Michele Aed

Art Director & Designer

Email: micheleaed@gmail.com  ✿  Website: micheleaed.com  ✿  Phone: 570.592.5809 

Skills for success

Adobe Creative Suite  ✿  Complex design projects  ✿  Project management   ✿  Brand development  ✿ Directing and styling photo shoots  ✿  Midjourney  ✿  Runway ✿  Video editing  ✿  Proofreading, writing and editing  ✿  Graceful and articulate communicator

Profile

Creativity is simplicity. Simple is clean. Simple is memorable. Simple is sophisticated. After pursuing
an educational and geographical transition, I’m beyond excited to find my next role. I am an award-winning and detail-driven graphic designer and art director with 15 years of experience bringing
stories and complex topics to life in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments. I’m passionate
about crafting sophisticated, visually compelling designs that engage audiences, elevate brands,
and leave a lasting impact. 

Experience

JUNE 2016 - MARCH 2023  
Art Director - Advance Local

  • Oversaw complex concepts, visuals, and design for 20+ publication markets across the country. 

  • Worked closely with a team of designers, illustrators, and editors, ensuring proper usage of style guides, company branding, and conversational, cohesive copy

  • Led art direction and design for multiple special sections, annual content, and quarterly magazines. 

  • Attended daily creative sessions, design critiques, and content creation meetings. 

  • Assisted with design of the company's first fully digital publication and led design for its web banners.

  • Created website animations for special  Countdown to the Holidays series. 

APRIL 2013  - MAY 2016 
Lead Designer - Gannett Design Studio | USA TODAY NETWORK 

  • Led art direction and design of lifestyle sections for the two largest regional publications.

  • Directed and styled photo shoots from concept to design.

  • Worked closely with in-house studio teams attending creative sessions, daily design critiques, collaborative projects, and content creation meetings.

  • Won multiple state and company-wide awards for design portfolio, and one published international award for art direction and design. 

  • Creative Director for two annual 100+ page summer magazines reaching more than 600,000 readers.

  • Co-creator of “13 Weeks of Summer” series highlighting local businesses, and taking part in summer activities from deep-sea fishing to local artisan markets. 

  • Won company-wide innovation award for design of “Go Jersey Shore” digital app. 


AUGUST 2010 - SEPTEMBER 2013  
Features Designer - The Times Leader 

  • Designer for weekly lifestyle sections including food, home, travel, health, arts, and weekend entertainment magazines.

  • Designed the front page on a rotational basis, and attended daily newsroom briefings
    with cross-functional teams.

  • Won multiple state-wide awards for both features and front page news designs. 

  • Contributed stories and content for special sections and annual holiday gift guides.  

SEPTEMBER 2009 - AUGUST 2010  
Designer - The Martinsburg Journal 

  • Mentored the design team, and assisted the copy desk with proofreading and editing,
    design and layout strategies, and content ideas. 

  • Conceptualized and designed front pages, lifestyle pages, and entertainment magazines. 

  • Stored and organized reporters’ photographs and team designs. 

  • Finalized editing of photos and captions before publication. 

  • Checked first copy of the newspaper on a nightly basis for quality control, inconsistencies,
    and noticeable errors. 

  • Updated The Journal’s website and social media daily with breaking news and new content.

Education

BRANDING AND ADVERTISING - JOB PROPULSION LAB (SEPT 2023 - MAY 2024)
BA MASS COMMUNICATIONS - KING’S COLLEGE

Awards

SND (Society for News Design) Award of Excellence Design and Art Direction; Features cover - March 2015

3rd Place: News Portfolio
Design of branding for Pope Francis Commemorative Special Section - Feb 2016

Best Cover Design
Gannett 4th Quarter Award of Excellence - Dec 2015

Third Place: Features Design Portfolio
New Jersey Press Association - Apr 2015

2nd Place: Features Page Design; Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association - Jan 2015

2nd Place: Art and Illustrations
Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association - Jan 2015

Gannett Award of Excellence
Features Design Portfolio - Sept 2014

Gannett 2nd Quarter Innovation Award
Design of “Go Jersey Shore” app - Sept 2014

2nd Place: Front Page Design
Pennsylvania Newspaper Association’s Keystone Press Awards - Apr 2013

3rd Place: Features Page Design
Pennsylvania Newspaper Association’s Keystone Press Awards - Jan 2010