tif smith | graphic designer, creative director, illustrator, and printmaker in richmond, virginia
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role

visual designer. illustrator. printmaker. writer. nerd

contact

tsmith@hellonifty.com
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Who am I?

I’m a creative and multitalented designer with experience in branding/identity design, responsive web design (front-end, visual design), illustration, letterpress process & stationery design, print design & pre-press, and social media marketing. I’m an INFJ and an an Enneagram 8 with a healthy dose of 4 and 5 in there for flavor.

I have worked in a variety of environments, from small agencies to large universities, exercising my excellent collaborative and interpersonal skills. Passionate and innovative, I’m accustomed to meeting tight deadlines and respecting client budgets.

I’m also a wife, a mama of 4, a dog person, and I run on coffee, cuddles, ink, and pixel perfection. I’m saved by grace and look for opportunities to share the truth of God’s love for the world in all that I do, from professional work to hobbies. I love my family, fresh ink under my fingernails, and the outdoors any time of year (but especially in the fall). I enjoy video games, tabletop role-playing games, a good epic fantasy in written words, and fun times in the woods.

My Story So Far

  • August 2020-Present
    Freelance Graphic Designer

    Self-Employed
    Richmond, VA | hellonifty.com

    Current Clients | 2021-2023
    Kakapo Markeing | Discipline

    Previous Clients | 2020-2021
    Biba Letterpress | Done for You | Webtech Fusion

    • Partnered with 30+ local organizations, churches, and small businesses across all of Virginia, the United States, and the world.
    • Designed, launched and established 30+ brand identities and their branded collateral, advertising material, websites, and social media marketing campaigns.
    • Conceptualized and letterpress printed by hand well over 20 business stationery pieces. Illustrated dozens of portraits and custom vector works for various applications, from book covers to car wraps to websites to printed stationery to brochures
    Present
  • August 2019-August 2020
    Creative Director

    Holly Lane Christian Jewelry
    Montpelier, VA | hollylane.com
    • Planned, directed, photographed, edited, and implemented over 10 seasonal and specific collection-based advertising campaigns
    • Created, launched, and analyzed 10+ successful monthly social media marketing content across multiple platforms to raise interaction and elevate content quality
    • Elevated the performance, visual design, and accessibility of Shopify sales platform for products Mentored and instructed two aspiring graphic designers
    2019
  • June 2017-August 2019
    Visual/UX Designer

    Dominion Energy
    Richmond, VA | dominion.com
    • Revitalized and streamlined a library of over 200 PDFs to update Dominion's documentation to be Section-508/ADA and WCAG 2.0 compliant
    • Revised, developed, and implemented Section 508/ADA-compliant guidelines across multiple corporate sectors for all of Dominion's web presence
    • Used HTML and CSS to create innovative and engaging design assets, user experiences, and web content for the company's online identity
    • Collaborated on a cross-department team of 18 people to plan and design an entirely new website system, winning the bid for best design (and very proud to see it live and in action today, every day)
    2017
  • March 2016-May 2016
    Graphic Designer (Contract)

    Prophet
    Richmond, VA | prophet.com
    • Worked alongside a multinational team of editorial, product marketing, copywriting, and visual designers to create brand assets for clients such as McKesson to participate in conferences and trade shows
    • Created design standards to improve brand consistency for 3 major clients
    2016
  • July 2014-December 2014
    UI/UX Designer (Contract)

    Harmonia
    Charlottesville, VA | harmonia.com
    • Researched, designed, and tested visual experiences for web and mobile applications in an Agile environment for various U.S. Military contracts
    • Partnered with programmers and human interaction specialists to make projects on the field easy to understand and quick to use in order to save lives and protect others
    2014
  • August 2012-November 2015
    Digital Designer

    WorldStrides
    Charlottesville, VA | worldstrides.com
    • Analyzed, designed, tested, implemented, launched , and analyzed dozens of email campaigns for 3 major divisions of a busy student travel agency
    • Spearheaded the digital side of a complete corporate rebranding process over the course of 18 months by acting as an educator and liaison between different departments and the in-house design team
    2012

Technical Skills

  • Adobe Creative Suite 
  • Microsoft Office Suite
  • Figma, Sketch
  • Affinity Suite
  • Procreate
  • HTML5, CSS, Javascript
  • WordPress (& Elementor), Webflow, Shopify
  • Facebook & Instagram Advertising
  • Notion

Practical Skills

  • Branding & Identity
  • Illustration
  • Design Thinking
  • Responsive Web Design
  • Visual Design
  • UI/UX Design
  • Data-Driven Design
  • Photography & Editing
  • Print Design
  • Social Media Management

Education

Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling
(Cum Laude) from Liberty Theological  Seminary Lynchburg, VA

Bachelors of Fine Arts in Graphic Design
(with Honors) from University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

Certifications

Google UX Design Professional Certificate Coursera | In Progress
Visual Elements of User Interface Design Coursera | Completed in 2021
Section 508/ADA Compliance Training American Graphics Institute Completed in 2018

Additional past Experience (aka ancient history)

Graphic Designer Blair Marketing (Lynchburg, VA) March 2007-December 2010 blairmarketing.com
Senior Graphic Designer Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA) August 2006-March 2007 liberty.edu