Renée Grigorian
Chicago, IL, USA


WORK EXPERIENCE

She Saw Design
Chicago, IL
November 1996 – Present
Freelance Graphic Designer
She Saw Design is an independent graphic design studio founded in 1996. She (me) creates compelling, meaningful solutions for all things creative. Over the years my work has been challenging, inspiring, rewarding and surprising. I approach each new project with enthusiasm and a sincere desire to do great work. I listen, ask questions and communicate. My aesthetic repertoire may vary widely between serious and spirited, but my promise to every client is always the same. I will problem-solve in unexpected ways and deliver design that both looks and feels good. I want you to be happy and I will work very hard to make that happen.

The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
January 2004 – Present
Contract Graphic Designer
Graphic designer for NORC at the University of Chicago, a not-for-profit academic research organization that conducts independent social science research for decision makers and public policy leaders in the fields of health, education, economics, crime, justice, energy, security and the environment. My work at NORC has primarily been in the areas of economics and education, and includes projects for the U.S. Federal Reserve Board (FRB), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Department of Education (ED), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH),the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Primary responsibilities include:
    • Design of survey materials, including collateral print and web solutions 
      for various longitudinal studies, including:
            - The Survey of Earned Doctorates
            - The Survey of Doctorate Recipients
            - The Survey of Consumer Finances
            - High School & Beyond
            - Making Connections
    • Collaboration with Senior Survey Directors and support staff to ensure 
      consistency and accuracy of complex survey objectives
    • Coordination with NORC IT to maintain aesthetic branding across instruments
    • Basic understanding of survey methodology and data collection protocols
    • Design, coding and testing of fillable online survey instruments
    • Ongoing adaptation to new technology for state-of-the-art materials formatting

Columbia College
Chicago, IL
March 2010 – Present
Lecturer
Lecturer for upper classmen and graduating seniors at the School of Media Arts, Marketing Communication Department at Columbia College. The students in attendance are not graphic designers, yet they are all embarking on media careers that will require their putting forth a polished, professional presentation. My objective is to give them guidance as to best practices for creating a cohesive identity and to provide them with easy and direct resources to generate their own branded materials.

Primary responsibilities include:
    • Conceptualize, research, write and design presentations
    • Write thorough outlines of detailed talking points to coordinate
      with presentations
    • Prepare comprehensive pdf student reference handouts
    • Research and vet online vendors prior to student recommendation
    • Interact with students to facilitate their learning and comprehension 
      of presented materials

Kaleidoscope
Chicago, IL
June 2006 – August 2011
Contract Graphic Designer
Graphic designer for Kaleidoscope, a nonprofit, charitable organization that finds foster families for hard-to-place children that have suffered from extreme abuse, violence and neglect. The materials I designed provide essential information about the organization, advertise its events, keep its families and Board members updated with news and developments and direct everyone to available resources. My goal in developing these printed pieces was to create a brand aesthetic that balanced an optimistic, kid-centered personality with the hard facts and serious mission of the organization. I was privileged to spend many happy years writing, designing and volunteering for this wonderful and essential resource.

Primary responsibilities included:
    • Creation of a new, colorful, cohesive agency aesthetic
    • Design for brochures, newsletters, annual reports, posters, 
      invitations and in-house materials
    • Development and design of fundraising products and materials
    • Coordination and collaboration with the Director of Development 
      on all projects
    • Hands-on promotion and participation in all agency events
    • Associate Board membership and service as Social Committee chair

Bulthaup
Chicago, IL
September 2003 – August 2005
Stylist & Event Coordinator
Aesthetic director, stylist and social manager for the bulthaup Chicago showroom, a luxury contemporary German kitchen manufacturer.

Primary responsibilities included:
    • Style showroom exteriors and interiors (cabinets and drawers) 
      consistent with the bulthaup brand
    • Maintain brand standards in all written and printed showroom 
      communications
    • Partner with major media entities such as Elle Decor 
      and Architectural Digest for high-profile showroom events such
      as the Elle Decor "Elle Deco Award" celebration for b3 with 
      then editor Margaret Russell in 2004
    • Conceptualize and coordinate educational "Chef's Tables" and 
      "Lunch 'n Learns" with area architecture and interior design firms
    • Research, interview and coordinate floral, catering and staffing 
      for all showroom events
    • Prepare and manage budgets for projects
    • Write and manage press releases for company news and events
    • Negotiate and coordinate local advertising
    • Promote and participate in industry and design community functions
    • Compile a library of resource materials and ideas for future PR 
      and showroom events

Dairy Council of Wisconsin
Westmont, IL
May 1997 – June 2003
Contract Graphic Designer
In-house graphic designer for an association whose mission was to promote, advocate and educate about the quality and nutritional importance of Wisconsin milk and dairy products. Much of the work I produced was for teachers and school food service programs. DCW was folded into the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) in Madison, WI in 2003.

Primary responsibilities included:
    • Design and production of original and engaging program materials 
      for school-aged children
    • Maintenance of brand consistency with national labels and programs 
      such as "Got Milk?," Dean's "Milk Chugs," "Chocolate Milk Has Muscle"
      and the Chicago Bulls
    • In-house communications and promotional design

Legal Graphics Inc.
Chicago, IL
October 1988 – November 1996
Art Director/Senior Graphic Designer
Head of creative department of an innovative company that produced custom courtroom exhibits. Infographics are commonplace now, but at the time I started at LGI, they were brand new territory. Challenged with establishing a new aesthetic standard, I quickly learned how to take stock of complicated stories and data and simplify them into compelling, persuasive graphics. I found the work to be very creative and relied heavily on color theory, semiotics and basic psychology to interpret the intricacies of oftentimes complex information and translate it into easily understood steps. I cannot count the number of times that litigators came back to LGI after their trials and said that our exhibits made the critical difference in their having obtained a favorable verdict.

Primary responsibilities included:
    • Conceptualization, development and design of effective courtroom 
      visual strategies
    • Client consultation, discovery, data analysis and support
    • In-house promotional writing and design
    • Staff supervision
    • Production management
    • Resources maintenance
    • Vendor coordination
    • Technical research, integration and maintenance of an office-wide 
      Apple computer network
    • Participation in on-going software educational opportunities

Case experience (some notorious) includes:
Commercial, Class Action, Product Liability, Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Insurance Defense, Antitrust, Intellectual Property, Patent, Labor/Employment, Securities, Criminal, Environmental and Construction

The University of Michigan Institute for Social Research
Ann Arbor, MI
June 1985 – June 1988
Graphic Designer
Internal graphics consultant for PhD level studies and dissertations

Primary responsibilities included:
    • Design and production of graphics for publications, lectures 
      and top-level seminars including keynote presentations for three 
      annual American Psychiatric Association meetings in Washington, DC
    • Design and production of support materials for ongoing university 
      research studies
    • Design and production of graphic materials for university affiliates 
      such as the Michigan Prevention Research Center (MPRC), 
      a state-based psycho/social welfare organization


EDUCATION
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
Graphic Design & Art History
Chicago, IL, USA
 
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Graduate Study
Developmental Psychology
Chicago, IL, USA
 
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)
Chicago, IL
Continuing Studies
Multimedia


SKILLS
Adobe Creative Suite, Advertisements, Aesthetic Flexibility, Book Design, Branding & Identity, Brochures, Business Cards, Children's Design, Collaborative, Collage, Color, Concept Development, Contemporary Art, Content Development, Copywriting, Creative Strategy, Detailed, Digital Murals, Environmental Graphics, Excellent Researcher, Financial Graphics, Graphic Design, Infographics, Interactive PDFs, Interior Design, Interior Graphics, Invitations, Large Format Graphics, Litigation Graphics, Logos, Materials Familiarity, Menus, Microsoft Office, Not-for-Profit, Organized, Pop Culture, Posters, Presentation Folders, Presentations, Production, Quark Xpress, Quick Learner, Resourceful, Sample Cards, Slideshows, Survey Design, T-shirt Graphics, Trade Shows, Typography, Web Design


AWARDS
2011
Graphic Design USA
Excellence in Publication Design