Design: Jobs Landed

I am responsible for the creative output of the agency. I navigate both traditional creative media and the digital domain with equal agility, selecting only what's necessary to serve the campaign, then making sure those channels flow together without a ripple. My experience includes Rubbermaid, La-Z-Boy, the Ohio Lottery, major hospital systems and everything from toys to tires.

I'm the big guy at Good Stuff Studios, the BOLD Ann Arbor-based graphic design firm! It's still a young firm, so I'm the lead designer / photographer; the accountant; the chief salesman; the guy who creates invoices and estimates; etc. I'm very fortunate to have a part-time assistant, Vanessa Peña, who's able to maintain some semblance of order amongst my chaos.
    
For these profiles, Concentrate Media asks you to say why you chose the area. Well, simply put, I love this town. I even tell my friends and family I'm the King of Ann Arbor. (Of course, they justifiably roll their eyes at that.) I went to art school at UofM and found out pretty quickly this place takes its creativity seriously; and I really enjoy the challenges that come along with that attitude.
    
When it comes to graphic design, it's all about the people! We create imagery for the auto parts industry; we create imagery for holistic healing; we've created stuff for a radio station; we've created graphics for different charities; etc. I could go on and on about the different clients we've been fortunate enough to work with, but the point is these are all very different industries with very different personality types. We've not only been able to help them stand out graphically from their competition, but we've also been able to do this while getting along with them! It sounds like a no-brainer, but anyone who's worked across multiple industries knows what I'm talking about.
    
I have to say, I love the work. I sometimes joke that if science would find a way to get me a paperwork monkey, my life would be perfect. In all honesty though, the thing I enjoy most about what we do is seeing how happy our clients are with what we've created for them. We've even received a check with a thank you note attached! I don't know about you, but I don't send thank you notes when I pay my bills.
    
If you'd like to discuss our services further, shoot an email to get@goodstuffstudios.com or give us a call at 734.660.9359. We never charge for a consultation, and sometimes we even spring for the coffee!

I design for web and print. I strive to create usable websites that are emotionally driven and inspired.

I knew a career in the graphic design field was in my future from a very young age. With a drawing pad always nearby, I would sketch anything that grabbed my eye. Later, during high school, I channeled this love for art into a small business designing t-shirts for student groups and athletic teams. This led me to attend the University of Michigan School of Art & Design to get a better understanding of graphic design theory and how I could use it to help people communicate their ideas. During school, I started my own freelance graphic design shop and began to take on several side jobs (whenever pesky homework didn’t get in the way) including a logo design for an airline and a website for a local life science company. Being a freelance graphic designer has allowed me to learn about so many interesting industries and meet some very inspiring entrepreneurs. It has also helped me to improve my graphic and web design skill sets at a much faster pace than when I was just working with one client.

As owner and founder of Color Bar Creative, I work mainly with local and out-of-state brides to create custom designs for all things paper for their wedding. I also design websites and other custom products for baby and other special events.

There was no doubt in my mind that I would open my business in South East Michigan I just really thought it was going to be a coffee shop.  As it turns out my true passion is floral design, fresh unique, modern floral design.  My job as owner of Sweet Pea is to meet with future brides and create a custom floral proposal for their big day.  After that I get elbow deep in buckets of blooms and boxes of blossoms and go into a floral trance that results in a collection of artful bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces etc.  I love delivering and setting up for weddings, I always feel caught up in the excited energy that surrounds a wedding and the happy anticipation of everyone else around.  My favorite thing about my job as lead designer is the creative outlet that this provides for my inner artist it is very satisfying to dream something up and then make it happen.  Flowers are the perfect medium for a Jesus freak like me too, I find so much truth and beauty in the natural and being surrounded by it day to day is completely inspires me.

We design and build 3-dimensional marketing spaces for companies who participate in trade shows across the country and the world.  I work with these companies to pinpoint their marketing and sales objectives and then create appealing exhibits that represent their brands and achieve their goals.

In my position with Perich, I am responsible for working on a diverse array of interactive design and development projects working with the Adobe Creative Suite. Projects include work for General Motors, GMAC, Detroit Institute of Arts, Grand Hotel, Mitsubishi Electric, Walsh College, and Bank of Ann Arbor.

I'm an ideas person with two feet on the ground. I design materials like this for companies and individuals: Invitations and announcements; Brochures, Pamphlets & Publications; Packaging; Logos/Identity Systems, Stationery & Collateral; Marketing Materials; Environmental Signage; Website Design.

My duties are primarily sales, and design. I sell potential clients on the service and handle all contracts.  I leads all design work with an assistant who handles the computer drawings. I also create the designs and manage all selections from paint colors to light fixtures. I am active in the field during construction to ensure projects are built as they were designed and to handle any unforeseen issues.

I help develop client web marketing strategies and identify the best combination of online marketing tools and venues to deliver trackable results.  Areas of responsibility are Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay-Per-Click Management, Directory Management, Blog Management, and reporting on web analytics, rankings, etc.