A passion for creating that cannot be confined to a single medium.

My work is fuelled by an insatiable curiosity and a joyful spirit. I may not be able to spell to save my life, but I can make a design communicate what it needs to. I also work with people who can make sure the words are saying what they're supposed to!

​Embracing the evolving landscape of visual and communication arts, I find fulfillment in continual learning and exploring diverse techniques to enhance my skills, including watercolour painting, embroidery and digital art.

​Firm in the belief that each day brings new opportunities for growth, I saturate my work with a love for color. Through my designs and creations, I aim to not just captivate, but to spark curiosity, weaving visual narratives that resonate with joy.
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Registered Graphic Designer
Registered Graphic Designers of Canada (RGD)

Certified Design Professional
Design Professionals of Canada (DesCan)

Accredited Professional Photographer
Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC)
​Accreditations: 
Portraiture, Child Portrait

Manager, Creative Services

Alberta Retired Teachers' Association
May 2020 – Present
Edmonton, Alberta

​Manager, Creative Services (Dec 2023-present)
​Senior Creative Designer (2022-2023)
Creative Designer (2020-2022)
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I work closely with the Chief Marketing Officer and the marketing team to strengthen ARTA’s external profile, build its brand and key relationships, and ensure information is ready to be delivered to future members and key stakeholders in an engaging, timely, and informative manner. I lead a team of designers that includes our Senior Graphic Designer and Junior Graphic Designer, with support from ARTA’s Communications Manager and Marketing and Promotions Manager, working together to support the growth and evolution of the ARTA brand.

Redeveloped ARTA brand

• worked with the marketing team and graphic designer to develop an updated identity for the ARTA brand
• simplified logos to allow for better transition between media (web, print, SWAG, etc.)
• created sub brand logos that work with the main identity, along with secondary graphic elements that all work together to create a cohesive look

Updated print marketing materials to promote ARTA

• developed a new benefit plan brochure to showcase the features of the ARTA Benefit Plans, including a fold out to easily display a complex plan comparison chart
• designed supporting pieces to complement the main brochure, all adhering to a similar design style to create a package that works together​​

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Visual Communications Associate

School of Public Health, University of Alberta
January 2009 – May 2020
​Edmonton, Alberta
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As an integral part of the School of Public Health Communications team, responsible for aiding development of effective marketing strategies to increase the positive views of the School. This is done through strategic planning with the Marketing and Alumni Relations team, as well as developing and executing print, web and multimedia projects on time and on budget, while complying with the University of Alberta visual identity guidelines.

Led website migration and enhancement

• managed migration process from start to finish including providing tasks and timelines to team members, working with team to determine who would take the lead on various items such as archiving content
• selected to be part of the user testing group (9 faculties represented) and provided feedback to University Relations Digital team to help with overall migration process and troubleshooting
• learned new CMS system and reviewed all pages of School website during migration, also worked with central migration team to ensure that all issues were fixed in a timely manner

By being part of the migration process right from the beginning, including being part of the user testing group, the site was able to be migrated quickly and effectively. With support from the central team users experienced little to no impact. Further enhancements are planned on an ongoing basis for the School's site.

Remodelled email communications for This is Public Health Week

• proposed using daily emails for the new This is Public Health Week events to promote and increase attendance at the various engagements
• average open rate for emails was 43.5% (3.6% higher than average open rate for School communications) and the click rate was an average of 17.1% (10.9% higher than average for School communications)
• the majority of attendees enjoyed the email communications (82%), strongly/agreed that the communications were clear (86%) and  strongly/agreed that it was helpful to receive daily reminders of each day's events (89%)

Creating an enhanced email solution for This is Public Health week was extremely successful and repeated the following year with similar results. Attendance continued to increase and showcased the work of the School in a positive way.

Reduced print and photography costs by approximately 40%

• sourced external suppliers to reduce printing costs, while maintaining print quality of projects through working with suppliers to determine best supplies and processes
• Reduced the purchase costs of stock photography by doing all School event photography, staff and student photography, as well as creating professional quality images to be used for major publications.

The reduction in these costs allowed funds to be diverted to other areas in the faculty, while still maintaining the high standards desired to enhance our brand.

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Art Director and Marketing Coordinator

World Vintners
Markham, Ontario

Art Director and Marketing Coordinator (2006-2008)
Junior Designer (2005-2006)

As a member of the marketing team, reporting to the VP of Product, I was responsible for designing a variety of projects to promote and reinforce the Wine Kitz, Heron Bay and Woodland Estate brands. Worked closely with the Wine Kitz franchise network of 78 stores and the Heron Bay sales team to ensure that all local and regional advertising, creative and marketing needs were met.

Reassessed spending in​ Marketing Department to reduce costs

• reduced use of photo shoots to one per year for calendar only, utilized stock photo sites for more cost effective POS campaigns and found alternative suppliers to reduce printing costs significantly
• completed study to determine which marketing materials were necessary for success of franchisees

By eliminating unnecessary costs and finding alternative solutions, reduced annual marketing spending by 15%.

Created dynamic and effective branding solutions to increase sales and brand recognition

• updated packaging and labels
• developed campaigns to create a more personal connection between customers and their wines to open a dialogue between franchisees and their customers
• continued to create annual Wine & Food calendar with an updated look to make it a more desirable sales tool

By creating more dynamic brand solutions, contributed to a 2% increase in sales for the company over a 3 year period, while industry as a whole saw a general decline in sales during the same period.

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Freelance Graphic Designer

Apr 2005 – Present

Creating graphic design and photography solutions for various clients across Canada including identity development, website design/development, print design, packaging and more. Below are a few examples of work done.

BEMI Beauty Box

• developed branding system for BEMI Beauty Box including logo and colour scheme
• photographed product  and designed large banner for trade shows
• redeveloped packaging labels to be more efficient for nail designers

Oxygen Yoga and Fitness Windermere

• designed new Warrior 21 Challenge logo to be used Alberta-wide on tank tops
• developed design for shirts for sale at Oxygen Windermere location

Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta

• created new design for Rehab Impact Report to enhance the reader experience
• designed report for three consecutive years
• Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine Impact Report - Heroes of Rehab Med won three awards of excellence from IABC

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Photographer

Gin Quist Photography
​2010 – present

Photography of everything from weddings to families, newborns to events, as well as branding and product photography. Able to work in fast-paced environments and adapt to changing scenarios and tight timelines, while producing high-quality and impactful images.

Skills

Illustrator
InDesign
​Photoshop
Fresco
Premier Pro​
​After Effects
Acrobat

​Brand design
Print design
Photography
Illustration
Project management
​Environmental Design​
Website CMS
Website design
Video production
Email marketing
Project management
Digital graphics
​Social media graphics

Honours & Awards

RGD In-House Design Awards
Gold Quill Award of Merit
Capital Award of Excellence
2024
Alberta Retired Teachers' Association
Celebrating 60 Years - Annual Report
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Staff Recognition Award
December 2018
School of Public Health, University of Alberta

Gold Quill Award
Silver Leaf Award
Capital Award of Excellence
May 2017 
International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)
Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine Impact Report (2014-2015) - Heroes of Rehab Med
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Student Award - Editorial
​April 2005 
Applied Arts Magazine

Education

Leadership Strengths and Styles
Royal Roads University - Continuing Education
2024
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Georgian College
Diploma, Graphic Design
​2002 – 2005

​Graduated with honours from the 3-year graphic design program.