Ashley Ruff

THE PLAN
When I graduate my ideal situation would be working at a medium- to large-sized design firm in the Salt Lake/Utah county area. My second preference would be working in the Dallas or Houston area, but really I could go anywhere. I mostly want to make sure I'm somewhere that allows me to work with other designers on a variety of different projects and with several different clients.

RESUME

Ashley Ruff

801.***.****

ashleymicheller@yahoo.com

OBJECTIVE

To secure a graphic design position in a fun-loving firm where my affinity for hands-on and tactile projects will both mesh with the firm's established image and goals and exceed clients' expectations

EDUCATION

• BFA in Graphic Design | 2013
• Southern Utah University (SUU) | Cedar City, UT
• Associate of Science | 2010
• Utah Valley University | Orem, UT
• High School Diploma | 2010
• Utah County Academy of Sciences (UCAS) | Orem, UT
• High Honor Roll 2007-10, National Honor Society 2009-10

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Student Graphic Designer | Apr 2011-present
• SUU Welcome Center | Graduate and International Recruitment | Cedar City, UT
• Design various print documents and web graphics including posters, signage, publication design, applications and forms, rack cards, and email banners. Other duties include setting type in other languages (Chinese, Korean, and Portuguese), and being aware of and sensitive to various cultures.
• Freelance Designer | 2010-present
• Clients include Zumba Fitness at the Orem Fitness Center, Austin Sports Center, Bear Lake View Properties
• Projects include print collateral, brand development, advertising, web graphics, T-shirt design

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Graphic Design Intern | Aug 2012-present
• Merryweather Studios | Cedar City, UT
• Duties include taking various design projects from concept to final product
• Portfolio Showoff | Sept 2011
• SUU | Cedar City, UT
• Exhibition of student work

SKILLS

• Proficient on both Mac and Windows
• Proficient in Adobe CS6 (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and Microsoft Office
• Web design, html5, CSS3, and Dreamweaver experience
• Photography experience and typography skills
• Precise and detail-oriented, with exceptional craft and hand skills
• Self-motivated, goal-driven, and ability to work with deadlines
• Exceptional organizational and prioritization skills

MEMBERSHIPS

• AIGA, the professional association for design | 2011-present
• Golden Key International Honour Society | 2009-present

PHILANTHROPY & LEADERSHIP

• Utah County Academy of Sciences | 2010-present
• Orem, UT
• Duties include brochure, ticket, poster, and apparel design; mentoring student government art directors; and guest lecturing.
• Programming Officer | Sept 2011-May 2012
• SUU Design Club | Cedar City, UT
• Created posters and fliers, and other duties as assigned
• Senior Class President | 2009-2010
• UCAS | Orem, UT

REFERENCES

• Jay Merryweather | Creative Director | Merryweather Studios
• 435.***.**** | jaymerryweather@suu.edu
• Jeff Hanson | Assistant Professor of Graphic Design | SUU
• 435.***.**** | hansonj@suu.edu
• Nicole Funderburk | Graduate and International Recruitment Coordinator | SUU
• 435.***.**** | funderburk@suu.edu
• David Excell
• 435.***.****

CREATIVE STATEMENT

Although I did not grow up to be a princess or ballerina, and while I do not pour foundations or use a hammer, I did grow up to become a builder of sorts. I engineer ideas, utilize diagrams, and build objects  in a hands-on process. I use tools, physical and digital, from my toolbox and construct concepts from the ground up. I am a graphic designer.

I primarily use a hybrid process of hand craft and digital methods, alternating between both techniques. Although I use tools, both physical and digital, I love to work with my hands. This hybrid method of working often alters the outcome, creating something unexpected and wonderful.

As a designer, my work is highly conceptual, detailed, and well-crafted. The human hand is evident in my pieces, giving the finished product distinctive character and physical formal qualities. The familiarity of a hand-drawn line helps achieve balance between the nuances of manual work and the complexity of digital expression. It is through this process of engineering ideas that I meet the conceptual needs of a given design problem.

PORTFOLIO
Link to my website: Design by amr

Logos

Siva vase retailer logo

Cornbelly's Corn Maze logo

Monolith Tshirt logo

Boyce Avenue Webpage

Stereographic poster

Typographical self-portrait

White House | Black Market bag, tag, and receipt

Mr. Monocle Webcam munny

Smithsonian brochure

Packaging for child's scarves

Graduate rack cards

Holga photography catalog interior

Mythical beast evidence kit

The Grill fast food packaging

Despicable Me movie display

Night of Mystery Tshirt

Siva Website

Rudyard Kipling book set

THE BIG BREAK

(Most of my research and search for firms occurred during the first week of classes, so I didn't have to research every week)

• Oct 14: Emailed Red Olive Design
• Oct 16: More communication with Red Olive. They asked for specification on what I was looking for.
• Oct 18:
• Research on firms
• Inquired about employment opportunities at The Design Farm
• Inquired about employment opportunities at Axis 41
• Nov 4: Inquired about employment opportunities at Croxton Design
• Nov 8:
• Research on firms
• Inquired about employment and internship opportunities at Envision Creative Group
• Nov 18:
• Research on firms
• Inquired about employment opportunities at PetersenWest
• Inquired about employment opportunities at Bottle Rocket
• Inquired about employment and internship opportunities at Sibley Peteet Design (Austin, TX office)
• Nov 19: More communication with Bottle Rocket. They said they are not looking to expand their 2-man shop now or in the near future.
• Dec 1: Research on design jobs with Adobe
• Dec 2:
• More Adobe research
• Follow up with PetersenWest
• Follow up with Sibley Peteet Design (Austin office)
• Inquired about an internship at Modern8 design
• Dec 3: More communication with PetersenWest. They said they have an unpaid internship and that we could set up a meeting. Even though it's unpaid I'm still very excited! The location is perfect (Salt Lake) and I am in love with their work.

PROJECT PROPOSAL

For my capstone project I intend to expand on my munny project from Graphic Design 2. All the munnies will not only be hand crafted and visually fun, but will also be functional and serve a purpose. For example, one munny will serve as a pin cushion and another will be an alarm clock that unfortunately encourages you to hit/whack snooze. Since I am considering actually selling these in the future, my intention is to allow people to use the toy rather than just buying one to sit on a shelf or desk. I want there to be interaction between the munnies and the audience, and my goal with each of these is to have people want to pick them up and show their friends what their munny can do.

Moodboard

Process sketches

Exploratory sketches

Explanatory sketches

Persuasive sketch