hi, i’m monica. here’s everything you need to know about my career so far.

work experience

UC SAN DIEGO, University Communications
San Diego, Calif. | ucpa.ucsd.edu

Art Director, May 2020—present
Under the supervision of the Creative Director, and within the purview of the Office of the Chancellor and University Communications, I oversee the brand for Alumni Engagement and the Career Center. Create and maintain a brand guide for UC San Diego Alumni. Art direction and feedback for production artists and student interns. Collaborate closely with project managers and marketing professionals to ensure client satisfaction. Set production deadlines and stick to deadlines for the lifespan of a campaign or event promotion. Meet regularly with stakeholders and assist with long-term planning for program brand refresh cycles. Review all materials to guarantee we are meeting the high standards for web accessibility while still producing attractive branded designs.

Senior Artist, Apr 2016—Apr 2020
Served as a graphic designer and production artist in UC San Diego’s University Communications department, responsible for the concept, design, and production of campus-wide marketing and event collateral and supporting graphics across print, web, and video.

GREEN FLASH BREWING CO. 
San Diego, Calif. | greenflashbrew.com

Senior Designer, Jan 2013—Mar 2016
Designed and produced a wide array of marketing materials for a local craft brewery. Served as a production artist for a broad portfolio of consumer packaged beer products including bottles, cans, six-pack carriers, cases, keg tags, growlers, tap handles, and more. Designed merchandise, including t-shirts, sweatshirts, yoga mats, keychains, sunglasses, towels, and stickers. Engaged with vendors about print specs, quantities, production timelines, costs, and invoicing. Assisted with event promotion by designing posters, event badges, directional signage, presentation decks, social media graphics, web graphics, advertising, life-size standees, commemorative glassware, and more. Traveled locally, regionally, and cross-country for packaging press checks for to ensure color, paper, design, and production were all done right and relationships with our vendors were strong. Collaborated with marketing professionals, sales team members, brewmasters, tasting room management, and event specialists to ensure all internal graphic needs were met.

MTHº  (formerly Morris Communications)
San Diego, Calif. | matterco.co

Junior Designer, Jun 2012—Dec 2012
Freelance Designer, Dec 2010—Jun 2012
Worked on a small team of highly skilled design, brand, and marketing professionals in a fast-paced agency. Developed presentation spreads to tell the store of creative campaigns. Brands I worked with include Sony Electronics, The San Diego Chargers, Green Flash Brewing Co., The San Diego Foundation, Bridgepoint Education, The San Diego Padres, and Eagle Creek.

CAFFE CALABRIA
San Diego, Calif. | caffecalabria.com

Production Artist, Oct 2008—Sep 2010
Maintained, updated, printed, laminated, and cut a variety of printed materials for a small-batch local coffee roaster, including bin cards and tea tags for local clients' use, coffee bags and packaging, price tags for the retail shop, menus for the cafe, and more.

EDUCATION

  • San Diego City College | Certificate in Graphic Design | May 2010 | sdcity.edu

  • Univ. of Wis.–Eau Claire | BA in Theatre Arts, minor in Fine Art | May 2003 | uwec.edu

awards

  • 3rd Place Label | National Barbecue Association Awards of Excellence, March 2016 | nbbqa.org

  • Best of Typography | San Diego AIGA Student Portfolio Exhibition, May 2010 | aiga.org

  • Best Activity Book Design | MarCom Awards, January 2007 | marcomawards.com

PROFICIENCIES

  • Adobe Creative Suite: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Acrobat,

  • Microsoft Office: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook

  • Social Media Platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

  • Natural leader, at ease giving direction and offering feedback

  • Charismatic and comfortable with clients during presentation

  • Clear and concise verbal and written communicator

  • Enthusiastic collaborator, conceptual thinker, hard worker

  • Balances attention to detail with understanding of big picture

  • Excellent at time management and meeting deadlines

  • Clean, considerate, and organized; a good coworker