible, and self-motivated approach in dynamic environments.

Collaboration: Building cross-functional relationships and working closely with teams and stakeholders.

Creativity: Passion for creative solutions, generating new ideas, and solving design challenges.

Organization: Exceptional multitasking, detail-oriented, and deadline-driven approach.

HARD SKILLS

Graphic Design: Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite as well as various design applications and/or tools (XD, Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.).

Project Management: Experience in routing creative work, resource management, and using project management systems.

Marketing & Branding: Strong understanding of marketing and branding principles for achieving brand consistency and successful campaigns.

Copywriting: Extensive experience in crafting clear and concise communications tailored to specific audiences and channels.

Digital Design: Creating for digital platforms (social media, web, email, video, display), familiarity UX/UI design, marketing automation tools, as well as project management software (Zapier, Slack, and Asana).

Ecommerce: Familiar with the following types of e-commerce businesses: B2C, B2B, D2C, C2C, B2G; with an emphasis on retail, digital products, private labeling, services, and subscription delivery models.

RFP & Presentation Design: Expert in creating visually compelling and strategic RFP documents and later into stand-up presentations (Keynote, PowerPoint, and Slides); transforming complex concepts into clear, persuasive visuals for effective communication with clients and stakeholders.

Strategic Thinking: Analyzing creative performance, identifying opportunities, and developing tonal strategies based on insights.

Work Availability

monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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