CAROLINE FOSTER
carolinefosterdesign.com

carolinefosterdesign@gmail.com

571-839-9360

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

PUBLIC AFFAIRS AGENCY, Washington, D.C.
ART DIRECTOR (Contract), February 2017-January 2023

(To protect client confidentiality, agency name is not public on my website. Contact me directly for agency details and portfolio) Conceive and design digital campaigns for external clients. Campaigns include branding, social media graphics, static and animated banner ads, infographics, video storyboarding, logos, print and online advertising. Manage complex design projects for conferences and political events. Design OOH graphics, PowerPoint presentations and other communications for a fast-paced, strategic public relations firm.

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CHESAPEAKE BAY MAGAZINE, Annapolis, MD
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, June 2021-December 2022

Concept development, creative direction, photography/illustration commissioning, design and production for Chesapeake Bay Media’s monthly flagship publication.

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SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Alexandria, VA

DIRECTOR
DESIGN, PRODUCTION & MEDIA MARKETING, November 2007 – December 2015

Directed creative and business operations of SHRM’s Creative Services team, which served as an in-house agency consisting of 12 employees in the discipline areas of visual identity, graphic design, media marketing, multi-media, circulation and production. Oversight of the SHRM Brand Strategy and ensured compliance organization-wide. Accountable for financial forecasting and resource allocation for the Publications Division with adherence to annual budgets. Directed the design and production of all SHRM in-house marketing, HR Magazine (print and digital) books, journals and research reports; ensured quality and delivery schedules maintained for all collateral. Chair of SHRM’s Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Council.

Responsibilities:

SHRM Brand: Working collaboratively with cross-functional departments, directed the institution of the SHRM Brand and drove its mission, vision and value proposition to SHRM members and constituents.

Supervisory: Directed Creative Services in-house agency including job trafficking, time tracking, billable hours per job, overall productivity and resource allocation; assessed and improved systems as needed.

Financial: Accountable for an annual budget of over $5M which included the printing, manufacturing, paper, postage and distribution of a 10x annual frequency magazine with a circulation of over 250,000. Commissioned agencies, illustrators and freelancers.

Contract Negotiations: Oversaw the RFP process and negotiations for magazine printing contracts valued at over $5M; along with digital publishers, external auditors, and store fronts.

Creative Direction: Directed SHRM’s in-house creative, delivering effective membership, conference and product marketing campaigns to meet and exceed SHRM’s revenue goals, along with concept development and design direction of HR Magazine.

Staff Development: Created departmental goals tied to SHRM’s mission. Managed individual goals, performance appraisals, salaries, merit increases and bonus awards for the staff.

Diversity: Chair, SHRM’s Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Council, providing educational programming that raised awareness, influenced policies and practices, and enabled SHRM to model the behaviors demonstrated by a high-performing diverse and inclusive organization.

Accomplishments:

Launched digital HR Magazine, and through targeted promotions, successfully migrated over 25,000 professional members from print to digital, saving over $250K annually in printing and distribution costs.

Developed the first HR Magazine app, available in Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play.

Directed the design and launch of SHRM Media microsite. Created site map and, working with our in-house video producer and Sr. Designer, managed the design and implementation of the landing page video and infographics.

Directed the implementation of SHRM’s Preferred Printer Program, which garnered over $30K annually in printing rebates.

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CAROLINE FOSTER DESIGN | ADRIFT DESIGN

Creative Director/Sole Proprietor, January 2000 – present

CLIENTS INCLUDE:

National Geographic Kids
Explore My World Series: Ducklings; Kangaroos; Flowers in progress/discontinued; Safari contracted/discontinued. (series presently discontinued) 

Annapolis Boat Shows
Design and production, Boat Show programs, 2022-present

Velvet Chainsaw Consulting
Wrote, designed and developed brand guidelines, corporate color usage.

Back Creek Conservancy
Created full brand guidelines. Write and developed brochures, interactive recruitment tools and infographics along with WordPress website design and interactive mapping tools.

Prographics, International Graphic Communications
Meridian Group project for Levis Strauss: Designed a 26-page Guidebook with graphic elements for Levis’ internal use.

Other Clients include:
Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating (CRAB), Maryland Zoo,  Best Present Company, Dot Jobs, Chesapeake Bay Magazine, Holdsworth & Associates, Templeton Readings, Annapolis Arts Alliance

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SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Alexandria, VA

DIRECTOR
DESIGN & PRODUCTION, October 1988-June 2000
Directed a staff of 9 graphic design and production employees, along with freelance photographers and illustrators. Art directed 2 monthly publications with a 
national circulation of over 200,000: HR Magazine (200-300 pages per month) and HR News (~60 tabloid pages), along with SHRM promotional marketing.

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EDGELL COMMUNICATIONS (formerly Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publications), Cleveland, OH
ART DIRECTOR: Art directed two 4/C monthly magazines: Instructor Magazine (~130 pp), and American Salon (~220 pp., with multiple regional/industry specific splits). Commissioned illustrators, photographers and stylists. Worked closely with the magazine printer, circulation and production to ensure accurate press splits; conducted press checks.

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HARCOURT BRACE JOVANOVICH, Duluth, MN
GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Special Projects Designer specializing in trade magazine redesigns, logo design, and circulation design management.

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TECHNICAL SKILLS

Proficient in Adobe CC: InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Light Room, InCopy. Web Marketing: WordPress, Google Analytics, WIX. Microsoft Office: Powerpoint, Excel, Word. Other supporting software programs such as JIRA, Basecamp, Function Fox, Prezi, ProofHQ.

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EDUCATION

BA, Advertising Design, College of Design, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN

Center for Creative Leadership’s Leadership Development Program, Colorado Springs, CO

Study abroad: Ecology of East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya

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VOLUNTEER  /  BLOG

Design support: USS Sioux City (LCS 11), Commissioning Committee, 2017-2018

Marketing & Communications: Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating (CRAB), 2015-present

Co-author, website development and social media lead: Galley Pirates, Cooking for Cruising & Living Aboard, 2013-2021

Secretary, Board of Directors, US Figure Skating Club, Bowie, MD, 2002-2006

Docent, Maryland Zoo, Baltimore

Docent, Lake Superior Zoo, Duluth

See portfolio: carolinefosterdesign.com