CV

***Alternatively you can download a pdf version here CV JCJA 2011***

James Anderson

Telephone 07535 637 646

Email jcjanderson at gmail.com

Blog http://www.jcjanderson.wordpress.com

I am a versatile and creative production designer with nine years freelance experience and four years experience working for the world’s largest open arts festival, driving sales, hitting deadlines, and producing accurate & informative publications with a high level of proficiency in the use of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign & Flash as well as Microsoft Word, Excel, Publisher and PowerPoint.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society
The world’s largest arts festival attracting performers and audiences from around the globe.

Fringe Programme Contract Work | 2007 – 2010
The programme is read by over a million people and is the primary source of information for festival-goers. I progressed from administrator & artworker to production manager over this 4 year period.

• Grew advertising sales from £150K in 2006 to £487K in 2010 through client specific advertising offers resulting in an increased customer base, improved retention levels and more profitable revenue streams.
• Staggered submission dates for trusted clients and provided clear specifications, best practice and tutorials for new clients, thereby improving the work flow process for artwork submission and being able to prioritise the feedback for emergency cases and negotiating extensions to deadlines for key individuals and design firms.
• Built a custom Excel workbook to track year by year advertising income, compute the programme pagination requirements and work completed, the analysis of which allowed the department to acquire temporary resources on a just-in-time basis.
• Identified requirements from senior managers and other stakeholders to design a new programme layout incorporating show images, resulting in the commission and specification of the appropriate XML coding, testing and final sign off.
• Led meetings to ascertain the progress of the venue, listing & art teams, ensuring that issues were discussed and solutions, contingencies and follow-up actions agreed to.
• Through collaboration with another team manager built the venue map using Google earth and a GRS CAD drawing which was reworked in Adobe Illustrator for print, allowing the data and artwork from this project to be reused internally and sold on to third parties.
• Designed a work flow tool for proofing to ensure that errors were caught, changed and logged quickly while being flexible enough to ensure that certain stylistically and mandatory inaccuracies could be retained for the satisfaction of specific clients.
• Wrote pre-flight conditions and optimised pdf settings for print and online editions, reducing file storage and archiving costs.
• Submitted reports proposing ideas for the continuous success and progress for the Fringe programme such as smart phone apps and QR codes linking the paper edition to the Fringe box office website, thereby creating a further revenue stream and simpler ticketing.

Other initiatives while at the Fringe

• Initiated the updated branding directions resulting in the production of two user guides for staff & clients packaged with the new logo artwork.
• Researched and procured the software and hardware upgrades needed to keep the design department iMacs functional within a limited budget ensuring the department was able to meet the growing work load.
• Designed and promoted advertising opportunities for Vitamin Water in the Daily Guide by synchronising their marketing messages into time specific slots by means of fake listings coupled to display spaces on each page.
• “Married” IRN-BRU’s phenomenal campaign to Edfringe TV.
• Volunteered my time to help transform the retail space in the main office, creating a better use of space and customer experience.
• Established an in-house wiki as an instruction manual for staff to record procedures to aid succession planning.

Freelance Clients
Turnbull & White | 2010 – Present
Peter White and Mike Turnbull run a brand and communications agency based in the south of England. We have been working together since July 2010.

Thames Valley Health Innovation and Education Cluster Knowledge Team (TVHIEC).
An NHS think-tank with close ties to blue chip companies working to generate ideas to improve patient experience and encourage innovation.

• Logo development through listening carefully to the client’s requirements, vision and business objectives.
• Advised on typography, colour theory & social media sites to maximise impact etc.
• Stationery design to tie in with the new branding.
• Produced new Word, PowerPoint and Publisher document templates for staff to use when communicating with their stakeholders.

Brighter Group
An established PR and marketing company in the travel and hospitality industry.

• Produced illustrations for tender documents.
• Produced updated PowerPoint presentations for use by their Executive and Sales Teams.
• Created a contemporary Greetings card for the 2010 festive season.

Diageo Reserve Brands | 2009 – Present
Luxury brand division of the drinks company.

Johnnie Walker and Tanqueray.

• Took original photographs of Johnnie Walker and Tanqueray cocktails for use in PR campaign.
• Assisted with the branding for bars at events such as Goodwood, using original artwork and themed backdrops.
• Created a display advert for the Edinburgh Festivals Daily Guide building on the campaign for Tanqueray.
• Created Point of Sale materials for use in bars and restaurants creating addition brand awareness.

White Label UK | 2010
White label is a brand agency based in Central London with a client base that includes Courvoisier, Jim Beam and Johnson & Johnson.

• Led a 3D modelling software training course for their marketing team.
• Set up tutorial space with appropriate technology within their offices for eight staff.
• Delivered an intensive course on SketchUp over a three day period to practitioner level.
• Verified all participants’ competence, resulting in future savings for this organisation on external production costs.

Brown Taylor Ltd | 2007 – 2010
99 Hanover Street is a bustling boutique cocktail bar in Edinburgh City Centre.

• Produced two uniquely interesting cocktail menu designs for this company, the first of which won Theme Magazine’s ‘Award for Coolest Cocktail Menu 2008’ and the second promoted the music for which the venue is renowned and celebrated.
• Researched printing and production methods for irregular materials.
• Arranged sponsorship from Red Bull & Bacardi Brown-Forman to fund the final production costs.
• Delivered the final products.

Qualifications

BA Editorial Design and Information Graphics – University of Sunderland – 2007

Scottish Highers: English, Mathematics, Physics, Art & Design, Graphic Communication – Kinross High School – 2000