My Resume

I love what I do! I am enthusiastic, intuitive, and thrive within a creative dynamic that welcomes fresh ideas that compete with global market trends in fashion, culture, and style while projecting credibility, tight consistency, and a strong presence within a multi-platform branding vision. My drive to demand excellence, dignity, and dedication from myself and team members consistently meets desired business objectives and exceeds our clients goals. My solid design and management style is complimented by a proven ability to work under high pressure and constant immersion though personal and professional travel and advertising/marketing trending awareness and education.

Career Path
Sept. 2006 – Present

Art Director Madden Corporate Services — Lakeland, FL

Overview: Madden is a marketing and advertising firm with a focus on Branding, Design, Development, and Distribution.

• Production of high end quality pieces including websites, annual reports, marketing collateral, white papers, one-of-a-kind single production invitations and packages for exclusive events for the entertainment industry, political organizations, and private as well as celebrity clients.
• Project management from concept to final production for original product designs and packaging, design/fabrication, and patent searches and application for prototypes.Development and management of client brand standards and corporate culture within a multi-platform application.
• Design and management of the Madden website and all multi-platform applications, marketing, client pitches, advertising, photo shoots, and press checks.
Sept. 2006 – Nov. 2011

Senior Art Director TournEase.com — Lakeland, FL

Overview: TournEase is an innovative, patent pending, online golf tournament management program, enabling the user to manage the details of a golf tournament or event. TournEase is the sister company of Madden Corporate Services.

• Responsible for branding and establishing corporate culture, all marketing collateral (including magazine advertisements, brochures, trade show materials, photo shoots, press checks and booth design), website design, GUI, technical user interface, and product maintenance.
• Managed daily operations and staff including Marketing/Sales team, designers, writers, and copywriters.
Aug. 2005 – Sept. 2006

Senior Art Director Aquent — Orlando, FL

Clients: Ryan & Deslauriers, Marriot Vacation Club and Darden Restaurants
Overview: Full-time freelancer for Aquent working consistently and exclusively with the above mention companies, who consistently booked me to insure my availability on their projects.

• Production of high end quality pieces for collateral materials, magazine advertisements and website design development and management.
Sept. 2002 – Apr. 2005

Senior Art Director Octo Design Group, Inc. — Philadelphia, PA

Overview: Responsible for the daily operation of the Design Studio and staff of four.

• Design and Development of all concepts, photo shoots, press checks and final design implementation.
• Contract negotiations with clients and vendors.
• Design and Development of all concepts, websites, annual reports, marketing collateral, and white papers through final design implementation.
• Project Management through team leadership and strategic client interface.
Feb. 2000 – Sept. 2002

Senior Graphic Designer Princeton Graphic Corporation — Princeton, NJ

Overview: PGC is the graphic and design arm of the largest pharmaceutical ad agencies in the world, Nelson Communication Inc.

• Design and Development of all branding concepts, logos, brochures, print ads to include magazine layouts.
• Managed all stages of design, layout, photo manipulation, and comps
from conception to final product.
Aug. 1997 – Feb. 2000

Senior Graphic Designer/Art Director Wayne Advertising Agency — Middlesex, NJ

• Managed complete Design and Development of branding concepts and Logos.
• Design and layout of all advertising for weekly newspapers, billboards, theater advertisements, brochures, and large format digital printing.
• Design, development, and production management of annual reports

Professional Proficiencies

• Special emphasis on conceptual design and communication goals, acute attention to detail, proficient with information architecture.
• Identify and conceptualize the complexity of each project, establish workflow processes for improved project flow and reduced down time, and task delegation to manage and meet deadlines.
• Solid reputation for effective leadership to train and motivate dynamic employees for optimum performance via team building and definitive skill set evaluation, conceptual “think- tank”, and strategic planning.
• Customer service and satisfaction is afforded highest priority by delivering top quality results with a hands on approach to meeting client objectives proven by company growth and retaining exceptional client loyalty.
• Negotiation of contracts with vendors and clients while building and maintaining key business relationships.

Technical Knowledge

Photoshop CS5, Illustrator CS5, InDesign CS5, QuarkXpress, Dreamweaver, Microsoft Office Suite, Acrobat, OSX Server

Personal Strengths

• Tenacity and diligence during challenging assignments.
• Versatility, adaptability and willingness to tackle new responsibilities.
• Exceptional ability to launch and manage highly successful projects and ideas.
• I communicate effectively throughout a project with all players. I do what I say I will do.
• Globally as well as Regionally, I seek out resources to continually grow my knowledge and inspiration bank to stay fresh with the most up to date style/media trends, products, and technology via domestic/international travel and all media resources.
• I listen closely to my clients communication goals to ensure the highest client retention and project success.

Notable Achievements

• Recipient of numerous Gold and Silver Addy Awards, Best in Show, and the coveted Benny Award.
• Designed the Inaugural Annual Report for the National Constitution Center; chosen over numerous
firms in the New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania area for this prestigious project.
• Headed the design group that produced the South Street Beat, an informational bi-monthly publication. Responsible for the first major redesign of the publication that increased circulation of 10,000 to a staggering 30,000+ copies.
• Instrumental in bringing together community leaders of Philadelphia, PA, T-Mobile and Comcast to establish a free Wi-Fi hotspot in Headhouse Square.

Pro Bono

• WCE Homeowners Association, Vice President.
• Selected non-profit organizations: New Hope for Kids in Maitland, Miracle on 7th Street, The Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey, Ocean County Deaf Club, and Sandyhook Childcare.

References & Testimonials

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesbattista