Nikkispace

About Me

I'm a graphic designer living in the Lehigh Valley with my three spoiled cats.

Homeless animals and elderly people tug at my heartstrings; a bold, smooth flowing pen will always brighten my day; and I strive to be a good person, leaving a smile upon the face of whomever I meet.

I've always been a little bit of a tomboy, and as a youngster spent my time climbing trees, hanging out in the garage, and playing in the dirt. This followed through to adulthood, and I grew up to enjoy tinkering on cars, gardening, and most anything crafty and creative.

Skills

My design capabilities are multi-faceted, spanning from and traditional branding and logo development, to print and web-based advertising and marketing materials, to large format vehicle/architectural graphics and wraps. I'm expert at the many aspects wide-format layout, design, and printing/print production- taking projects from the beginning stage of survey and templating, through the entire design process, to the finished printed product.


Software:

Adobe Creative Suite • Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Muse, Fireworks, Flash

Microsoft Office • Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint

Production and RIP Software • Onyx, SummaCut, VersaWorks, FlexiSign


Expertise:

Project management through all stages of the development, design, and printing processes

Logo design and brand development

Development of marketing strategies adherent to advertising best practices

Corportate brand compliance

Large format architectural, advertising, and vehicle design

Creation of supplemental marketing materials, product packaging, and other collateral

Digital photography and photo editing

Large format file setup, printing, and production

Operating, diagnosing, maintaining and repairing printers and production equipment • HP, Summa, Roland, Seal

Web design and development • HTML, XML, CSS, JavaScript, ActionScript, VB Script, WordPress

Work

IDWraps.com

Senior Designer / Project Manager • November, 2009 - Present

Supervise day to day operations of print and production departments and oversee client/designer relationships, while effectively solving any problems that may arise.

Train and manage junior designers, production support staff, and graphic installers.

Allocate resources and delegate tasks to team members, in order to efficiently complete projects within a dedicated and predetermined timeframe.

Superintend multiple projects simultaneously, from initial order, to conceptualization, design and production processes, through completion.

Setup and prepare digital files for printing and production.

Communicate and brainstorm with clients to develop and execute effective and cohesive branding strategies for vehicle wraps, company-branded POP and display graphics, websites, and other marketing materials and campaigns.

Develop and implement in-house and client branding guides, presentations, spec sheets, sell sheets, and other collateral, establishing and maintaining brand consistency and compliance.

Act as a liaison, communicating with and collaborating between agencies, internal and external marketing departments, creative directors, executives, franchisees, and franchisors to ensure brand compliance across graphics, websites, and other marketing collateral.

Survey, and create technical drawings used to template unique and individual applications.

Conceptualize, design, and print vehicle, architectural, and other large-format graphics, in conjunction with smaller, high-run product branding and marketing materials.

Ensure delivery of high quality products and services, and resolve any customer service issues that may arise in a timely and efficient manner.

Operate and maintain printers, laminators, plotters, and other in-house printing and production equipment.

In-house IT, networking, and software management.

Work directly with multiple vendors to procure and maintain supply inventory.

Create, manage, and update project spreadsheets for in-house and client collaboration.

Organize, label, and accurately detail design files, marketing assets, and other collateral materials to ensure comprehension and ease of access for future reference.

Develop effective marketing strategies which conform to established best practices, to capitalize on incoming traffic and revenue from both web and in-person exposure.

Copywrite, and edit client-written materials, to effectively convey innovation, professionalism, and aptitude in advertising campaigns for both small and large businesses.

InkStop

Store Manager • August, 2007 - October, 2009

Responsibilities included training, managing and directing a small staff, designing and coordinating in-store graphics and POP/POS displays, planograms, reaching weekly sales goals, employee scheduling, payroll, and overseeing all customer service practices.

The Morning Call

Internship • August, 2004 - March, 2005

Responsible for creating and updating website graphics and advertisements for a variety of In-House projects and clients, including: Cars.com, Homefinder.com, The Wescoe School, MergeDigital, online contests, campaign pages, and several blogs.

Education

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Major: B.F.A. in Communication Design • May, 2006

Concentrations in both Print Graphics and Interactive Design

Minor: Criminal Justice • May, 2006

Minor: English• May, 2006

Client Testimonials

  • "Thank you for all your help with our van wrap project! I loved working with you and you really brought our vision to life. I appreciated your responsiveness to our questions and flexibility with our challenges. Your customer service is top notch!"

    Deb S., United Disability Services

  • “Thanks for all of your patience! You're a joy to work with! Can't wait to see the final product :)”

    Melissa Y., Hartzells Pharmacy

  • "Nikki's creative talent, patience, and attention to detail has been greatly appreciated! Kudos to you for the 'new look' of our education outreach vans."

    Shirley K., LVZoo

  • "Thank you so much for your work on the A GRADE truck! It looks absolutely amazing! We are so happy with it! We can't thank you enough for all of your hard work and design expertise! Thank you most of all for putting up with us! I know we weren't the easiest clients to deal with and probably drove you insane, but we are so happy with the result! We can't imagine it coming out any better. Thanks for all of your time and patience! "

    Karen L., A Grade Property Solutions

  • "Nikki was very accommodating to our design requests and as you can see the final product came out great! This truck is such an "Eye Catcher" now."

    Stephen V., Volpe Enterprises

  • "Nikki, Thank you so much for the great service. I really appreciate it."

    Jacques E., Graphics-N-Tints

  • "The van looks great! We love it! Thanks so much for all your hard work and the quick turn around! "

    Jennifer P., PA Breast Cancer Coalition

  • "Thank you again for all your help. I get so many compliments on my vehicle, I love it! Thank you!"

    Billie Jo D., Balloons Make Me Happy

  • "Thank you so much for all your help, it means the world to me :-)!"

    Kelly Ellis N., Pure Romance

  • "Nikki,YAAAAAAAAYYYYYY! I am so excited to see this project reach its completion! Thanks so much again for all of your help (and flexibility!) through this process. The owners of IDWraps are lucky to have you as a part of their crew!"

    Joshua F., Hempen Hill BBQ

  • "We can't be more pleased with our trailer, so thank you! Here are a few of the reasons:
    1. Great, regular contact (and reminders) from you, and clear instructions
    2. You did a great job of working through multiple iterations on design so that we ended up with exactly what we wanted
    3. Great experience with the install and the care your guys put into making that happen fast and with high quality and care.
    So, anytime you need a reference, don't hesitate to contact us! Our trailer is out by a main road and already getting us some hits from both buyers and sellers.
    Regards"

    Scott F., Home Renew

Get In Touch.

I'd love to hear from you!

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