Nathan Scruggs - Graphic Designer

About Me

I've always been a creative person, exceptional at drawing since my youth. I work with digital and print mediums, and have worked on projects as diverse as muffler packaging to email coding to conference collateral. I'm in love with typography, color, pixels, vectors, and concept-driven design. I speak mostly English, but also know Spanish and French to some degree. I'm enthusiastic about language and word play.

In 1986 I got my first computer, a Timex Sinclair 1500 that I wrote basic on, creating a database for my secret club. Later on my Commodore 64, I designed and coded a loading interface with an animated splash page and sound. Before I knew what graphic design was, I set type in Newsroom Pro, creating my own newspaper in orange and black monochrome with images edited in Printshop Pro, working on my Dad's 486mhz IBM clone.

I fronted an experimental noise band using binaural recordings mixed with a DAW. Creating abstract melodic progressions using atmospheric sounds, and then adding musical accompaniment, I played theremin and acoustic guitar, I had a drummer, a bassist and another guitarist. I'm enthusiastic about sound design/production, and the use of sound in art/design.

I'm a connoisseur of chocolate chip cookies, American coffee, french crullers, butter croissants and pizza. I'm into tv/anime marathons, industrial design, VW Buses, video games, and reading books.

Contact me, and let me know what I can do for you :)

DIRECT

A design is only as good as the idea and organization behind it. Solo or with a team, I love coming up with fresh ideas that inspire, inform and captivate.

DESIGN

An expert in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, I like to keep on top of the latest trends in web design, typography, print media, and user experience.

                            CODE
                        
                            Self-taught in HTML, CSS and Javascript, I believe that having a keen understanding of the code behind your design is essential.

Resume

Download Resume as a Word Doc

Utilize technical expertise and artistic talent to synthesize client requests into actionable design requirements, enabling the development and delivery of creative innovative multi-media design solutions.

Solid success conceiving, executing, and producing multimedia collateral including document design, presentation graphics, strategic visual messaging, and email design and coding. Creatively brainstorm to produce visual concepts and communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. Excel in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments with shifting priorities. Collaboratively engage cross-functional teams ensuring timelines, deliverables, and client objectives are met or exceeded.

Skills

Specializing In:

Web Design

Typography

Branding

Marketing

Web Dev

Print Setup

Art Direction / Project Management
Marketing / Branding / Print Design
Targeted E-mail Campaigns
Motion Graphics / Illustrations / Packaging
Color Theory / Typography
Mechanical Art / Print & Digital Production
Web Design / FTP Accounts
Web Usability Best Practices / UI
Staff, Vendor, and Media Relations
Excellent English Skills / Proof Reading / ~45 WPM
Knowledge in Spanish and French

Professional Experience

Spectrum Brands

Lake Forest, CA

Visual Instruction Designer, September 2017 to Present

Leveraging keen attention to detail, strong layout sense, knowledge of typographic standards, and general mechanical aptitude to graphicly design and layout printed and animated instruction guides for new products and make updates to existing instruction guides. Using Adobe Indesign for layout and Adobe Illustrator to prepare vector drawings output from PTC Creo (Pro/Engineer), and Adobe After Effects to modify existing animated instructions. Basic knowledge of Spanish and French facilitated creation of multilingual versions of guides.

Selected Achievements:

Became extremely adept at using Adobe Indesign to create print ready files.
Leveraged excellent communication skills to coordinate with product managers and engineers to get direction and input on project requirements.
Utilized solid knowledge of Adobe After Effects to manipulate/modify existing projects to implement requested changes/revisions.
Became familiar with Spectrum Brands’ online product matrices, and learned to interpret Engineering Orders.
Utilized exceptional project management skills to prioritize multiple projects simultaneously for multiple clients under tight deadlines with minimal supervision.

Graphic Design Freelance

Laguna Beach, CA

Graphic Designer, June 2016 to Present

Graphic Design, conceptualization, art direction, and production of motion and static social media communication and marketing materials. Provided illustrations and mock ups, and documented design phases to effectively meet client requirements. Conceptualized and created graphical user interfaces for artist and designer portfolio websites. Designed and produced collateral for stream overlays including intro, backdrop, and offline screens, branding and logo design, illustration, apparel design, as well as concepting and production of art for web banners and emotes.

Selected Achievements:

Acted as go-to designer for multiple video streamers, taking input and providing advice on branding and production.
Achieved a high level of knowledge in building on the Wordpress platform, modifying themes and tailoring plugins using CSS, PHP, and Javascript to be able to implement design changes and tailor functionality seamlessly.
Utilized exceptional project management skills, organizing and producing simultaneous projects for multiple clients under tight deadlines.
Honed a sense for the social media landscape through thorough investigation of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch to effectively integrate ideas in that setting.
Created title animations as well as social media videos which were widely appreciated by their intended audiences.
Embraced the opportunity to help people with design projects of all types, from setting up broadcast software to illustrating t-shirts to sound production and voice over work for social media video posts.

Experian Interactive

Costa Mesa, CA

Senior Graphic Designer, May 2006–May 2016

Conceptualized, provided art direction, and created internal, external, and social media communication and marketing materials. Proactively shared ideas with peers, participated in brainstorming sessions, provided illustrations and mock ups, and documented design phases to effectively meet project, budgetary, and client requirements. Conceptualized and created graphical user interfaces, landing pages, email campaigns and web banners. Designed and produced infographics, vehicle graphics, animated digital signage, logos, custom WordPress and other deliverables. Prepared proofs, coordinated customer approval, prepared final production-ready files for both print and web, and recommended and performed modifications as required. Took ownership of projects from conception to completion, prioritized workload, adapted quickly to shifting priorities and conditions, and intuitively anticipated and conveyed design problems to expedite troubleshooting processes.

Selected Achievements:

Lead designer in rebranding Experian’s core credit web-based reporting product for use by Wells Fargo, American Express, Discover, and USAA. Created jpg comps for coders, building key pages, and determining how core content would fit within established style guides.
Conceived and produced the visual look and feel of Experian’s acquisition: creditreport.com, creditscore.com, and core experian.com; started with mobile apps and moved onto each individual brand’s marketing.
Utilized exceptional project management skills, organizing and producing simultaneous projects for multiple channels under tight deadlines, often handling entire accounts as the sole designer on the project team.
Created winning landing pages and emails that became controlled versions for mass production.
Built branded versions of core credit reporting/identity theft protection products to fit within the branding guidelines of various large financial companies.

The Package Lab Company, Inc.

Anaheim, CA

Graphic Designer, December 2005–January 2006

Conceptualized, designed, produced, and provided art direction for package graphics, convention collateral, and printed prototypes. Successfully created and rolled out package branding and brand identities, successfully bringing new brands to market. Defined required visual design and assets with emphasis on technical requirements, refined and revised projects through stakeholder feedback, and consulted with staff/clients to plan, analyze, and create visual solutions to communications problems. Researched developing marketing and design technologies and trends and developed expert-level knowledge of competition and complimentary products. Efficiently addressed client needs and established efficient use of resources and budget. Provided content management, technical, and training support. Collaborated and brainstormed with creative team, addressed troubleshooting and design issues, prepared files for printers, and trained interns and less experienced staff.

Selected Achievements:

Created packaging for cell phone accessories within the contemporary brandings standards: Alltel, Nokia, Motorola, Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
Developed branding for Yamaha’s new direct to public line of parts and upgrades; developed new identities for multiple smaller companies in various industries.
Effectively resolved issues with remote clients and vendors through proactive communication, support, and response times.

Educational Background

School of Visual Arts

New York / 2000-2004

Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design with focus on print, motion, and web

Technical Proficiency

Environments: Mac OS X, Windows 7/10; CSS; XML; HTML; PHP; Javascript; Actionscript; WordPress
Tools: Microsoft Office -Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint; Adobe Creative Suite - Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Edge Animate (Flash), After Effects, Premiere