Resume
Pamela Golafshar
Creative strategist and visual artist with over than 20 years of experience, who understands the ins and outs of building and expressing a brand. Detail-oriented, skilled in blending storytelling and strategic thinking, with an ability to see the big picture and the small details simultaneously. I enjoy leading by inspiration and hands-on visual design, and have an unending desire for learning new skills.
Experience
Senior Art Director, September 2019–present
Six Degrees | Scottsdale, AZ
Art direction, visual design, UX design and campaign strategy in a fast-paced agency setting. Responsible for spearheading creative strategy and hands-on design while collaborating with other business teams to deliver on clients’ campaign objectives.
Produce high-quality work for B2B and B2C clients: branding and campaign identity, print collateral, digital media, advertising, websites, tradeshow materials, presentations, packaging, emails, banner ads, social media, video, animation, etc.
Provide critical feedback to other team members: mentor junior designers and lead collaborative brainstorming sessions to empower and grow team members
Develop branding and creative visuals for clinical trials, HCP and DTC campaigns
Communicate clearly and thoughtfully: present visual concepts and provide rationale for design executions in order to build more effective collaboration
Collaborate with stakeholders at all levels to ensure transparency and clear vision
Projects include redesigning, wireframing, prototyping and overseeing the development of the agency’s own website, providing an improved user experience
Clients include healthcare/pharma, insurance, etc.: Johnson & Johnson, Abbott, Stryker, Genentech, Align, Nationwide, ThermoFisher, QSR, Varian
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Senior Graphic Designer, Contract, April 2019–September 2019
Yeager Marketing | Scottsdale, AZ
High-level design at an award-winning agency that provides marketing services for the B2B/SAAS technology industry.
Produced print design, digital design, web design, social media, infographics, branding identity and campaign collateral to deliver on campaign objectives
Met directly with clients and stakeholders to spearhead a brand identity project
Clients included Dell, CenturyLink, Cisco, Riverbed, NetApp, Puppet, Pure Storage, Veeam, TechData, Weka
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Creative Director, June 2018–March 2019
ITA Group | Remote
Developed communication strategies and provided creative direction to a team of project managers, art directors, writers, designers and video artists in a high-pressure agency environment, while working independently and collaborating seamlessly online.
Created and implemented communications campaigns and incentive programs for clients to motivate and engage their employees, channel partners and customers
Developed creative briefs that mapped campaign strategy and vision, ensuring alignment with the client’s brand and business objectives across multiple touchpoints
Collaborated with multiple business teams to create work informed by data and user feedback, working with quantitative and qualitative user research to improve campaign effectiveness
Managed campaign budgets and profitability on six-figure accounts
Created unique experiential event concepts and large-scale signage plans for consumer and industry-related events including conferences, sales meetings and business events, ensuring brand cohesion and integrity
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Creative Director, September 2015–June 2018
Zoe Organics | Remote
Creative direction, digital design, web design, graphic design, marketing and campaign strategy for a start-up consumer retail company.
Created the visual branding in its entirety, ensuring brand integrity across multiple platforms including POP, website, social media, advertising, marketing collateral, photography and B2B sales presentations
Developed the brand’s creative vision; created brand guidelines and brand assets to preserve the brand expression through all formats
Participated in strategic business planning at the executive level, developing creative strategy in tandem with business strategy and goals
Directed product and lifestyle photo shoots, adding to the visual brand library which also included the color palette, typography, tone of voice and a unique pattern for each product
Created a full brand refresh, including website redesign, which helped increase sales by 30% YOY
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Creative Director, September 2013–July 2015
Graphic Designer, October 2012–September 2013
The Vine | Hong Kong
Creative direction, communications strategy and brand management in an in-house non-profit organization.
Creative direction and hands-on design; managed team’s productivity and schedule for print, digital, video, animation, social media, illustration and photography to ensure continuity with campaign vision
Direct management of a culturally diverse team, providing leadership through coaching, collaboration and mentorship
Responsible for spearheading creative pitches and overseeing budgets and growth for the team
Developed thematic visual concepts and oversaw execution of environmental design, leading to increased audience engagement
Grew the department into a full-service, in-house creative agency
Organized and managed a team of volunteer creatives in the local community, empowering the development of new ideas and leading the execution of experiential events
Hired and managed internal and third-party creative resources
Developed the branding and provided creative direction for an international conference; integrated an informal human-centered design thinking approach to improve the attendee experience YOY
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Graphic Designer, Feb 2002–Nov 2004
Jr. Graphic Designer, Nov 2001–Feb 2002
Portland Art Museum | Portland, OR
In-house graphic design for a world-renowned art museum.
Designed print ads, outdoor banners, posters, brochures and other printed materials for exhibitions, educational programs and events at the museum
Was promoted within the first few months due to work ethic, learning agility, high quality standards and design aesthetic
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Owner/Graphic Designer, 1999–present
Yellow Heron Design
Freelance design services and consultation for clients worldwide.
Industries served include NGOs, book publishers, product manufacturers and musical artists
Clients include Thomson Reuters, Pearson Education Asia, Black Lawrence Press, Azusa Pacific University
Leadership Qualities
- Empowers team members
- Provides mentorship
- Communicates effectively
- Leads with authenticity / emotional intelligence
- Envisions possibilities
- Strategic / critical thinking
- Responsible / dependable
- Empathetic
- Current with industry trends
- Passionate about continuous improvement at all levels
Skills
- Flexible / adaptable
- Agile learner
- Motivated, driven to succeed
- Collaborative problem-solver
- Detail-oriented, project management
- Organization, time management
- Branding, advertising, marketing
- Visual, graphic, and digital design
- Extensive global travel
Software
- Adobe InDesign (LinkedIn Skills Assessment Badge: Top 5%)
- Adobe Illustrator (LinkedIn Skills Assessment Badge: Top 5%)
- Adobe Photoshop (LinkedIn Skills Assessment Badge: Top 15%)
- Adobe XD, Figma, Sketch
- WordPress, HTML / CSS
- Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- Communication / collaboration apps
Education / Certifications
Greenville University
September 1996–June 1997
Greenville, IL
Major: Music Theory & Composition
George Fox University
September 1994–May 1996
Newberg, OR
Major: Piano Performance
Google Professional UX Design Certificate:
Currently enrolled
LinkedIn Learning:
- UX Foundations
- UX Design
- Design Thinking
- Storytelling for Designers
- Critical Thinking
Email: pammyg [at] mac.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pamgolafshar