WORK HISTORY
OWNER | CREATIVE STRATEGY CONSULTANT
JONAS CREATIVE | 2012 – PRESENT
Founder of Jonas Creative, a brand strategy consultancy geared towards assisting companies in communicating their message and products to expand brand awareness, increase profitability and ultimately connect to audiences in a lasting, impactful way. From copywriting and product design to the art direction of advertising campaigns and search engine optimization, the company’s goal is to create and reinforce an organization’s uniformed brand vision across a full spectrum of marketing channels.
CONSULTANT, CREATIVE STRATEGY – MARKETING
SURYA | 2012 – 2013
Led creative strategy consultation for one of the largest home decor brands in the US. Crafted overarching campaigns and led the translation of those concepts into advertising directions, brochures, product catalogs, tradeshow experience design, market sponsorship graphics. Management and art direction for cross-functional, in-house marketing team which encompassed graphic design, photography and videography. Provided refinement to the brand voice and tone through content development for all corporate print and digital communications. Developed special projects for the company’s client base.
- Developed retailer-geared trend concepts and naming in conjunction with product development team for use across print, web and social media channels.
- Generated copy for quarterly Surya Market Pulse digital newsletters spotlighting the latest design and retailer trends, best selling products and other key highlights from seasonal home décor tradeshows held across the country.
- Designed and supervised build-out of new 30K sq ft Las Vegas WMC showroom and 13K sq ft AmericasMart showroom – recognized with a Visual Displays Award (VDA) for “Best of Floor” during the Winter 2013 Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market.
- Managed public relations function – copywriting, development of tradeshow-driven press kits, fielding media interviews, sending out product info and press releases.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
JAIPUR RUGS | 2009 – 2012
Led creative direction and implementation for international rug manufacturer / wholesaler. Crafted overarching brand strategy and led execution across the product mix and all marketing touch-points for B2B customer base and retail consumer. Generated design concepts and content for Graphic Design USA award-winning branded communications including product catalogs, advertising, brochures, POP displays, website design as well as direct mail and social media campaigns. Managed a diverse range of licensing partners and vendor relationships including international product manufacturers, public relations firms, media placement and print production. Led art direction for all lifestyle and product photography.
- Led company’s efforts towards garnering the 2012 ART (Accessories Resource Team) Award for Best Manufacturer in the Area Rug Category.
- Involved in development of product collections and assortments selected by retailers including Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, GrandinRoad, Home Decorators Collection, Amazon, Wayfair and Costco. Designs featured in publications such as Better Homes and Gardens, Interior Design and HGTV Magazine.
- Led design and logistics for all tradeshow materials required for multiple permanent showroom locations. Managed market related event planning, showroom space planning and styling. Provided tradeshow and on-site product training to company sales agents and customers.
HEAD OF PRODUCT & TRENDING
GRANT DESIGN COLLABORATIVE | 2002 – 2009
Managed product development and marketing efforts for a variety of home décor, commercial furnishings brands, boutique hotels and spas. Collaborated on the development of overarching visual communication systems and design components to reinforce brand identity – including business communication materials, websites, showroom interiors, sales / marketing tools and product packaging. Established company’s product development procedures and annual PD budgets.
- Content generation lead for the GDC brand and a diverse range of B2B and B2C companies – press releases, proposals, brochures, e-blast campaigns and sales conference materials. Research, copywriting and layouts for Design Dispatch, a quarterly digital newsletter that spotlighted the latest trends and branding / design related editorial content.
- Managed product development and supervised production for System One by Set Wallcovering Systems. Directed sales training with A&D firms across the country.
WEB DEVELOPER
GRANT DESIGN COLLABORATIVE | 1999 – 2002
Head developer for client web projects with an emphasis in the commercial furnishings and home décor categories. Led build-out process for GDC site redesign and ongoing updates. Management of the agency’s outsourced programmer resources. Directed company’s software support and network maintenance. Key responsibilities included: site architecture development, HTML / JavaScript programming, copywriting, graphic design, IT support / network administration, general project management.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
HOMECOM COMMUNICATIONS | 1998 – 1999
Project manager and production lead for new website build-out and maintenance projects, with a principal focus in the banking and insurance sectors. Key responsibilities included HTML programming, content generation, site architecture, graphic design, project management and client site maintenance training.
REFERENCES
References are available upon request.
SKILLS
Brand Strategy Development
Art Direction – Print & Digital
Product Design
Content Marketing
Copywriting
Project Management
SEO
Social Media Communications
Media / Public Relations
Trend Research & Reporting
Vendor Management
PROFICIENCIES
Adobe Creative Suite:
InDesign
Photoshop
Illustrator
Wordpress
Dreamweaver
MS Office Suite
Keynote
Constant Contact | MailChimp
SEO & Web Analytics Tools
Mac OS & PC Environments
CERTIFICATIONS
Licensed Practitioner
Content Marketing
Market Motive | 2015
Licensed Practitioner
SEO – Search Engine Optimization
Market Motive | 2015
Licensed Practitioner
Internet Mktg Fundamentals
Market Motive | 2014
Certified Associate
Online Marketing Fundamentals
OMCP | 2014
EDUCATION
Digital Media & Marketing
Duke University | 2015
Bachelor of Science,
Information Systems
Cum Laude
Western Kentucky
University | 1998
Bachelor of Arts,
History &
Government
Cum Laude
Western Kentucky
University | 1996
RECOGNITIONS
Visual Displays Award
AmericasMart, Atlanta
Surya Showroom | 2013
ARTS Award Winner, Rugs
Accessories Resources Team
Jaipur Rugs Brand | 2012
Award of Distinction
Communicator Awards
Jaipur Rugs Catalog | 2012
InHouse Design Awards
Graphic Design USA
Jaipur Rugs Catalog | 2012
Web Design Awards
Graphic Design USA
Jaipur Rugs Website | 2012
InHouse Design Awards
Graphic Design USA
Jaipur Rugs Catalog | 2010
InHouse Design Awards
Graphic Design USA
Jaipur Rugs Press Kit | 2010
ARTS Award Finalist, Rugs
Accessories Resources Team
Jaipur Rugs Brand | 2009
Best of NeoCon Gold Award
Merchandise Mart, Chicago
SET Wallcovering | 2006
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