Résumé
CREATIVE LEADERSHIP, DESIGN & MARTECH
I’m a Creative Director with 16+ years of experience across branding, art direction, UX/UI, websites, integrated campaigns, and marketing technology. I’ve led B2B teams of up to 10 designers and developers and owned client work from the first creative brief through launch. I’m a hands-on player-coach who enjoys building the work as much as directing it, whether designing a brand, coding a site, shooting photography, or solving the technical problem nobody saw coming. An average day might look like walking the C-suite through an interactive Figma prototype, aligning designers and developers on the build, then personally wiring up HubSpot retargeting that tracks every click post-launch.
Experience
Red Caffeine
Lombard, Illinois
Production & Martech Manager
Jan 2025 – Aug 2026
Set creative direction for 8 concurrent B2B accounts, directing up to 10 remote designers and developers, setting hours, budgets, and timelines, matching projects to the right person, and approving every deliverable through launch in sprint reviews.
Led an AI-assisted proposal tool that let account managers and non-creatives build an on-brand pitch deck in a few clicks, with spreadsheet-linked pricing that kept the numbers right through each revision and cut the time spent on quotes in half.
Named Employee of the Year five years running as the go-to person for agency operations, onboarding every new hire, bringing in a ticketed support team, training staff on AI tools, and administering Slack, ChatGPT, 1Password, and Google Drive.
Oversaw the technical relaunch of the Anchor Harvey Components website after the company’s acquisitions, writing design and developer briefs, quoting the work, and testing each page and form until all open issues were resolved before launch.
Red Caffeine
Lombard, Illinois
Senior Art Director
Jan 2022 – Jan 2025
Turned an email-campaign request from Bales Metal Surface Solutions into a customer reactivation system with automated journeys, exceeding its revenue target by 13%, tripling minimum orders YoY, and earning a Net Promoter Score of 74.
Built lead-scoring and marketing automation campaigns with custom-written content using Ortto, HubSpot, and Mailchimp to drive engagement, automate outreach, establish clients as subject matter experts, and generate repeat orders.
Wrote the creative brief for every project and presented strategy and brand storytelling to client executives, mapping websites and campaigns in Figma and FigJam during calls so the whole plan stayed on screen as each client decided whether to sign.
Led brand relaunches for Rome Grinding Solutions, The Signature Room at the 95th, and U.S. Minerals, overseeing brand audits, on-site photography, website redesigns, and visual identity guidelines from concept through launch.
Red Caffeine
Lombard, Illinois
Art Director
Jan 2021 – Jan 2022
Interviewed and evaluated design candidates, helped hire new team members, and onboarded and mentored designers through hands-on training, creative reviews, and ongoing feedback to strengthen the agency’s creative team.
Managed day-to-day creative production across branding, websites, and campaigns for several brands, assigning work to designers, reviewing deliverables against brand standards, and coordinating with remote developers to maintain quality.
Replaced the agency’s old static wireframing process with interactive, scalable Figma prototypes that clients and stakeholders reviewed in live sessions, catching problems before development and cutting down revisions on each new website.
Improved website user experiences through A/B testing, Hotjar behavior analysis, and Typeform surveys, using real user feedback and conversion data to identify friction, refine navigation and content, improve accessibility, and optimize conversion paths.
Red Caffeine
Lombard, Illinois
Senior Designer
Jan 2020 – Jan 2021
Drew custom vector illustrations in Adobe Illustrator and designed B2B brand, campaign, sales, and presentation materials in Adobe InDesign, combining original artwork, photography, and typography in production-ready files for print and digital.
Introduced Figma for client reviews before development, reducing coded revisions, and led UX quality checks on a nearly 9,000-page e-commerce site, documenting issues and partnering with developers to resolve usability problems before launch.
Helped launch Business as “Un”usual, a B2B livestream still running after 6 years, building Restream workflows, configuring channels, preparing guests, and resolving live audio, video, and connection problems to keep the show on air.
Designed interactive trade show exhibits, producing environmental graphics, large-format signage, and photorealistic to-scale mockups so clients could approve designs before fabrication.
Parker Lee Creative
Greater Chicago Area
Creative Director
Oct 2010 – Present
Built and have run an independent creative studio for 16+ years, earning repeat business from clients like Taracon Precast with hands-on work spanning branding, websites, email marketing, annual reports, packaging, photography, and video production.
Generated 95M+ unique interactions with 30+ Snapchat geofilters featuring original typographic illustrations of local landmarks, earning Featured Cities Artist recognition from Snapchat in 2020, 2021, and 2025.
Created 225+ one-of-a-kind logos featuring custom hand lettering, original illustrations, and vector artwork, building tailored brand identity systems for everyone from mom-and-pop startups to multimillion-dollar companies rebranding acquisitions.
Built websites clients could run themselves, organized around what their customers needed most, then tested accessibility and site performance and trained each client to update and manage the content on their own long after launch.
Symboliq Media
St. Charles, Illinois
Art Director
Nov 2018 – Dec 2019
Helped grow the agency from 3 people to 8 by rebuilding its brand, voice, guidelines, website, advertising, and social media presence, and by creating, with the owner, reusable pitch decks and proposals that won signed work from new clients.
Directed the MTN CBD packaging rebrand, including its identity and social creative, after which website traffic grew 138%, online sales rose 38%, and customer support inquiries fell 87%, making it the agency’s flagship online case study.
Led daily Agile scrums with a senior graphic designer, two content marketers, and a senior web developer, assigning work, reviewing creative and website deliverables, and executing client photo shoots from planning through editing and retouching.
Helped Vanexxe expand into Costco by redesigning its packaging, website, and social media creative around a more approachable brand identity that made personal care products easier to understand and customers more comfortable choosing them.
Lost Boyz Inc.
Chicago, Illinois
Volunteer Senior Graphic Designer
Sep 2016 – May 2019
Designed annual reports that turned program data, finances, and the players’ own stories into a convincing funding case, helping the Chicago youth baseball nonprofit secure 5- and 6-figure grants it had never won before from funders like Nike.
Maintained and expanded the nonprofit’s youth-created brand identity across baseball and softball uniforms, team apparel, events, and community outreach, keeping the organization recognizable while honoring the identity its young athletes had built.
Ran donor communications, from Mailchimp newsletters to Giving Tuesday campaigns on reusable layouts, pairing each email with social graphics so donors and families kept hearing what the programs accomplished all year, not just during fundraisers.
Managed creative production for a volunteer-led nonprofit, turning rough briefs into print-ready flyers, social media campaigns, and videos using Adobe Creative Cloud while keeping the brand consistent for donors, families, and community partners.
Gulf Business Printing
San Antonio, Texas
Senior Graphic Designer
Jan 2017 – Nov 2018
Designed the interface and templates for Order Anywhere, an in-house online ordering platform that let franchise owners reorder in a few clicks, see all pricing in one place, and manage logins and purchase history by employee and location.
Localized chain-wide campaigns for Fiesta Restaurant Group, Taco Cabana, and Whataburger, adapting menus, billboards, point-of-sale, direct mail, and email to each local offer, and shot product photography while keeping every brand standard intact.
Built variable-data Adobe InDesign templates using data merge, conditional content, and field mapping to personalize offers, pricing, and addresses across markets, reducing manual file preparation and minimizing waste across high-volume print runs.
Managed print production from quote to shipment, working with clients and account managers to set budgets, source materials, coordinate vendors, and personally handle prepress, Pantone color matching, press operations, finishing, kitting, and shipping.
Econoprint
Lake Delton, Wisconsin
Junior Graphic Designer
Mar 2015 – Nov 2016
Built variable-data franchise templates and anti-counterfeit pieces for Culver’s, and adapted its Wisconsin brand for new markets like Naples, Florida, and San Antonio, Texas, while juggling walk-ins, revisions, and rush jobs every day.
Ran Fiery-driven Canon and HP digital presses across the print floor, preparing files, imposing layouts, hand-mixing Pantone colors, checking proofs, finishing jobs, and solving production problems on the spot as soon as they came up.
Planned specialty print production around budgets, run lengths, and press capabilities, specifying paper stocks, UV coatings, die cuts, folding methods, and finishing techniques while managing prepress specifications, color accuracy, proofing, and production quality.
Designed environmental graphics, signage, and promotional materials for Wisconsin Dells attractions like Noah’s Ark Waterpark, Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, and Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park, preparing artwork for print and on-site installations.
Zebradog
Madison, Wisconsin
Junior Graphic Designer
Sep 2014 – Dec 2014
Designed the interactive kiosk interface and several exhibits for the Livsreise Norwegian Heritage Center, combining accessible UX/UI design, language-agnostic navigation, archival photo restoration, and historical research to tell Norwegian immigration stories.
Created environmental graphics for Duke University’s Basketball Museum and Hall of Fame, collaborating with architects on large-format layouts, dimensional artwork, and photorealistic mockups that honor the program’s history and its NBA alumni.
Developed healthcare wayfinding and signage systems in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign, preparing precise, to-scale production files that accounted for architectural constraints, viewing distances, sightlines, mounting methods, and installation tolerances.
Translated architectural drawings and design concepts into photorealistic environmental renderings and client presentation decks, helping stakeholders evaluate graphics, spatial relationships, materials, and installation details before approving projects for fabrication.
Hiebing
Madison, Wisconsin
Studio Intern
May 2014 – Aug 2014
Developed digital sweepstakes and promotional contest creative for Culver’s, working with art directors and copywriters on interactive entry experiences, campaign graphics, and in-store promotions, while shooting and retouching food photography for advertising.
Designed Schneider National’s annual reports and political action committee identity, combining financial data visualization, editorial layout, custom vector illustrations, logo design, and brand standards into polished corporate communications.
Designed product labels and packaging for Toppers Pizza, developing branded graphics, typography, and print-ready artwork while preparing production files for commercial printing and packaging applications.
Supported agency art directors, copywriters, and production teams across multiple client accounts, translating creative briefs into campaign concepts, presentation layouts, original illustrations, and production-ready assets for print and digital channels.
Schaumburg Boomers
Schaumburg, Illinois
Graphic Design Intern
Apr 2013 – Sep 2013
Designed game-day programs, season schedules, ticket layouts, promotional graphics, specialty jerseys, and branded apparel, preparing print-ready artwork for vendors while managing sponsor requirements, revisions, and tight baseball deadlines.
Shot player portraits and live game photography using manual camera settings, traveled with the team to road games, and edited and retouched images for promotional campaigns, player profiles, social media, and team publications.
Operated the stadium video board and scoreboard during live games, preparing graphics, promotional content, and video assets while coordinating real-time updates, sponsor advertisements, and in-game entertainment.
Managed WordPress website updates and social media content throughout the season, publishing scores, schedules, ticket promotions, and player news while helping coordinate giveaways, theme nights, merchandise, and postseason campaigns.
Education
The Illinois Institute of Art-Schaumburg
Schaumburg, Illinois
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Graphic Design
May 2010 – Dec 2013
Certifications
Solutions Partner,
Implementation for Partners,
Inbound Marketing,
Marketing Hub Software
HubSpot Academy
2026
Introduction to User Experience Principles and Processes
Understanding User Needs
University of Michigan
2023, 2024
From Brand to Image: Creating High Impact Campaigns That Tell Brand Stories
IE Business School
2022
Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design
Google
2022
Facebook Blueprint
Meta
2018
Awards
Bacon Saver Award
(Employee of the Year, Red Caffeine)
2021 – 2025
Featured Cities Artist – Snapchat
2020, 2021, 2025
Best of San Antonio Award – Graphic Design
2018
Skills
Creative Leadership
Creative Direction
Art Direction
Brand Strategy
Creative Strategy
Concept Development
Creative Briefs
Team Leadership
Team Mentoring
Client Presentations
Client Partnerships
Pitch Development
New Business Development
Brand and Design
Brand Identity Systems
Brand Guidelines
Integrated Campaigns
Logo Design
Typography
Packaging Design
Presentation Design
Custom Illustration
Motion Graphics
Photography
Copywriting
Digital, Web, and UX
User Experience (UX) Design
User Interface (UI) Design
Website Design
E-Commerce
Wireframing
Prototyping
Usability Testing
Accessibility Review
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Marketing and MarTech
B2B Marketing
Marketing Technology (MarTech)
Marketing Automation
Email Marketing
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Lead Generation
Content Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Marketing Analytics
Creative Operations and Production
Creative Operations
Production Management
Project Scoping
Resource Planning
Workflow Automation
Quality Assurance
Vendor Management
Print Production
Video Production
Tools
Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Premiere Pro
Figma
HubSpot
Salesforce
WordPress
Shopify
Google Analytics 4
Asana
ChatGPT
Codex
Claude
OpenClaw
Microsoft 365
Hobbies
Grading, Trading, and Collecting Baseball Cards
Collecting and Restoring Vinyl Records
Prototyping, Building, and Testing Agentic Tools
Have a project?
Let’s Connect!
Launching something new, rebuilding what no longer works, or trying to make sense of a project with too many moving parts? Tell me where things stand. I’ll help shape the direction, bring the right pieces together, clear the roadblocks, and move the work from first idea to final launch.
Add a hands-on lead.
Let’s work together!
I set the direction, keep the work moving, and stay close enough to the details to know when something needs attention. With 16+ years across brand, web, campaigns, MarTech, and production, I know how to guide teams, untangle complex projects, and carry strong ideas all the way through launch.