The Candy Difference
I start drawing the moment I hear the marketing strategy, and my broad and deep CPG experience catapults me down resourceful paths providing category-changing results.
Experience
FREELANCE CREATIVE DIRECTOR—Chicago
Produced diverse deliverables including brand strategy, logo development, package design, and production art for a growing roster of CPG clients.
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Awarded“2018 Vendor of the Year” for initial project for Buddig lunch meats, resulting in continued stream of successes.
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2020 PAC Award in the Food & Beverage Rebrand category for Carl Buddig
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Imaginatively visualize food to continually develop arresting ways to display products
Brand successes include Buddig, Nic-Pack, Sprouts, Columbia Fruits, Harkin Popcorn, Frigo, Organa Inc, Perdue
2017-present
CREATIVE DIRECTOR—Strategia Design, Virginia
Directed and inspired creative team, shaped brand strategies and designed award-winning
portfolio of marketing materials exceeding customers’expectations.
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Increased product coverage for Weis Markets’ from soda segment to canned fruit and vegetables, frozen foods, snacks and crackers, dairy, juice and the creation of a premium house brand
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Grew representation with Wegman’s from seaweed snack to applesauce segment, feminine products and the restructuring of the cereal category
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Designed more than 1500 items in a single year for Smart & Final
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Industry honors included GDUSA and Vertex Awards
Brand successes included Agro Seville, Atlantic Foods, CH Guenther & Sons, Cintron Beverage, Ellumen Healthcare, Fattorie Giacobazzi, H-E-B Texas Grocery, Kum & Go, Jackfruit, Magi Foods, Market Basket, Massimo Zanetti Beverage, Mindless Products, Red Door Decor, Reston Town Center, Rize Corporation, Seneca, Smart & Final, Wegmans Food Market, Weis Markets
2005-2017
CREATIVE DIRECTOR—ForeFront Creative, Virginia
Created startup agency’s brand identity, generated new food brand business and increased supermarket chains representedsupermarket chains to the growing roster. Managed creative team and stable of freelancers.
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Defined agency creative standards, and design processes, created website and
marketing materials
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Surpassed expectations for clients with marketing strategies and creative executions
Brand successes included Allen Foods, Cuisine Solutions, Fresh Farm Supermarkets, Safeway, SuperValu
2004-2005
2000-2004
CREATIVE DIRECTOR—MLR Design, Chicago
Developed strategies, designed creative and delivered successes for some of the world’s best-known food brands.
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Created a brand that uniquely captured the emotional bond between pet and owner fueling a 33% increase in market share for Companion pet food line
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Generated major new client business and assumed lead role in growing the agency
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Named one of the “50 People to Watch in 2001” by Graphic Design USA
Brand successes included Quaker Oats, Kraft, Coca Cola, Minute Maid, Pepsi Cola, HJ Heinz, Alberto Culver, Jim Beam, World Kitchen, Ahold USA Foods
DESIGN DIRECTOR—Lipson Alport Glass and Associates, Chicago
Design lead on key domestic and international accounts, overseeing all brand
identity and package design projects.
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Innovative work for H-E-B Texas Grocery’s Easy Melt cheese catapulted the brand to a 30% market share and put a scare into Kraft
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Our creative for H-E-B’s frozen pizza stole significant share from category giants Tombstone and DiGiorno
Brand successes included Best Foods, Dean Foods, Keebler, Kraft, Coca Cola, Perrier, H-E-B Texas Grocery, EJ Brach, Dolefam, Corning Glass Works
DESIGNER—Wencel Hess Design, Chicago
Made such an impression as freelancer, I was hired after three weeks.
Brand successes included Borden, Jim Beam, Sara Lee, Kraft, Quaker Oats, Mountain High
1990-1991
1991-2000
Proficent
Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Microsoft Office
Education
BFA, Packaging Design—Fashion Institute of Technology
YOU CAN'T USE UP CREATIVITY.
THE MORE YOU USE, THE MORE YOU HAVE.
~Maya Angelou
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