Publications and Product Packaging

I am proud to say that I am a PRINT designer, even in the digital design world. I believe that knowledge of pre-press production and physical media is disappearing in the ever-growing field of content creators and influencers who focus on graphics and reels for social media alone. Skills and expertise in print and packaging production are still fundamental to design, whether it is branding, presenting, event promotion, publishing, environmental art, product packaging, and yes—even social media. That’s because details matter, and pre-press production is ALL about the details.

I’ve recently been amazed at the people in Marketing and Design who don’t know the difference between CMYK and RGB, or when to use one or the other. Many have never heard of bleed, trim, or live area lines. Vector versus raster? Don’t even ask. Technical skills in mechanical production for web press, sheet-fed offset printing, spot color or foil separations, and die-cut templates are a lost art.

This is where I thrive. I am fluent in pre-press standards, having worked in advertising, publishing, and product packaging for most of my career. When it comes right down to the wire for print deliverables, pre-press is where precision and execution matter most.

It’s a marriage between the client, the creative team, and the external print vendors to ensure a flawless deliverable is achieved throughout production and into the physical world. I can jump in wherever I am needed in the print production process because I’ve worn all these hats; from creation to layout to proofing to pre-press to press checks and final delivery. 

Below are a number of projects which highlight my skill set in pre-press production:

  1. America’s Catch food packaging and sales promotion materials
  2. Planning Diva Launch Party invitations, promotional items, and event collateral 
  3. Endocrine News magazine monthly medical publication
  4. Mississippi Aquarium permanent exhibit displays and collateral

I have been lucky enough to be involved with Mississippi farm-raised catfish companies over the years and created a number of packaging bags, boxes, sales collateral, and event promotion items. Some of these were my concepts from scratch, some were designed using generic brand standards provided to me. Each required attention to FDA standards for food packaging, from the Nutritional Facts block and ingredients to the product instructions and UPC codes. I had to work hand in glove with the package printers to ensure the design worked with the template for their press line.

In January of 2023, I had the opportunity to join Planning Diva, a software-as-a-service startup company that would offer a start-to-finish management platform for event planners. The CEO and CTO founders hired me as their first employee, to serve as Creative Director to develop all the visuals for the up-and-coming company, both print and digital.

The Endocrine Society’s flagship magazine is a monthly publication called Endocrine News.
It is a medical/lifestyle magazine that goes to all members of this medical society.

In 2015, the editor of Endocrine News contacted me to redesign both the title and template of their publication. The logo and sections were completely reworked, and new formatting rules were set up for departments and features. The redesigned magazine won Association TRENDS Gold Award for Most Improved Magazine or Journal and was a finalist for the FOLIO: Eddie and Ozzie Awards category of Best Redesign.

Even better, I had long-time Endocrine Society members and employees tell me that they were pulled in by the engaging new design and that they had started actually reading the magazine cover to cover again. That’s just about the highest form of compliment that I can receive! I still work for Endocrine News today, parsing complex information into a reader-friendly layout, improving audience engagement and retention.

Working at Mississippi Aquarium gave me the opportunity to combine my love of all things coastal with providing ecological education. I created the large-format infographic display signage for a new deep sea coral restoration exhibit, as well as fun stuff like the children’s souvenir shark cup for the cafe.