Laura Mariana Alvarado Gonzalez

MARIANA ALVARADO- | - | Portfolio | LinkedIn Professional Summary Creative and strategic Art Director with more than 10 years of experience in branding, visual story-telling, and creative conceptualization. Proven success in leading high-impact projects for government and corporate clients, including Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information and Technology (OIT). Committed problem solver that delivers innovative creative marketing solutions across multiple channels. Skills Creative Visual Conceptualization Brand and Identity Expert in Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects UX/UI Design principles and Web Design Motion Graphics and Illustrations Infographics and Data Visualization Marketing and Event Collateral Strong communication, organization, and presentation skills Cross-functional collaboration Excellent project and time management skills Passionate about emerging design trends Ability to handle multiple priorities Generative AI for Design MS Office: Word, PowerPoint and Excel Professional Experience Senior Graphic Designer Consultant Longview Technology Solutions (LTS) | Washington, DC. | October 2019 ‒ August 2024 Served as a consultant with the VA, OIT. Responsible for conceptualizing and implementing creative communications products for complex initiatives. Maintained brand consistency and evolved client guidelines and design standards across digital, all marketing touch-points, and social platforms. Led the design of innovative, high-impact infographics, data visualizations, print materials, digital campaigns, web content images, social media, motion graphics, logos, illustrations, fact sheets, reports, collateral, created presentation decks for senior leadership, and stakeholders presentations. Collaborated with creative director in the OIT re-branding project. Re-designed the illustration style, flyer, and poster templates. Designed the launching campaign key visuals and digital campaign. Branded the DigitalVA Expo event and marketing campaign, achieving 25K live stream viewers by implementing innovative branding strategies and collaborated with team to develop high-quality event marketing collateral. Conceptualized creative ideas and provided design insights that enhanced the effectiveness of campaigns, while monitoring design trends to ensure designs are current and innovative. Managed multiple high-priority projects, ensuring on-time delivery with 100% brand consistency. Received and implemented larger team and client feedback. Collaborated with cross-functional teams (30 staff members) in brainstorming sessions to boost project outcomes and refine design processes, aligning creative strategies with client objectives translating them into custom communication solutions. Graphic Designer Consultant Sprezzatura Management Consulting | Washington, DC | November 2017 ‒ March 2019. Served as a consultant with VA’s Forever GI Bill (FGIB) Implementation Team. Branded the FGIB initiative as the sole designer in charge of creating and designing all graphics to help VA’s target audience understand the law signed in August 2017. Maintained and evolved VA OIT branding standards across digital platforms and communications channels. Conceptualized and executed VA’s FGIB’s branding and digital storytelling, enhancing VA’s digital and social media presence and user engagement across platforms, as evidenced by the development of 25 infographics that translated complex legal information into simple manner for broad understanding. Mastered Adobe Creative Cloud tools including After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, and Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, to create impactful visual assets, including templates, fact sheets, video imagery, and web and social media graphics, significantly improving the dissemination of information and brand consistency. Cross-functional collaboration, with a team of 25 staff members, and with web master in website layouts, updates and maintenance. Branded the VETTEC education, and STEM programs. This included logo design, landing webpages, and initiatives digital campaigns across platforms. Visual Communication Designer Downtown Baptist Church | Alexandria, VA. | May 2014 ‒ October 2017 Re-branded the church's corporate image to modern standards, ensuring communication consistency across channels, and increasing perceived value. Re-designed all of the church’s printed and digital publications, and digital campaigns, boosting church engagement, evidenced by increased community participation. Managed workflow through the life cycle of a project from concept to execution, including meetings with client, independently managing projects, and ensuring quality, adherence to timelines, and producing files that were optimized for design intent and vendor capabilities. Managed website and content management system (CMS), ensuring updated content and creative layout that increased church members involvement in initiatives and activities. Education Introduction to After Effects Class, American Graphics Institute (AFI). Washington DC, September 2021 Web Design Certificate Program, George Washington University, Corcoran School of the Arts and Design. Washington, DC BA in Design of Graphic Communication. Minor, Interface Design and Audiovisual Media. Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana. Mexico City, Mexico