jurigadesign.com  •  Jan 2009 - Present

Interactive & Traditional Art Director - Freelance

Currently providing design & marketing services, After Effects animation, Flash animation,  PowerPoint presentation, website design and production to a host of clients in the DC area. Recently helped launch Pfizer Inc’s rheumatoid arthritis product XELJANZ with RTCRM; work included designing multiple websites, brochure, emails and video.

Clients include: ICANotes, The IndieParty, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Pfizer Inc., The International Monetary Fund, Blackboard Inc, McGraw-Hill, Cleveland Clinic, Total Wine, WHUR Howard U. Radio, The Boss Group, and more.

ICANotes  •  August 2017 - Present

Freelance Senior UX/UI Designer

Currently acting as the sole UX/UI evangelist to help ICANotes completely rethink, reorganize, and redesign their software’s interface. Working with developers to hammer out workflows, conceptualize functionality, provide wireframes and prototypes, and establish a brand new interface design. We are currently in an advanced wireframe/interface design stage. My job is monumental, as a complete overhaul of structure and interface is required while maintaining a well defined functionality. A very challenging and interesting assignment. 

Client: ICANotes

The IndieParty  •  February 2017 - March, 2017

Freelance UX/UI Designer

Supported the team to design and launch IndieParty.com. The experience was a whirlwind for having a timeline of less than two months to accomplish, with a hard-set launch announcement that we couldn't miss. Working remotely with a decentralized team, I supported the group by owning slices and problems of the whole and seeing them to a successful solution.

Client: IndieParty

The Paralyzed Veterans of America  •  May 2017 - July, 2017

Freelance Art Director and Designer

Work to concept and design two high-profle printed pieces, the "Value Piece" and the  current annual report, in addition to lending a hand on a mixture of smaller projects.

• The Value Piece was highly received by the Executive Staff of PVA as well as by the various organization PVA partners with. It will live on to promote PVA's work and help support future fundraising efforts.

• Annual Report for Fiscal Years 2015 & 2016 - building on the visual language created for the Value Piece and designed to be its creative partner, this annual report shifts to a less copy and more imagery look and feel. The down-side of being a freelancer is that sometimes one doesn't get to complete what one starts. This annual report was still in process when my time with PVA came to an end.

Client: PVA

NASA Headquarters  •  Sept 2016 - Jan, 2017

Senior Graphics and Web Designer - for MediaFusion

Serviced NASA Headquarters (as a contractor with Media Fusion) on a wide variety of projects, mainly print-based, which included: brochures (design to be 508 compliant), posters, book covers, building signage, and event branding/display. Trained to update content for NASA’s Drupal-driven websites.

Client: NASA

International Monetary Fund  •  Sept - Nov, 2015

Interactive Designer - Freelance

I continued my working relationship with the IMF with a project of webpages that required a complex approach. The problem to solve was how to create a rich interactive experience while not resorting to using Flash, which would rule out iPad/iPhone accessibility. The solution was that I developed HTML4 pages powered by a robust use of CSS3 and JavaScript for a rich experience and a smooth transition from desktop to mobile experiences. 

Client: International Monetary Fund (IMF)

WundermanDC (previously RTCRM) • Mar - Oct, 2014

Interactive Art Director - Freelance

I was called back to continue my work on Pfizer’s XELJANZ business. I directed a series of flash web banners and rich media units through concept, storyboard, and production.
I worked in-studio with photographers and videographers to create proprietary artwork for said banners. Updated the design of a pre-existing high-impact direct mail package to solve issues that of form and handling that were discovered. And, as always, I lent a hand on numerous existing projects that needed an Art Direction input including: improving exisitng direct mail pieces for greater impact, proofing/approving mechanicals for print projects, Q/A and testing of websites and mobile websites, Q/A and testing of web banners for look/feel/animation and content. 

Client: Pfizer's XELJANZ

International Monetary Fund • Sept, 2013 - Feb, 2014

Interactive Designer - Freelance

My work for the IMF was quite varied and interesting, being a nice balance of creative and technical, design and code. I Designed and front-end developed websites, HTML email, and flash pieces. It was a great chance to wear my CSS hat while still being creative. I do enjoy right and left brain activities. One very memorable problem I solved was to create Flash pieces with an external variable  data to minimize the difficulty of updating data and improve the freshness and  relevance of the content. My work for the IMF also included some pure design projects for print, posters and book covers, which allowed me to harken back to my days as an illustrator.

Client: International Monetary Fund (IMF)

RTCRM • June, 2012 - Aug, 2013

Interactive Art Director - Freelance

Asked back to RTCRM to help prepare for FDA approval and brand launch of Pfizer's new medicine for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) called XELJANZ. A very complex process with ever changing legal rules. Included, among other things, were three websites and a single brochure that saw 5 radically different formats/designs. Aside from the typical concpet/strategy/design work, the whole process of launching a new pharmaceutical brand was an herculean exercise in finding the most expedient, streamlined ways to build, version control, and present the work. I engineered methods and created templates which were instrumental in keeping the many rapidly moving parts organized. Copy, approved phrasing, and imagery could change moment-to-moment and edits would have to be turned around fairly quickly (generally with compiling a brand new PDF of over 60 pages each and every time.) A great example of how organization and process can be as creative (and essential) as the tangible work. Again, right and left brains combine to in an interesting way. 

Client: Pfizer's XELJANZ

Adworks • June, 2009 - May, 2012

Interactive Art Director - Freelance

Call me a hired gun, called in during crunch times. A good freelancer should expect anything when accepting a gig and it's generally always an emergency. in those instances, flexibility, a cool head, and fast hands are why they call you back time and again. Adworks had a dedicated creative staff, so my usefulness to them came more in the way of my technical skills. I created flash and rich media banners units, HTML/CSS development work to brand and skin content management systems, as well as After Effects video work. I provided quick and useful service when they needed someone to lend a hand.

Clients: Cleveland Clinic, Total Wine, WHUR.COM, Brick Industries SE

RTCRM • Jan, 2007 - Jan, 2009

Senior Interactive Art Director

Concepted and designed fully integrated campaigns which included websites, microsites, banners, rich-media, email, direct mail and leveraging of existing assets like TV. Over-saw/mentored junior designers and developers during the build phase of work. Worked tightly with project management to monitor deadlines, allocations and costs of each project.

Clients included: Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals (Mirena & Yaz), Glaxo Smith Klein (Nicorette, NicodermCQ, Commit, & Breathe Right), Novo Nordisk, Microsoft

MRM/McCann Erickson • Feb - Dec, 2006

Flash Designer - Freelance

An intense Flash design and development environment which produced large volumes of banners, rich-media and website modules

Clients included: Wendy’s, Kohl’s Department stores, Maybelline, Mobil, Intel

Grey Direct • April, 2005 - Feb, 2006

Art Director

Concepted and designed integrated campaigns (which included: direct mail campaigns to consumer and B to B), recurring relationship campaigns (which included: direct mail, email & banners.)

Additionally, I contributed to in-house new business efforts by creating innovative RFP responses. For memorable instance I shot a "round table discussion" of the RFP questions on video and edited the footage to create an interactive DVD for our submission.

Clients included: BellSouth, CheapTickets.com, internal projects & new business

Various Agencies • Jan, 2004 - April, 2005

Flash Designer, Art Director - Freelance

Advertising is an amazing business where one can make a living floating from agency to agency and working on a wide range of projects. Some gigs where simple production/crank-it-out. Others allowed me to be a brain as well as a pair of hands.

Agencies/Clients included: Connect@JWT, Atmosphere/BBDO, Bubblicious,
Providian Bank, Doritos. 

DraftDigital • May, 2001 - Dec, 2003

Interactive Art Director

Concepted and created award winning work for Jose Cuervo account with my partner copywriter for Cuervo’s websites,  campaigns, product announcements, microsites, and specialty/contest campaigns. Concepted and developed in-house projects for Draft including new business work and the company’s first-ever employee intranet.

Clients included: Jose Cuervo, 1800 Tequila, internal projects & new business

Draftworldwide • April, 1998 - May, 2001

Art Director

The entire Compaq account, which started at APL, was traded to Draft, and I went with it. At first I continued my work doing print ads, print collateral, and direct mail, but height of the Dot.com era had found its way to Draft, bringing me with it into the early days of interactive advertising. I started by learning a new software package, Flash, and created a few web banners for Compaq. Draft being a direct marketing house, began looking to email as a marketing tool, and I created my first emails there for British Airways.

Draft was growing tremendously then and decided that they needed an employee intranet to facilitate company-wide communication. I, along with my small team, concepted to define site functionality and architecture. We worked with front end developers who created user interfaces and back-end developers who created databases and connected functionality.

Clients included: Compaq Computers, British Airways, internal projects & new business

Ammirati Puris Lintas • May, 1996 - April, 1998

Art Director

I started with APL as a freelance graphic designer, filling in the computer working skills that APL's older Art Directors have. I impressed my Creative Director, though, and she saw in me the talent to become an Art Director myself. Under her I learned the ins and outs of direct marketing, direct mail, print ads & catalogs, directed in-studio photoshoots, retouching & printing press checks. It was under my Creative Director that I was first taught the importance of the Concept of a piece and the ultimate reverence one must have a for Client's brand and current campaign. Everything should work seamlessly together. I started very junior but worked my way up.

Clients included: Ameritech, Compaq Computers, UPS

Art In America Magazine • Aug, 1994 - May, 1996

Junior Ad Designer

If any job can teach you the rhythm and pace of working, along with being organized and forward looking, it is a job with a publishing company. Deadlines are real and immutable. Proofreading is a must. I was responsible for designs in the ads section as well as helping out on various special features page layout for a monthly magazine.

Various Small Agencies • 1992 - Feb, 1994

Junior Graphic Designer/Desktop Publisher - Freelance

The desktop publishing revolution was happening and after teaching myself PageMaker, QuarkXpress, MacPaint (which became Photoshop 2.0), and Freehand I found a number of part-time gigs to hone my skills while living in rural Connecticut. I worked for a translations company to create layouts and format translations for comparison to the originals. I worked as an artist at a real estate magazine typesetting and doing paste-up mechanicals. I finally found my way to a small ad agency in Cheshire, CT and worked as their graphic designer laying out posters, brochures, billboards, calendars, etc.

Clients included: Foxwoods Casino, Quad Graphics, United Technology's Sikorsky & Otis Elevators