INFO

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Professional Profile

  • My work focuses on interdisciplinary collaboration and Design’s ability to stimulate positive social change. I have a background in journalism and visual/interaction design, and though my previous work experience in project management and art direction were in more traditional graphic design settings, my current work embraces a more open approach wherein different design disciplines collaborate to find more appropriate solutions. I am often working with design management professionals, industrial designers, interactive designers, filmmakers, systems designers and interaction designers. I acknowledge the value of research and go to great lengths trying to truly understand who I am designing for and the varying components that define an experience one might have when interacting with the final designed solution.

  • I see Designers as problem solvers, I value the more experimental thinking that pushes beyond the structures of traditionally accepted solutions, and I push my own work to think beyond the surface graphics to try to always consider the larger system that is affected.

  • My expertise is in communication design, but I find a singular discipline (i.e. graphic design) only a part of the whole. It is a tool to be used together with the techniques, practices and influences of other disciplines that are appropriately chosen for the challenge at hand.

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Education


  • Summer 2011

    United Nations mandated University for Peace (UPEACE)
    Centre for Executive Education

    Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Social Change, New York, NY

    This class was created to empower leaders to transform challenges into opportunities. Jill was a part of this learning opportunity because she felt it could inform the necessary business and financial skills needed to appropriately build and/or manage a financially sustainable social enterprise. Jill comes from a Design background. Her expertise is in service and communication design, but, until this experience, lacked a basic understanding of the business sector’s “language”, without which she felt her social design work could fall short. This experience was a critical stepping-stone used to further her organizational work aiming to positively influence areas of critical need.


  • Summer 2010

    Northern Arizona University
    (In conjunction with the Health Organization, Himalayan Health Exchange)

    Anthropology Field Expedition, Himalayan Indo-Tibetan Borderlands

    During this post-grad study Jill and her team conducted a study of India and the Himalayan culture in sociocultural, medical and religious context, specifically investigating local history, religious beliefs and practices, modern human adaptation, regional effects of globalization, monastic life and local health care. To further their study, they trekked and camped through the borderlands to better understand the interconnectedness of the natural environment with with the locals' daily existence.

    Topics of Study: Cultural, Medical, Economic, Biological and Visual Anthropology, Religion &Philosophy, Cross-cultural healing, Ayurveda, Public Health, Buddhism, Hinduism, Indian and Tibetan history, High Altitude Adaptation, Psychology, Art/Fine Arts, Geography, Social Work, Sociology, Yoga and Meditation

    what inspires me - Some of the pictures from the field study can be seen here.


  • 2005 - 2010

    Savannah College of Art and Design

    MFA in Visual Design with a Special Focus on Interaction Design and Service Design, Savannah, GA

    Jill initially attended SCAD to pursue her MFA in visual design, but was quickly swept off her feet by the potentials of more appropriate design solutions found in the practices and methods connected to sustainable design and the depth of studying the interactions behind a designed solution. Jill worked with the design management, industrial design, and interaction design students as she continued to finish up her 90+ hours at SCAD, learning everything she could about contextual research and problem solving from these disciplines. The interaction, service, and sustainable design degree programs were not fully developed until the end of her graduate study, but she was able to take many of the classes and participate in the charrettes that initially helped build these programs.

  • 1999 - 2003

    The University of Mississippi

    Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design and Journalism, Oxford, MS

    While in undergrad, Jill allowed herself to start to develop the education she felt would best suit her interests and career goals. Seeing her skills as a communication designer grow as she worked with student media, she decided to pursue degrees in both the schools of journalism and graphic design, then in very segregated departments.

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Work Experience

  • Current

    The Volta Collaborative

    Co-Founder

    We are working to build a think tank whose work addresses areas of both domestic and international social concern. We address global concerns at a local level, recognizing that those economic and ecological challenges are rooted in social realities that require holistic, abductive reasoning. Our current work reaches into the world of alternative energies, exploring strategies to move towards a resolve of energy independence. The collaborative is also working at the systemic level to create service systems and experiences in the Mississippi Delta that will improve public education, environmental practices (both in large-scale farming and in the surrounding communities), create jobs for locals, and address racial and socio-economic divides. Our organization's aim is to foster the conditions for creativity and innovation, enabling our stakeholders to see their resources and opportunity spaces. We build awareness by assessing capacities within communities, visualizing these capacities and transforming them into conversations. We facilitate systemic transformation by enabling our clients to create their solutions. By understanding and synthesizing community complexities we forge pragmatic innovations for enduring economic, ecological, and social capital.

  • May 2009

    Freescale Semiconductors

    Representative

    Was chosen to fly to Taipei, Taiwan, to present our Smartbook hardware and interface designs to Asian media and Freescale clientele during the 2009 International Computex Conference. This presentation led to later conferencing with Ubuntu’s design team to discuss our research methodologies, findings, design criteria and the features of the interfaces we created to help lead their future Smartbook user interface development.

  • Summer 2009

    Savannah College of Art and Design

    Teaching Assistant

    Taught college juniors and seniors in Graphic Design Studio I during which I participated in critiques during development and final designs, presented lectures, created grading rubric and graded projects, and provided advice and support for students.

  • 2005-2007

    At Home Tennessee Magazine

    Art Director of the Advertising Department

    Ran traffic, did all advertising design, and worked with our sales department to meet deadlines, but also increase profit for the magazine. Increased the magazine's web presence. Participated in the editorial meetings, helped brainstorm ideas for the upcoming issues, helped art direct the fashion photo shoots, and at the end of each month helped with pre-production press checks.

  • 2003-2005

    Center for the Study of Southern Culture

    Designer / Webmaster

    Increased the Center's web presence, maintained design and content for the site. Updated and designed layouts in Living Blues magazine and The Southern Register. Created promotional material for the Oxford Conference for The Book and The Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference, that included facilitating the creation and placement of advertising in the New York Times, as well as other national publications.

  • Summer 2003

    Fast Company Magazine

    Graphic Design Intern

    Hired to intern with Fast Company’s founding design director, Patrick Mitchell.

  • 2002-2003

    The Daily Mississippian

    Production Manager

    Collaborated with editors to layout the content of a daily newspaper. Created and designed effective advertising for clients, managed and developed a staff of four while working hand in hand with the sales representatives and their business manager to ensure the paper would be completed as quickly as possible.

  • 2001-2002

    The Daily Mississippian

    Graphic Designer and Staff Writer

    Created and designed effective advertising campaigns that ran in the daily newspaper. As a staffwriter I wrote feature articles for the Arts and Entertainment section.
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Relevant Software Knowledge & Skills

  • Software KnowledgeIllustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Quark, After Effects, Dreamweaver, Flash, Microsoft Office & iWork
  • Front-end Design Xhtml, CSS, Flash, Javascript, jQuery
  • Research & DevelopmentUser Testing, Wireframing, Persona and Scenario Building, Story Board Facilitation, Contextual and Qualitative Research Techniques, Field Study Experience
  • Strengths Strong conceptual, drawing, design and writing abilities. Is capable of working independently or with a team, handling multiple projects. Enjoys project management, can quickly come up with advertising concepts and is passionate about creative problem solving, sustainable design solutions and truly understanding human experience. Has good people skills and enjoys working around a diverse group of people.

    • what inspires me - Some pictures showcasing some of my work processes

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  • 2010

    Reinhart Butter

    Semantics Workshop

  • 2009

    Jonathan Barnbrook

    Typography Workshop

  • 2009

    Leveraging Brand Relationships to Develop New Marketing & Product Opportunites

    Charrette with Kicker Audio, Oakley, Ogio, Makita, Monster Energy

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • 2010

    Savannah Secession

    Communication Design Exhibition Examining Context and Meaning

    Installation exploring the concept of giving type voice won silver. The installation deconstructed the idea of “voice”, questioning, “Can voice ever actually be applied to words?” Defining voice by using the juxtaposition of silence, the ephemeral nature of words themselves was revealed. This exploration utilizes the experience of synesthesia, a production of a sense that is stimulated by another sense from a different part of the body, which further showcased the transient aspects of communication and the energy of silence.

  • 2003

    National Student Advertising Competition

    American Advertising Federation

    Member of a 3 person creative team that helped develop a 40 page advertising proposal along with researchers for Banc of America Investments Services, inc.

  • 2002

    Sun Conference

    National Student Journalism Convention

    Advertising Awards for The Daily Mississippian

  • 2002

    Mississippi Press Association

    Better Newspaper Competition

    Advertising Awards for The Daily Mississippian

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SERVICE & LEADERSHIP

  • 2010-Current

    Soil and Water Conservation Service

    Board Member

  • 2009-2010

    ECOlogic

    Treasurer and Founding Member

  • 2001-2003

    American Institute of Graphic Artists

    President (2003) & Vice-President (2002) of The University of Mississippi’s Student Chapter

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    Rainbow Camp

    Counselor

    The camp serves developmentally and mentally challenged adults.

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    Service for Sight

    Charity Work for Blind