Over my nearly 20 years as a designer I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of environments and fields. I have worked in agencies, corporate, health care, eLearning, and have worked the B2B and B2C market. Do I have a preference or see a difference…NO.

No matter the field, no matter the environment I have always brought an “agency” approach to each and have thought no matter the project and no matter the goal my job as a designer, art director or freelance consultant is to provide a cost effective and creative approach to get the most out of my part of the project. I bring that “agency” approach as a way to organize my creative thoughts (which can get hectic and may need fine tuning) and most importantly hold other members of the team (Sales, Underwriting, Subject Matter Experts, Project Managers, etc…) responsible for their roles and budgets.

In the corporate/In-House world it is hard to get a Sales department to think in terms of my hourly cost and how the edits and revisions caused by their content errors, delays, etc…add up. When I work with a well-organized project manger we emphasize the importance of accurate content up front and use that to brainstorm the best ways to deliver a piece of collateral, product package, website, etc…that is going to deliver the “agency” feel from an In-House designer and deliver more customers, more members or most importantly, more revenue.

My skills and my role are just as important as any in the group, organization or agency. The best companies in the world have the best marketing and branding (i.e. Apple, Starbucks, Target). These companies have embraced the need and ability for smart, creative, organized designers with an understanding of business.

When you add up all of the roles, skills, and responsibilities of a designer or Art Director a good one can get an agency deliver a cost effective campaign that an In-House agency can run with or an In-House designer can deliver a creative brochure that would make an agency sit back and take notice.

I think I have shown that in my career and look forward showing any potential client, potential agency that would hire me or company looking to get the deal of the century by bringing me and my “agency” approach in the fold.