“All passes. Art alone endures.”

Jocelyn Gilbertson

Graphic Designer & UXUI Web Designer

A Bit About Me

Hi, I'm Jocelyn.

I'm a graphic designer who graduated from Iowa State University in 2021 with a B.F.A. in Graphic Design. While studying for my B.F.A, I created a wide range of projects in many different formats. These include but aren't limited to: UXUI application development, web design and development, brand design, non-profit organization creation and deliverables, re-branding, photography and much more (so check out the rest of my work under my portfolio tabs!) I work primarily in the Adobe Creative Suite: InDesign, XD, Photoshop, AfterEffects, and Illustrator. I also am proficient in Microsoft programs, and have worked in InVision, SketchUp (3D rendering and interior design), and Procreate.

I’m always looking to further my education and understanding of design and UX. I am currently pursuing my masters degree in Human Computer Interaction. I plan to study cognitive psychology, neurocognitive engineering, computer science, human factors in design, as well as UXUI & engineering design. I also hold a Nielsen Norman Group certificate in User Experience, with a specialty recognition in Interaction Design.

I have over 4 years of professional experience in various roles and fields. Some of the industries I've worked within are cosmetics and beauty, advertising, cybersecurity, and finance. 

I love to work collaboratively with others! I work in a high-touch, high-functioning, cross-collaborative marketing team at Hightower Advisors on a day-to-day basis. No project is ever just a “solo” project, and I’ve experienced the benefits of having a diverse team to work closely with to get the job done.

I’ve also held various instructional sessions and professional development assistance for our interns. One of the ideas I’ve had that I’m most proud of is my professional headshot sessions done during the summer internship. I organize meetings, gather groups for sessions, and take and edit many (many) photos - I want to give our interns a great photo to use on their social media and networking sites to begin their career with. To help them develop an understanding of marketing and design, I’ve also done “introduction to…” instructional sessions for Adobe XD and UX design, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, and an overview of what a graphic designer really does (and how we do it).

I am a driven designer who is self-motivated to produce quality work. I have a passion for creating beautiful experiences, while making accessible and digestible design for all audiences. One of my ultimate goals is to develop work that meets and exceeds guidelines, while also exciting and inviting the audience to experience. My personal mantra is “all passes, art alone endures,” and I believe that good design is a language, not a style. 

Professional Experience

GRAPHIC DESIGNER | HIGHTOWER ADVISORS
OCT 2021 - PRESENT

  • Work in a collaborative marketing department with event coordinators, marketing leads, marketing managers, developers, and other creatives to further the Hightower brand and reach marketing goals

  • Work with 120+ advisory teams and the parent organization on various marketing and design materials

  • Adjust branded materials to fit each advisory teams independent branding and core messaging

  • Assist in various weekly timed releases of content

  • Brand white papers, one pagers, and other educational content as needed

  • Create custom advertisements for advisory teams to be displayed within multiple channels (such as email, website, magazine, print, or other physical/ digital formats)

  • Design physical client-facing collateral including business cards, letterheads, envelopes, stationery, labels or other custom items

  • Create social media graphics and profile attributes

  • Photograph and edit photos of office events and staff headshots

  • Assist in developing RFP's, pitch decks, PowerPoints and other external facing materials

  • Re-design, re-vamp, or improve advisory team and parent company website/s

  • Keep up-to-date on industry trends - within both the finance and marketing sectors

  • Design infographics and other visual aids for financial documents, content or pieces of collateral

  • Provide insight and guidance on physical and digital marketing efforts

  • Lead meetings and presented deliverables to advisory teams

  • Assist in the creation and initial launch of the Hightower Advisors instagram

  • Collaborate in working sessions to develop a formalized design process and best practices

  • Work within a fast paced environment with quick timelines on many different types of projects that I help develop, design and contribute to on a daily basis
    ​

    Major accomplishments:

  • Assisted in the creation, design, editing, and preparation of an RFP and secondary pitch deck, which successfully won a client worth over $25M

  • Re-designed the front end of the HightowerAdvisors.com website with heightened branding, improved client-facing image and enhanced usability and accessibility (without changing any branding or brand guidelines) with a full development and live-site launch in under 6 months

  • Re-designed, re-vamped, or fully re-did over 20 advisory team sites with front-end designs completed in under 6 months

  • Individually conducted a full user experience research experiment and developed fully prototyped deliverables to an advisory business with the goal of improving their digital marketing and user experience, which was completed in 5 business days (85 working hours) and ultimately won client approval and improved our businesses relationships

LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER | THE LAMBDA GROUP
FEB 2021 - OCT 2021

  • Designed brand identities and asset materials

  • Developed a mobile application (display UXUI) and visual identity for financial application

  • Collaborated with back end developers to ensure a seamless transition from concept to finalized product

  • Designed solution offerings slicks and other sales materials

  • Managed LinkedIn presence and social medias

  • Created brand identity and packaging designs for client

    Major accomplishments:

  • Lead the initial design portion of research, development, front end design and launch of The Hungry Bull application for iOS and Andriod

LEAD PROJECT MANAGER | HALFHITCH3
FEB 2021 - OCT 2021

  • Worked to build custom websites for clients

  • Tasks included: updating websites, designing layouts, editing website content, meeting with clients and making adjustments based on client feedback

MARKETING ASSOCIATE | MORGAN FRANKLIN CYBERSECURITY
MAY 2021 - OCT 2021

  • Conducted market research to identify new revenue opportunities

  • Created reports on marketing and sales metrics

  • Assisted with organizing promotional events

  • Monitored competitors’ marketing activities

  • Researched market and sector trends

  • Created graphics or other design collateral when needed (such as promotional flyers, email graphics, announcements, etc.)

  • Monitored and update files, as well as data bases

  • Proof-read written content prior to release

  • Aided in planning marketing approaches

GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERN | MORGAN FRANKLIN CYBERSECURITY
JUNE 2020 - AUGUST 2020 | FULL TIME
AUGUST 2020 - MAY 2021 | PART TIME

  • Worked with marketing coordinators to help build content for brand awareness

  • Utilized professional photo sources (Getty Images, ShutterStock, etc.) and edited them for website imagery

  • Researched marketing and cybersecurity topics for content

  • Edited case studies and written content

  • Worked with a fellow intern to study the current marketing and services offered by MorganFranklin, and presented a proposal that could further the brand and its awareness in the market

  • Assisted with design and visual content for marketing and branding

  • Assisted in multiple steps of planning a video marketing campaign (including researching topics, questionares, optimizing calendars and timelines, drafting email invitations for participants, assisted with interviews, giving feedback on marketing campaign and video)

    Major accomplishments:

  • Conducted research over the course of my internship with a fellow intern, wherein the final research, findings and suggestions were presented to the MorganFranklin team with the long-term goal to improve the overall brand and website

  • Played an integral role in the development and launch of the Security Leaders Perspectives YouTube series 

GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERN | SOGO MARKETING
FEB 2020 - MAY 2020 | PART TIME

  • Worked with marketing coordinators to help build content for brand awareness

  • Utilized professional photo sources (Getty Images, ShutterStock, etc.) and edited them for website imagery

  • Researched marketing and cybersecurity topics for content

  • Edited case studies and written content

  • Worked with a fellow intern to study the current marketing and services offered by MorganFranklin, and presented a proposal that could further the brand and its awareness in the market

  • Assisted with design and visual content for marketing and branding

  • Assisted in multiple steps of planning a video marketing campaign (including researching topics, questionares, optimizing calendars and timelines, drafting email invitations for participants, assisted with interviews, giving feedback on marketing campaign and video)

    Major accomplishments:

  • Conceptualized visuals based on case-by-case requirements

  • Worked to assist with campaign advertisements and imagery

  • Designed clothing and mock-ups

  • Developed social media advertisements, general branding and other designs

  • Worked directly with the creative director to produce design assets

Skills & Education

EDUCATION

Iowa State University
B.F.A., Graphic Design | 2017-2021
M.S., HCI (Human Computer Interaction) | Currently pursuing, 2023

SKILLS

Adobe Creative Cloud Applications

  • Illustrator

  • InDesign

  • Photoshop

  • Lightroom

  • XD (Experience Design)

  • AfterEffects

  • Media Encoder

ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE & SERVICES

  • Canva

  • Lulu Press 

  • InVision Studio

  • SketchUp

  • Microsoft Office

  • Procreate

  • MyClout (email platform provider and marketing tool)

CREATIVE SKILLS

  • Photography

  • Editorial Design

  • Web Design

  • Branding

  • Identity Design

  • Marketing

  • Packaging Design

  • Advertisement Design

  • 3D Modeling

  • UXUI

What Sets Me Apart

Business acumen
and dynamic problem solving skills

Communicating effectively with others
no matter if they're a teammate, client or boss - I believe everyone deserves the same level of respect

Accepting accountability to mistakes
and taking the proper steps to identify the error and make an effective plan for the next time

The ability to listen and empathize
with emotional intelligence

Time management skills
and consistently working ahead of deadlines

Keeps up with everchanging industries
including marketing, technology, finance and design

The ability to quickly pivot
from being a team player on a large collaborative project, to working fully self-sufficiently on another (multiple times a day!)

Seeking learning opportunities
consistently

Having flexibility and patience
in difficult or stressful circumstances

Effectively adapting
to new parameters, ranging from SEC or FDIC rulings to a new brand identity

Being able to ask questions
and also share the knowledge and insight I may have 

Setting, meeting and exceeding long-term goals
in a quicker time period than anticipated

All The Other Fun Stuff (Bonus!)

Believe it or not, I do manage to escape the grasp of Adobe products and design work (every once in awhile).

Some of my non-art hobbies include:

  • cooking

  • power lifting

  • traveling

  • longboarding

  • reading poetry (specifically anything by Charles Bukowski - I’m on a personal mission to collect all of his physical books)

  • playing with my multitude of pets (3 dogs, 2 sugar gliders)

  • care-giving for my grandmother with dementia and providing aging-adult related care

  • hunting for the best honey-flavored ice cream there is

  • trying (key word, trying) to get a better green thumb

  • reading about forestry, conservation, population-control for the betterment of ecosystems, and other various environmental-focused topics

  • going to concerts and seeing live music. I prefer rock and country music from the 1960’s-1990’s, so I’m trying to see all the bands I can while I can. I most recently saw Blue Oyster Cult

  • collecting vinyls. I inherited my grandparents collection, but have added at least 200 more to my collection on my own. However, I do own an original press of Pink Floyd’s Pigs thanks to them. I’ve gathered a ton of records on my own in a ton of different genre’s. I have music ranging from 1920’s-2020’s, including lots of Johnny Cash, Blue Oyster Cult, Lynard Skynard, Cream, Barry White, and so much more - ask me about my collection and the conversation will never end!

& some of my artistic hobbies include:

  • renovating rooms and furniture (I’ve done 2 full bathrooms and a full bedroom set of furniture)

  • interior design

  • painting custom shoes (I ran my own Etsy shop and small business for a few years!)

  • photography

  • using Procreate for the iPad to digitally draw/paint

  • creating posters

  • re-doing my portfolio (this is my 5th go-around since, as an artist, nothing you ever create for yourself is good enough and theres always improvements to be made…)

  • creating Pinterest boards for future inspiration

Lets chat!

Send me a message.

Download a Copy of My Resume

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