Curriculum Vitae

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Reece Quiñones

Creative/Art Direction & Design


Professional Experience

Senior Vice President / Creative Director
2017–Present

PR / Communications / Marketing / Digital / Design Agency

Brought in to launch the design arm of the firm, which added full-service creative functionality. Charged with the creative output of all work, with oversight of the creative team and processes; the ideation, presentation and execution of client’s projects and campaigns. Play a key role in supporting clients’ marketing, advertising, and communications efforts through research, discovery, strategy, execution, analysis, and optimization. Lead the internal marketing and design thinking arm within the firm and find innovative, and more effective ways of reaching target markets. Lead the UX function within the firm including discovery, analysis, and strategy that aligns user-centered mindset with key business goals. Direct the profitability and creative quality of all client projects and the operational readiness of the creative team (which include managing the environment, culture, team, capabilities, tools, processes, expectations, work style and other elements that support the strategic goals.) Inspire and mentor the creative team. Establish objectives, priorities, and key performance indicators for the creative department by bringing a deep understanding of integrated campaigns across all channels and applying the creative process from concept to completion. In order to deliver quality design projects within tight schedules, work with all client managers across multiple offices and function as a project manager on major campaigns to drive growth across the entire agency portfolio. Apply strategic thinking and analytical reporting that bring value to business decisions that benefit the overall bottom line. Help bring in new business by writing or contributing to new project proposals and pitching. Collaborate with company leadership to develop services, pricing, and strategy to support business growth.

Senior Art Director
2010–2017

Creative In-House Agency
Non-profit organization

Develop and direct the creative direction that supports all organization-wide projects and initiatives and provide solutions and adjustments to the creative direction that meet market changes, builds competitive advantages, and supports the organization’s strategic plans. Collaborate with leadership to help create, assess, and translate high-level vision into compelling visual and user-focused solutions. Responsible for leading the art direction and design of all customer-facing products and marketing programs, as well as, manage the daily operations of the 11-person design team. Maintain corporate graphic design standards to ensure the work produced by the unit and vendors meet the high levels of quality required. Plan, develop, and defend budget recommendations, work goals, measurements, and training requirements necessary to provide both profitable and quality services to the organization. Monitor the work of the design team by providing critiques, guidance, and training for team members; and help identify professional development needs. Ensure that the design of all programs, products, and services meets the highest industry standards for brand, creativity, accuracy, consistency, and appearance in a dynamic environment under tight deadlines. Create design team member schedules and assign design projects. Perform staff evaluations. Evaluate schedules, project budgets, and print specifications for accuracy and feasibility. Design for print, web/digital, and motion projects. Provide leadership and motivation that conveys the vision, mission, and values of the organization to staff. Assist in revenue growth with creative ideation and solutions to new and current programs, products, and services.

Senior Graphic Designer
2002–2010

Creative In-House Agency
Non-profit organization

Help to determine the artistic direction of the organization, its products, programs, services, and marketing material. Develop projects from their inception and manage the design phase of the production process, including visual concept, high-quality design, layout, illustration, photo selection and manipulation, and preparation of required material for printing or web use. Consult with authors, editors, and project managers to determine requirements and parameters for design solutions. Evaluate schedules, budgets, and print specifications for accuracy and feasibility. Create electronic material, illustrations, graphics, and charts. Interface with vendors and act as a design consultant to staff. Train new staff members. Projects include books, video and audio packaging, websites, marketing materials, catalogs, annual reports, conference materials, newsletters, logos, motion, and exhibits/signage materials.

Creative Director
1994–Present

09 Creative (formally Design Imprint)
Freelance and Charitable Design

Initiate client relationships and work with individuals, startups, small businesses, charitable organizations, and government clients such as the United States Botanic Garden, Rochester Institute of Technology, Change the Equation, DataLogistics, and the Cornerstone Church. Formulate legal contracts and consult with print vendors to find cost-effective solutions for clients. Projects include annual reports, logos, books, invitations, posters, album art, brochures, business cards, websites, promotional videos, ads, and environmental displays.

Senior Communications Designer
1999–2002

Marketing Communications Agency
B2B and B2C

Conceptualized and designed corporate identities for B2B and B2C companies. Worked with advanced program knowledge in Photoshop, Illustrator, and Quark. Created visually appealing and market savvy pieces. Projects ranged from corporate brochures, exhibits, logos, and advertisements to web page layouts and multimedia designs. Early in my tenure I developed an in-depth quality checklist, which ensured minimal chances for error during a project’s life. Art direction, conceptualizing, client contact, requirements interview, prepress, quality control, project briefing, and cost control were all integral parts of my day.

Senior Graphic Designer
Graphic Designer
Production Artist
1994–1999

Marketing Communications Department
Advertising and Marketing Agency
Newspaper

Developed and created a corporate design division within the Marketing Communication Department. This included purchasing all equipment, software, and supporting material, as well as installation and troubleshooting all arising problems. Managing duties included print buying, job tracking, scheduling, maintaining budget constraints, meeting and beating deadlines, ordering supplies and materials, keeping all software current, and working closely with the marketing team to create effective, dynamic pieces, which included creating concepts and copy.

Worked independently and with teams to juggle heavy project loads and produce a large variety of print and multimedia projects from concept to blueline stages in a cost-effective manner. Developed client relationships and worked closely with account reps, editors, and printers. Additional duties involved editing, copywriting, and prepress. Clients ranged from trade associations to government agencies.

Designed and typeset ads, Web pages, special projects such as supplementary covers, and 4-color projects. Additional responsibilities included paste-up and building 11 military classifieds for their prospective papers, and page layout. Trained other employees on Illustrator, Photoshop, Quark and Web design.


Summary of Teaching Experience

Adjunct Professor of Design
2008–Present

George Mason University

Graphic Design Methods and Principles. Emphasis on developing design solutions requiring demographic, historical, and/or cultural research. Course strengthens design and typography skills, introduces conceptual problem solving, audience considerations, theory, and broad-based tools designers use to develop effective visual communication solutions.

User Experience Design. This course is an introduction to user experience research and design. The course focuses on research techniques, concept development, information architecture, prototyping, and design. Understanding how to create systems using principles of good design, acquiring the skills on how to critically analyze and communicate your findings, and learning to defend your design decisions are also essential parts of this course. Through study of various methodologies and one major project, this course teaches how to integrate a user-centered focus into a holistic design process.

Motion Graphics. An introductory course to motion graphics for upper-level undergraduate and graduate graphic design majors who have a strong foundation in typography and print design. This course introduces the theories, techniques, and practices of motion graphics and the integration of design, photo imaging, sound, video, and animation. Students will leave this course with an understanding of storyboarding, basic software skills, basic sound design, and overall conceptual growth. Software taught: Adobe Premiere Pro CC, After Effects CC, Audacity, Apple Motion.

Typography. Introduction to history and use of type. Reading and projects develop awareness of type as a linguistic and visual communication tool. Introduces typographic design elements, including color, hierarchy, integration with imagery, layout, structure/grids, and content.

Infographic Design. Upper-level undergraduate and graduate graphic design course introducing the basics of data visualization and how it translates into infographic design. The course teaches a comprehensive curriculum with a strong focus on data research and dissemination, discovery, and storytelling in order to communicate complex data in ways that are creative and compelling.


Education

M.B.A. | University of Maryland Global Campus, Adelphi, MD

M.F.A. Integrated Design | University of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD

B.A. Studio Arts | University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Integrated Marketing Certificate | eCornell, Ithaca, NY (Expected Fall 2021)

User Experience Design | General Assembly, Washington, DC

Advanced courses in Photoshop, Video Production, and Radio Broadcasting | Montgomery College, Rockville, MD

A.A. Computer Applications: Multimedia/Graphic Design | Montgomery College, Rockville, MD


Professional Affiliations

Member: American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)

Member: Art Director’s Club/One Club for Creativity


Service to the Institution, Profession, and Community

2021–Present  | AIGA DCF Endowment Governance Board

2010–Present  | AIGA-DC Design Continuum Fund (DCF) Scholarship Committee Member

2020 | AIGA-DC Continuum Scholarship Keynote Speaker / DCF Fall Fundraiser and Toast

2020 | AIGA-DC Work/Life Balance Panel Recorded Virtual Event

2016–2017 | AIGA-Mason Faculty Liaison

2016 | Presentation, Goodpatch, Berlin, Germany, User Experience Design Theory

2016 | UX Design Meetup Berlin, Germany, The importance of Mentoring (with mentee, Teo Blindu)

2015 | Association of Writers and Writing Programs Literary Magazine Design Competition – Judge

2014 | UCEA Marketing and Publication Awards – Judge

2009 | UCEA Marketing and Publication Awards – Judge

2009 | “Montaging Techniques” AIGA-GMU Presentation/Workshop

2005 | “What is Graphic Design?” MediaCom Academy/Kennedy High School – Filmed Cable Presentation


Projects/Publications

I Have a Voice: Informing Adults Who Stutter
View ProjectView Thesis

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