About

A little history

Originally from Harleysville, PA, I moved to Georgia after graduating from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a B.A. in Graphic Design. I worked as a Graphic Designer for four years at Finished Art Inc., an Atlanta design agency. There I was responsible for concepting, managing and developing packaging graphics, point-of-sale and multimedia deliverables for international clients such as Coca-Cola and Motorola.

Where I am now / Methodology

I believe that design is about much more than aesthetics; it has the potential to make people’s lives better. I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated with the limitations of my job as a Graphic Designer. I found that my passion lies in understanding what users truly need and applying a designer’s mentality to create solutions that meet those needs. This is what motivated me to push beyond graphic design to design research, strategy and management.

In September 2010, I moved to Savannah and entered the Design Management graduate program at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I just finished my Master of Art degree, and I am eager to reenter the workplace and apply the contextual research methods and business knowledge I have acquired at SCAD. I am currently seeking a position as a manager or strategist, and I am more than willing to relocate.

What can I do with these new skills?

I can go into a company and lead a research team to find out what consumer needs are and how we can address those needs through design. I can take the design opportunities we find and develop a strategy for a design team to follow through and meet these needs, creating value for both the company and consumers. I can work on a team to design a new brand from the ground up, or use analytics to explore ways a brand can better position themselves and tell their story to their customers. I can speak with both designers and traditional business people, bridging the gap and making sure both sides are communicating clearly and working together to reach the same goal.

Other Interests / Goals

I enjoy hiking, running, yoga and pilates. I like good food — mainly eating it, but more recently cooking it too. I enjoy traveling. The best trip I’ve been on was to Japan and Taiwan. I have an adorable shiba inu named Kobe. Sometimes he acts more like a cat than a dog.

One of my goals is to learn Mandarin Chinese before the next time I visit my husband’s family in Taiwan. So far, most of the Chinese and Taiwanese words I know have to do with food (very important to know of course).