Alana Waters-Piper
Creative Director: Interactive & Print
Email: alana@alanawaters.com
Voice: 312.493.0175
[download a pdf of my resume]
Goal
After a long span of contract positions, I am looking for a full-time, long-term, on-site position where I can add my 18+ years of experience to an top-tier creative team.
Please note that I am not currently considering contract positions. Thank you!
Expertise
Design management and creative leadership
Creative direction and graphic design (static and Flash)
Usability standards and user interface design
Strong familiarity with standard interactive work flow
eCommerce site design, management, and production
Social media, email, and targeted, pay-per-click marketing
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Exceptional client relationship skills
Experience
Associate Creative Director: Walgreens.com (Contract) March 2011-Current
eCommerce side of Fortune 35 corporation. Leadership of team responsible for designing architecture, user interface, messaging/copywriting for online properties. Includes website services, online promotions, landing pages, banner ads, emails as well as various site redesigns. Liaison between product managers, marketing, tech, development, and design.
Design Manager: Sears Holdings (User Experience Group—Contract) October 2010-March 2011
Develop & manage projects, and establish process for Sears.com, Kmart.com, and MyGofer.com Interactive teams. Liaison between executive team, merchants, creative team (UXA, designers, copywriters), and developers. Duties include project management, development and delivery of estimates and new business pitches, development and accounting for timing of deliverables and milestones.
Director of Interactive Services: MSI (Marketing Support, Inc.—Contract) January 2010-September 2010
Develop, manage, and establish process for Interactive team. Liaison between clients, creative team, account service team, and developers.
Design Manager: Unilever HPC February 2008 – January 2010
Manage the design and production of the primary packaging, line extensions, POP and bonus packs for the Dove and Degree brands. Hands-on development of structure plastic color development and fragrance fill color development. Highlights include the Degree Fine Fragrance Collection, Men’s special editions, and Dove Go Fresh lines.
Freelance Graphic Design and Photography April 1996 – Present
Web design, Flash and code production (HTML, CSS, basic ActionScript, XML), print design, illustration, and photography.
Interactive Art Director > Creative Director: Harp Interactive August 2006 – February 2008
Heavy use of Flash. Managed project workflow, design creation and process for global and national brands such as OfficeMax, Illy Coffee, Precious Moments, and Barilla. Hands-on creation of Flash, web design and code production (HTML, CSS, basic ActionScript, XML), point-of-purchase, catalog design and production, print advertising design, photography. Heavy utilization of Quark, InDesign, Photoshop, ImageReady, photo research, rights management, tabletop photography and illustration.
Interactive Art Director, K-6 Educational Technology: Scott Foresman September 2002 – March 2006
Heavy use of Flash. Creation of key branding elements that are in use across all company products. Wireframing, storyboarding, and production of many educational interactive materials, websites, and CD ROMs, management and coordination of freelance personnel, designers, illustrators, photographers, and writers. Extensive expertise in the area of photography permissions, various forms of electronic media, established usability standards, user interface design, and 508 compliancy.
Senior Designer: Inforte April 1999 – December 2000
Led look & feel of company web site and all marketing, provided all digital and print photography, and maintained branding of look & feel across all company collateral, both print and web in addition to managing permanent and freelance designers.
Clients included: Yahoo!, Palm, Sony Playstation, Bebe.com, Gloss.com
Media Specialist: Enron February 1996 – April 1998
On site contractor through United Media Corporation / Bowne Business Services. Duties included creating graphics for Enron Corp. at their headquarters in Houston, TX, creating and processing 35mm slides as well as print design work. Highlights include full-page ad in the Wall St. Journal and international, company-wide logo roll out. Heavy daily use of Illustrator, Photoshop, Quark Xpress, color darkroom, and Powerpoint.
Education
School of Visual Arts 1987 – 1990
Photography, Curriculum focused on Photography, Graphic Design, and Mass Media.
Applications
Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop / Illustrator / ImageReady / InDesign / GoLive), Flash, Dreamweaver, Acrobat, Quark Xpress, Typing (80+wpm), digital photography process, photo studio, photo retouching, CSS, HTML, basic XML, basic Action Script, MS Office, Outlook/Entourage, Mac OS/OSX, Windows. Very capable Mac OS networking/troubleshooting.
Interests
Photography, vintage restorations of old motorcycles and campers, linguistics, art, and travel, particularly Southeast Asia where I actively support the rehabilitation of a small community in Thailand, post-tsunami.
Top to bottom creation, design, production, and management of my own eCommerce site: BluebirdGoods.com, which currently supports over 15,000 customers via strategic social media marketing and finely-tuned SEO.