Rick Pearce Graphic Designer | Art Director

5019 Surfside Drive, San Diego, CA 92154

Cell: (619) 994-5027 * Home: (619) 207-0057
Email: rp4bf98a@westpost.net * Portfolio: rickpearce.carbonmade.com * Linkedin.c
om
"Rick is smart, talented and results oriented. His work speaks for itself - crea
tive, unique and easy to sell. He is a guy
you want on your team not only for his skills, but also because he has great cha
racter and a winning personality."
- Bill Nagel, Vice President, Business Channels, San Diego Union-Tribune

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Hands on visionary with advanced graphics & visual development expertise. Strong
skill set in managing, analyzing, and implementing complex procedures. Combine
sound time and resource-management skills to implement strategic/goal administra
tive and operational initiatives to enhance product, quality, client service and
overall bottom line performance. Polished interpersonal and rapport-building sk
ills to significantly enhance growth, profits, and return on investment. Able to
inspire others to obtain the goals set, with the ability to embrace change, gre
at leadership skills, out-of-the-box thinking, and the ability to turn a goal, i
nto reality, on deadline, and under budget.
Excelled in creating award winning advertising for the most demanding clients, s
ome with only several thousand-dollar advertising budgets, others with million-d
ollar contracts. Proven leader, demonstrating progressive responsibility with 15
+ years of innovative graphics development, and branding experience.
AREAS OF EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE
Brand Development & Management * Newspaper & Magazine Layout Design * Ads, Logos
, and Collateral Print Design * Illustration Design * Web Page Design & Banners
* E-mail Marketing * Motion Visual Design * Direct Mail * Package Design * Poste
r * Print Production & Cost Negotiation * Time Management * Project Management &
Communication * Customer & Client Services Support * Digital Product Photograp
hy
CORE STRENGTHS & ACHIEVEMENTS
* Award-winning designer with a broad background in print, branding and online a
dvertising, including newspaper page design, magazine and special section layout
, direct mail, sales support collateral, newsletters, PowerPoint presentations,
fliers, ad design, outdoor billboards & signage, posters, annual reports, POP, m
ulti-media, packaging, marketing, e-blast banners and Web page design.
* Strong knowledge of Pre-press, 4/C process, standard vending practices, and so
me media buying.
* Enthusiastic approach to every project, and proactive problem solving. Notable
examples: In the absence of appropriate stock photos for the 2008 Union-Tribune
Shoe Fund campaign, I scoured local thrift shops for children's shoes, doctorin
g with a disc sander and duct tape, to meet the graphic needs of the ad concept.
Designed a double-truck spec ad promoting Prudential Real Estate agents, along w
ith designing the sales manager's PowerPoint presentation enticing them to incre
ase their advertising budget. Prudential bought the spec ad idea on sight, which
brought in over $35,000 in unsecured revenue. All from one spec layout.
* Worked on high-level accounts from $500,000 to 2 million. Senior designer for
the Union-Tribune's top 25 advertisers, along several national accounts.
* Exceptional interpersonal and oral communication skills with proficiency to pr
omote confidence and build and maintain strategic business/client relationships,
while interfacing positively with people in pressure situations.
* Ability to manage multiple tasks without compromise of quality or productivity
; work effectively with little to no supervision. Team player and leader. Manage
d several teams as lead designer to implement projects.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Enthusiastic approach to every project. Identifying and mana
ging milestones, dependencies, and bottlenecks by creating production standards,
gathering initial user requirements and generating/refining specifications for
the development cycle. A team leader, with a positive can-do attitude.
TECHNICAL: Mac platform; Proficient in Adobe CS3, Photoshop, InDesign, QuarkXPre
ss, Illustrator, ImageReady, Acrobat, MS Word, MS Excel, PowerPoint, iMovie, iPh
oto, and digital photography.
Training in Dreamweaver, Wordpress, and Flash.
PROFFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego, CA (August 1985 - September 2009)
Senior Graphic Designer / Art Director, Creative Services Advertising Department
* Designed and coordinated high-revenue generating campaigns in Advertising, Cla
ssifieds, Circulation Marketing and SignOnSanDiego.com - the Union-Tribune's onl
ine component - from concept to publication, as part of a team of graphic design
ers, researchers, copywriters, sales staff and the management team.
* Defined and proactively promoted the company position, image, brand and charac
ter into the San Diego market.
* Created print and outdoor campaigns promoting SignOnSanDiego.com. The Union-Tr
ibune Web site. Created several campaigns promoting the site's categories - jobs
, real estate, automotive, personals and the classifieds.
* Supported the Union-Tribune sales staff by creating collateral material such a
s; sales fliers/inserts, ad design, direct mail, posters, brochures, PowerPoint
presentations, and spec ad campaigns for prospective advertisers.
* Collaborated with copywriters to create print, radio and outdoor campaigns pro
moting the Union-Tribune Classifieds. Each year's new classified campaign genera
ted an increase in ad volume, anywhere from 5 to 22%, translating to hundreds of
thousands of dollars in revenue.
* Worked in conjunction with our ad agency to produce two TV campaigns promoting
the Union-Tribune newsroom and the launch of a subscription campaign; which gen
erated a 12% increase in circulation.
* Brainstormed with the sales staff to propose, and design special advertising s
ections to high-profile local business - including; San Diego Auto Show, Health
& Nursing, High-Tech/Engineering, SD Weddings, Workplace of Excellence, San Dieg
o Bayfair / Thunderboats, sdhome Magazine, Mega-Jobs Employment, San Diego Charg
ers, Padres, SeaWorld, Education, The San Diego Urban League, ConVis, San Diego
Trolley, Escondido Arts Center, and many more. Each section generated anywhere f
rom $50,000 to $100,000+ in annual revenue
* Supported the Circulation Marketing Department by creating direct-mail pieces
encouraging readership of and subscription to the Union-Tribune. Designed clever
campaign targeting North County Times readers, which converted over 5,500 new s
ubscribers to the Union-Tribune from one D/M piece.
* Designed our prestigious San Diego Market book, which is instrumental in helpi
ng our sales force secure high-dollar advertising contracts from national accoun
ts. Collaborated with Marketing Research department for content.
* Negotiated all outside printing; from securing competitive bids from printers/
vendors and paper suppliers, to prepare electronic files for Pre-press printing
and attending press checks as needed. Also bought media.
Kaufman / Lanskey / Baker Advertising Agency (KLB) (June 1983 - August 1985)
Associate Jr. Art Director
* Supported the creative director, senior art directors and copywriters in art d
irection, graphic design and production
AWARDS
SANDI - Silver Award for Marvin K. Brown Cadillac * SANDI - Silver Award for bab
y announcement * Homburg - Merit Award for La Costa Hotel & Spa * Homburg - Meri
t Award for self promotion * Homburg - Merit Award for Cox Cable * Homburg - Mer
it Award for La Costa Hotel & Spa * Homburg - Merit Award for EDC Economic Devel
opment Corporation * INMA "Best In The West" Award for In-Paper-Promotion * INMA
"Best In The West" Award for Circulation promotion * NAA Acme Award for "Best C
lassified Campaign" * NAA Acme Award for Health & Fitness Magazine * California
Newspaper Advertising Executives Association Merit Award for St. Vincent De Paul
* California Newspaper Advertising Executives Association Merit Award for Union
-Tribune Classifieds
The San Diego Union-Tribune Awards
* Won the Union-Tribune's highest honor twice, the "U-Team Award," for designing
Enlace.com to promote the Union-Tribune's first ever Spanish-language weekly pu
blication, and for the Union-Tribune's annual Market book.
* Won Union-Tribune Advertising Department "Top Achiever" Award, twice in the pa
st three years.
* Six-time winner of The Union-Tribune Ring-Of-Truth First Place Award for Outst
anding Design and Quality.
EDUCATION & CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Art Institute Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Advertising Design
Broward College, Coconut Creek, FL - Associate Arts Degree, Art & Design
MEMBERSHIPS
AIGA, San Diego, CA * Communicating Arts Group, San Diego, CA