CONTACT

NicoleGarciaDesigns.com
nicolegarciadesigns@gmail.com
224.330.0511

EDUCATION

Columbia College Chicago
BFA in Graphic Design

SUPER SKILLS

Collaborative Team Player, Strategic Creative Thinker, Storyteller, Communicator, Problem Solver, Detail Oriented, Proactive, Organization, Multi-tasker, and Project Management.

PROFESSIONAL

Print, Digital, Branding, Brand Identity, Packaging, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, Web Design, Animation / GIF, Stop Motion, Food/Prop Styling, Photography, Art Direction, Photo Art Direction, and Concepting.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign), Canva, Figma, Mailchimp, Klaviyo, HTML, Microsoft Office, Google Slides, Teams, Slack, Wrike, Asana, SmartSheet, InMotion, Wordpress, Weebly, and SquareSpace.

Ace Hardware

Oak Brook, IL
June 2024 - January 2025

Senior Graphic Designer
Contract - Remote

• Took designs from concept to production for print and digital collateral for Rewards program, omni-channel and promotional campaigns, direct mailers, circular ads, and style guides tailored to target audiences that boosted customer engagement.

• Revamped and modernized the design direction for Rewards program to resonate with consumers and stay current with industry trends. 

• Created a digital brand style guide using Figma to provide a centralized reference point to maintain consistent external branding. 

• Elevated brand awareness and engagement on social media for Loud Mouth Barbeque utilizing AI to create content rooted in strategy.

• Concepted designs to innovate and evolve the brand that pertained to the identification of critical elements and alternatives to implement the most appropriate solution for various marketing and promotional materials and innovation projects. 

The Shade Store

Port Chester, NY
Feb 2024 - May 2024

Senior Graphic Designer
Contract - Remote

• Created and designed 2024 product catalog.

• Created and updated marketing materials and presentations for sales and consumer use.

• Managed workload and multiple projects simultaneously, taking them from concept to execution while meeting deadlines.

SRW Agency

Chicago, IL
October 2021 - September 2023

Senior Art Director

• Brainstormed, conceptualized, developed, and executed designs and campaigns for various CPG brands by collaborating with cross-functional teams to translate marketing objectives into visually compelling creative material, ensuring they aligned with the brand identity and strategy to achieve goals, drive sales, and deliver results.

• Led and directed the artistic vision for multi-channel campaigns and creative, ensuring visually engaging designs that enhanced brand awareness of the brand’s partnerships, products, social media, and online platforms. 

• Cultivated strong relationships with clients through effective communication and collaboration during the creative process by creating presentation decks for concepts, designs, storyboards, campaigns, new business pitches, and photoshoots with clear rationales.

• Provided on-set photo art direction, food / prop styling, and sourced props to stay within the client’s budget without sacrificing quality.

• Managed and delivered high-quality designs in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, ensuring client satisfaction. 

• Stayed up-to-date and explored new techniques and industry trends to enhance and push creative.

Hofseth North America + Wixter Seafood

Rosemont, IL
September 2019 - February 2021

Creative Manager

• Oversaw and mentored a cross-functional team of designers, copywriters, and photographers in the strategic development and execution of creative, ensuring cohesive art direction and visual storytelling across all channels and marketing initiatives for Hofseth North America, Wixter Market, and Wixter Seafood.

• Lead the creative concepting and execution of strategy-driven, visually rich solutions that captivate and effectively communicate the intended message to the target audience and deliver on business goals and objectives. 

• Developed and created the brand identity, packaging, and website designs for Wixter Seafood, resulting in a 27+ SKU national brand.

• Created packaging designs, POS materials, in-store graphics, presentations, marketing materials, and social media graphics for Hofseth North America, Wixter Market, and Wixter Seafood that increased brand awareness, customer engagement, and sales.

• Coordinated and directed photoshoots from concept to post-production and internally photographed products, ensuring high-quality visuals aligned with brand identity goals.

• Worked with outside agencies, vendors, and stakeholders to ensure initiatives and activations exceeded expectations and stayed within established budgets, time frames, and strategy.

• Championed innovation within the company by introducing new workflows, project management, and review processes that improved and streamlined efficiency to enhance production, resulting in accuracy, faster turnaround times, and reduced costs.

US Foods

Rosemont, IL
June 2018 - September 2019

Production/Graphic Designer
Contract

• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to rebrand CHEF’STORE, elevating and modernizing designs such as in-store signage and marketing materials, event collateral, product catalogs, billboards, direct mailers, and digital ads.

• Created print and digital assets for Fall 2019 Scoop magazine, including catalogs, toolkits, sale sheets, recipe books, event signage, swag, and marketing materials.

• Developed print and digital designs that effectively communicated objectives and cohesive branding across brand and sub-brands. 

• Worked seamlessly with speed, accuracy, and efficiency to produce same-day deliverables while managing a high volume of projects.

MSRF, Inc.

Chicago, IL
May 2016 - July 2016

Packaging / Graphic Designer
Contract

• Developed concepts and created dielines, designs, and print-ready artwork for seasonal specialty food packaging that resonated with customers while communicating important product attributes.

• Created physical and digital product mock-ups in client meetings and presentations.

High Sierra

(a subsidiary of Samsonite)

Vernon Hills, IL
June 2015 - May 2016

Graphic Design Intern

• Worked alongside the Creative Director and Art Director in designing and updating various print collateral pieces for product packaging, hang tags, sell sheets, catalogs, and trade show graphics.

• Spearheaded designs for giveaways on social media to promote brand awareness.

• Actively researched industry trends to bring new ideas and applications to designs.

Chicago Twenty Something

Chicago, IL
September 2013 - May 2016

Lead Graphic Designer

• Developed and managed all digital design needs and maintained 20+ event websites.

• Created logos, flyers, brochures, business cards, digital advertisements, and websites to promote and market events effectively.