Career Overview

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-ford-5b9664216/

As the driving force behind transformative marketing and design initiatives, I've led and implemented impactful strategies resulting in great success thus far: Strategic Vision Alignment: Translating owner vision into actionable strategies, contributing to the firm's overarching goals. Strategic Business Growth: Successfully boosted weekly new client acquisitions from an initial range of 0-4 per week to a peak of 25, resulting in a substantial increase in overall monthly new clients from less than 9 to up to 70. State-Wide Growth: Increased brand reach from local cities to serving multiple states. Strategic Planning: Contributing to long-term growth strategies, fostering big-picture thinking. Analytical Problem-Solving: Addressed design and brand flaws creatively, prioritizing solutions. Analyzed roadblocks throughout each position within the firm. Visual Transformation: Executing comprehensive rebranding, including logo and design, enhancing market appeal and brand resonance. Graphic Design: Crafting designs for a cohesive brand representation. Social Media: Enhancing online presence and brand loyalty through social media. Lead Generation Mastery: Achieving 100+ monthly Google Local Services Ads (LSA) leads, while reducing costs per lead and increasing the number of qualified leads. Community Outreach: Pioneered local backpack project, two years in a row distributing non-branded backpacks to our local community. Innovative DUI Campaign: Executed groundbreaking DUI campaign, resulting in the lowest local incidents in years on NYE. Client Retention: Led initiatives, creating efficient processes and enhancing satisfaction. Efficient Process Implementation: Streamlined processes, optimizing workflows for efficient task delegation. Google Platforms Proficiency: Implemented successful google strategies to enhance reach. Collaborative Leaderships: Fostering relationships with external companies, staying at the forefront of innovation.

During the completion of my post-baccalaureate degree, I had the opportunity to serve as a Graphic Design Mentor in a seasonal mentorship program. Drawing from my educational background in Visual Communication and Design and Digital Technology and Culture, I provided valuable guidance to start-up businesses in developing their branding strategies and creating impactful visual assets. Mentorship and Guidance: -Offered mentorship to start-up businesses, leveraging knowledge gained from my educational background. -Conducted in-depth discussions with entrepreneurs to understand their product vision, goals, and target audience, and devised comprehensive plans to reach potential clients. Branding Asset Creation: -Utilized Adobe Illustrator and other design tools to create a diverse range of branding assets, including logo designs, website development, and branded fliers for marketing purposes. -Mentored businesses in developing brand names aligned with their business goals and creating color schemes that resonated with their target audience and product. Digital Marketing Assistance: -Assisted start-ups in setting up business social media accounts and provided guidance on digital marketing strategies to enhance brand visibility and engagement. -Offered personalized advice on leveraging social media platforms and optimizing digital marketing efforts to reach a wider audience. Business Development Insights: -Attended business development and growth meetings, where I gained valuable insights from presentations by successful business owners. This additional knowledge enriched my mentoring approach and provided valuable insights into the process of starting a business. This experience allowed me to apply my academic knowledge in a practical setting and make a meaningful impact in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. I am passionate about continuing to support emerging businesses in their branding and design endeavors as they navigate their entrepreneurial journeys.

As a Marketing Assistant, I played a multifaceted role in supporting various aspects of marketing operations, leveraging my skills in recruitment, event coordination, design, social media marketing, and budget management to contribute to the overall success of the business. Recruitment and Hiring Support: -Recruited and scheduled interviews for potential employees across different positions, aligning candidate qualifications with the business owner's goals and ensuring the selection of the best-fit applicants. -Created visually engaging design assets for recruitment events such as career fairs and trade shows, effectively showcasing the company's brand and culture to prospective candidates. Career Fair Representation: -Attended career fairs to promote the company's brand and engage with potential candidates, effectively communicating the organization's values and opportunities for career growth. Event Coordination and Management: -Orchestrated and coordinated team events, handling all aspects of event planning from venue booking to catering and decorations. -Developed event invitations, announcements, and marketing materials to promote the festivities, ensuring alignment with business goals and objectives. Social Media Marketing: -Managed social media channels to enhance brand visibility and engagement, creating and curating content to connect with target audiences and drive business objectives. Graphic Design and Video Editing: -Utilized Adobe Creative Suite to create visually appealing layouts and graphic designs for various projects, maintaining brand consistency and aesthetic appeal. -Employed Adobe Premiere for video editing, producing engaging content to showcase the business and brand in a captivating manner. Budget Management: -Created budgets and tracked expenses for marketing initiatives, ensuring cost-effectiveness and alignment with overall financial objectives.

As a Graphic Designer in a fast-paced large print production sign shop, I led the design and production of various materials, ensuring top-notch quality and attention to detail. Design and Production: -Conceptualized and designed diverse materials including car wraps, menus, logos, stickers, and large street signs, using Photoshop, Illustrator, and Gerber Composer for layout and graphic design. -Produced large-format printing files, optimizing designs and ensuring compatibility with production machines. -Reformatted images and logos as needed to ensure high-quality printing results. -Specialized in large format printing and vinyl cutting on a plotter, employing advanced techniques for precision. -Implemented print settings tailored to specific materials, optimizing output quality while minimizing waste. Efficient Workflow Management: -Managed multiple projects concurrently, meeting tight deadlines and maintaining high-quality standards. -Prioritized tasks effectively to ensure timely completion of projects. Machine Operation and Maintenance: -Operated and maintained large production machines, such as a Canon printer and a vinyl plotter, ensuring smooth operation and performing routine maintenance for optimal performance. Process Improvement and Client Communication: -Assisted in creating streamlined processes and guidelines for the position, enhancing efficiency in machine operation and workflow management. -Collaborated with clients, delivering mockups for approval to ensure satisfaction before production. In this role, I demonstrated expertise in graphic design, efficient workflow management, machine operation, and client communication, contributing to the success of print production processes.

As a Graphic Designer at Lots To Say Speech Therapy I played a pivotal role in enhancing the visual communication and educational resources for the practice. Educational Material Design: -Designed engaging and informative pages for both online and in-person learning materials, ensuring accessibility and user-friendly navigation. -Created visually appealing infographics to convey complex information in a clear and concise manner, aiding in comprehension and retention. Online Learning Platform Management: -Managed online learning platforms such as Teachers Pay Teachers and Boom Cards, curating and uploading educational resources to enhance the learning experience for students and educators alike. Website Redesign: -Spearheaded the redesign of the website, revamping the layout, graphics, and overall user experience to better showcase services and resources. -Developed products for sale related to educational practices, leveraging design expertise to create valuable assets for students, families and practitioners. In this role, I combined my passion for design with a commitment to education, creating impactful visual assets and resources to support the speech therapy practice in its mission to empower students and educators alike.

-Assist in creating and editing weekly news pages -Edit videos and create transcriptions for accessibility -Cut, weed and transfer vinyl -Large print production and product packaging -Create Travel Expense Reports

As the Concert Coordinator for Eagle Entertainment at Eastern Washington University, I facilitated the planning and execution of small-scale music productions, managing various tasks to ensure successful events. Event Planning and Coordination: -Led event planning efforts, including venue selection, scheduling, and logistics coordination. -Coordinated setup, organization, and teardown of event infrastructure. Staffing Maintenance and Assistance: -Managed event staffing, including recruitment, training, and scheduling. -Provided hands-on assistance to staff during events. Promotion and Sales: -Promoted events and sold tickets to drive attendance. -Greeted attendees and provided event information during concerts. Event Organization: -Managed event logistics, budgeting, and communication with vendors. -Coordinated transportation, accommodations, and catering for events. University Representation: -Represented Eastern Washington University at events, fostering positive relationships with stakeholders. -Ensured alignment with university policies and objectives.

My role as Concert Coordinator allowed me to develop valuable skills in event management and organization while contributing to the cultural vibrancy of Eastern Washington University.