Gregory Armstrong

Gregory Armstrong 707.829.2688 www.gregoriandesign.com colegagreg@gmail.com

Profile - Results oriented marketing and creative professional with a record of accomplishments in education, strategic communications, creative solution development, and client relations. Proven ability to interpret marketing communication needs into effective creative solutions. Accomplished knowledge of desktop publishing, production work-flow, and technology for print, multimedia, and photography.

Employment History

Arcturus Marine Systems
Manufacturer of engineered marine products for yachts and superyachts
Marketing manager/Art Director/Webmaster
Rohnert Park, California, 2005 – present (contractor since mid 2009)

• Established, staffed and managed the company's first ever marketing department.
• Wrote and executed internationally and nationally targeted Marketing plan
• Developed and implemented marketing and advertising programs to support explosive worldwide growth of 21% in 2005-06, 48% in 2006-07, and 21% 2007-08
• Organized and managed all aspects to support three national and three international yacht trade shows including, offline and online promotion, product displays, trade events, marketing materials, and premiums. Provided similar support to eight distributors in seven additional worldwide tradeshows.
• Instituted and implemented company and product identity branding initiative worldwide through print, public relations, events, and online.
• Developed, designed, wrote, built, and promoted through SEO and SEM two company websites always achieving placement on Googles page one through organic search for top keywords.
• Planned and negotiated media buying for various platforms including: print, online, and events with a budget of $250,000 per year.
• Designed, produced and distributed Ads to worldwide audience in print, online, and events.
• Developed communications with editors and top writers in industry to get message across with constant public relations tools including: press releases, articles, and supporting visuals and data
• Designed and produced promotional premiums
• Provided marketing support for a separate Unmanned Aerial Vehicle division of the company

The Press Democrat
Pulitzer prize winning newspaper of the New York Times Company
Art director and pre-press design technician
Santa Rosa, California, 2004 – 2005

• Led the deployment, maintenance, and expansion of PDF based pre RIP publishing workflow, automated online proofing, and tear sheet service for various publishing products including: daily newspaper, 4 glossy magazines, A80 weekly inserts and special sections, and direct mailers.
• Designed, produced, proofed, paginated, and troubleshot electronic ads for the daily newspaper, 24 yearly special sections, four 100 page+ seasonal glossy publications, direct mail, and custom print products.
• Migrated an advertising department of thirty Macs and designers from OS 9.2 to OS X and from QuarkXpress to InDesign, providing deployment, instruction and troubleshooting support.

H.F.R. Trust
Holding Company for Oakwood International
Manager digital imaging systems
Los Angeles, California, 2001 – 2004

• Imaged and produced the digital photographic work of well known L.A. photographers and Hollywood celebrities.
• Captured, optimized, edited, and managed a private collection of twelve thousand fine art photographs.
• Developed a line of large scale fine art photographs marketed to corporations, office, and interior design firms.
• Provided digital imaging, digital reproduction, and production assistance for: corporate art, public relations, event photography, tradeshow displays, and corporate portraits.
• Designed, built and equipped various private digital imaging labs using state-of-the-art technologies and materials including: bluetooth, printing over I.P. and wireless networking.
• Set and managed the digital photography/imaging workflow of digital photography labs
• Continuously evaluated and purchased new technologies in digital photography and imaging while attending major digital imaging tradeshows and fine art photography workshops nationally

Al Paul Lefton Company
National Business to Business Advertising Agency
Senior Art Director
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1999 – 2001

• Conceived, designed and produced award winning creative solutions including: tradeshow programs, corporate collateral, print and online advertising, web sites, catalogs, sales materials, presentations, and photography
• Engaged in the everyday creative operations in nation's 3rd largest B2B integrated communications agency. Responsibilities included: estimate and analyze cost of campaigns, schedule project workflow, manage production, schedule freelance personnel, direct vendors, track and control billing and costs • Presented and defended agency creative solutions to the client
• Communicated with client, analyzed criteria, developed strategy, deployed creative initiatives
• Researched, hired and managed external resources and vendors • Conceived and produced a search engine optimization strategy that increased search engine ranking for clients and added an additional fifteen thousand dollars to existing agency internet accounts
• Clients included: Totalfina S.A., Ato chemicals, Tyco Electronics, Rohm and Hass, Mitsubishi Fuso trucks, Morgan truck bodies, Huntsman chemicals, Leviton electronics, Scotland economic development, and Thermatru doors

MTG Design
Full Service Design Studio
Creative Director
Media, Pennsylvania, 1997 – 1999

• Directed and managed the creative and production efforts of a seven person graphics team
• Managed the daily contact with clients, Philadelphia printers, advertising agencies, and multiple vendors
• Designed, developed and produced a variety of creative products including: product catalogs, corporate collateral, packaging, P.O.P., sales presentations, direct mail, digital photography, digital reproduction, and interactive products
• Hosted, designed, produced and maintained seventeen web sites representing various industries including: educational, photographer supplies, food and beverage, cosmetics, and industrial chemicals
• Directed, designed and produced all the communications tools for a nationally distributed Health food products line including: public relations, photography, packaging, websites, advertising, sales materials, tradeshows, and promotions
• Clients included: Philadelphia Phillies, Swarthmore College, HH Racing Group, Devine Foods, and Penn Photomounts

Philadelphia University of the Arts
Moore College of Art
Instructor
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1996 – 2000

• Designed and taught curricula in all the major graphic arts software including: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Quark Xpress, pre-press and production systems, and web design.
• Taught weekend intensive continuing education workshops in offset printing theory, pre-press, and digital production.
• Developed highly successful courseware for a prepress and production certificate program for professionals and students designed to migrate analog production experience to the emerging digital workflow
• Conceived, wrote, and maintained a digital imaging web site used as a content destination and as a way to test and evaluate students online, saving valuable class time
• Mentored and assisted students with post graduation job searches and career strategies

Gregorian Design
Creative Consultant
Creative Communications Consultantcy
1994 - 2008

• Directed creative effort for a three person multidisciplinary design consultancy representing diverse client industries including: real estate, mortgage insurance, environmental, manufacturing, advertising, and the arts
• Managed operations including account acquisition, creative development, client services, vendor negotiation and procurement, and billing
• Enhanced brand equity and drove up consumer awareness for the seventh largest consumer real estate company in the nation over the course of several mergers
• Designed and redesigned the corporate ID and graphic standards for an eight hundred employee real estate company during the course of three mergers
• Developed and designed the branding strategies of a four product health food company breaking into the expanding health life style market
• Developed corporate training programs and workshops for printers and production departments transitioning into digital production workflows
• Clients included: Fox & Roach Realtors, Judy & Joel's Kitchcen, CMAC, Flour Daniel GTI, Philadelphia Arts Bank, Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and Systems Solutions Inc.

Dakota Design
Boutique Design Studio
Art Director
Malvern, Pennsylvania, 1991 - 1994

• Developed a broad range of award winning creative products for Fortune 500 companies including: national and spot advertising campaigns, corporate identity development, direct mail programs, brand development initiatives, and collateral. Clients included: Dupont, Universal Health Services, IMS America, Hilton Hotels, University of Pennsylvania Museum, People's Light and Theater Company

Education
School of Visual Arts 1988-1990 Graphic Design/advertising.
Philadelphia College Of Art 1983-1986 Graphic Design/Illustration.
Pratt Institute 1982-1983 Foundation in Graphic Design.

Core Expertise - Corporate identity and standards development, corporate collateral, catalog design, sales materials & presentations, advertising, magazine design, newspaper design, copywriting, radio, public relations, packaging, trade show planning and design, POP, direct mail, multimedia planning and design, information architecture, web site architecture, building and maintenance, social media, digital photography, digital reproduction, digital workflow planning, client relations, and team building and mentoring.

Bilingual, Spanish/English spoken and written