Susan K. Shepperd, Graphic Designer and Production Artist
  • Home
  • About
  • Portfolio
    • Print Design
    • Logos
    • Photo Editing
    • Production Design
    • Website Design & Hosting
  • Contact

Passionate about design. Practical about making it work.

My story

Picture
I was raised in an incredibly creative and crafty home. My parents were both artistic in their hobbies, and we were happiest when we were making things. My interest in graphic design began with an assignment to make posters for a fundraiser at school — when I was just eight years old! I obsessed over every detail (I still remember drawing that elaborate bowl of spaghetti) and though I didn't know it at the time, I got a taste of page-layout, typography and design that would feed a larger passion later.

​I began working as a desktop publisher when I graduated from college in the late 1980s. At that time there weren’t a lot of us, and schools weren’t offering classes for digital graphic design. I was put in front of a Macintosh loaded with Quark Xpress, Illustrator, and MacPaint and told to figure it out. And I did. I read books, and talked to designers and printers, and learned as much as I could so I could serve the needs of my first employer, a small software company. 

After the birth of my first child, I began my freelancing business. The years I spent raising my children, volunteering in their schools, and building my business were exciting. Throughout it all I took seminars and online courses to refine my abilities — especially for the Adobe Creative Suite line of products, and I never stopped learning. Now, with my children grown, I am looking for new challenges and opportunities to use my talents and experience. 

Qualifications

Print design is my primary area of expertise. I create flawless files that fly through the printing process, whether they are 4-color, 2-color, or RGB/online — I know what to do to keep costs down and make everything look great. After over 20+ years of experience I don’t think there is a type of design project I haven’t worked on — branding, logos and identity, social media campaigns, brochures, catalogs, newsletters, postcards, invitations, signs and posters, magazine and newspaper ads, Photoshop editing — I do all this and more.

In addition to print design work, I have created websites for small businesses and non-profit organizations.
TECHNICAL SKILLS
  • Branding
  • Social Media Marketing
  • ​Email campaigns
  • Layout design for print and online
  • Accurate and Fast Typography
  • Pre-press technician
  • Online asset creation
  • Color correction
  • Photo manipulation
  • Basic website design proficiency
  • Photography
  • Video
  • Superb Organization
SOFTWARE KNOWLEDGE
  • InDesign (expert)
  • Photoshop (expert)
  • Illustrator (expert)
  • Acrobat (intermediate)
  • PowerPoint (intermediate)
  • Word (intermediate)
  • Excel (intermediate)
  • ​Keynote (intermediate)
  • Pages (intermediate)
  • Mail Chimp (expert)
  • Weebly Website Builder (expert)

Experience

2015 – Present:
Classical Up Close, Communications and Marketing Manager, seasonal/part-time: 

2019 Re-designed logo, website, and all branded collateral to improve public understanding of this fun and relaxed classical music festival. Ran committee meetings with stakeholders, and managed online correspondence through three months of discussions to finalize brand design. 

Ongoing duties include: website maintenance, printed marketing material design, t-shirt design, develop and execute e-mail campaigns, social media marketing, and writing radio ad copy.

1990 - Present:
Freelance and Contract Graphic Designer/Production Designer
Partial list of clients: 
  • OCHIN Learning Forum event collateral: using established branding, I produced signs, maps, brochures, hand-outs, programs, PPT slide decks, attendee badges and more. 
  • All Classical Portland Radio Station: Using established branding specifications, I designed numerous marketing materials, including postcards, posters, social media and website graphics, invitations, print ads, and advertising proposals. 
  • Association of Northwest Steelheaders: redesigned and produced quarterly magazine, produced event marketing graphics, print ads and other print collateral as needed.
  • Oregon Medical Association: created an extensive assortment of printed and digital collateral, including: major fund-raising branding and marketing materials, magazine and newspaper ads, education catalogs, branding for multiple OMA education and membership campaigns, website assets, event posters, flyers, and brochures. 
  • Amber Lotus Publishing: principal contract production artist for calendar and greeting card company. Produced print-ready files for 4-color printing. Produced all web-ready images for Amazon sales as well as company’s own website. Art direction as needed. Troubleshooting files as needed. 
  • PrintResults, Inc.: graphic designer/production designer for print-broker/marketing consultant serving small and mid-sized companies and non-profits in Portland. Extremely wide range of products produced. Worked as a consultant on marketing strategies for clients as needed.

2017 Assistant photographer for "That Way Madness Lies…" a feature-length documentary. http://www.madnessthemovie.com

​1999 - 2002 Production Artist: Digitype Design; Portland, Oregon
Responsibilities included: original design (stationary, logos, posters, newsletters, national magazine ads, forms, etc.), production design, scanning, color correction, computer troubleshooting, file management, pre-press operations (including film output), large format file preparation, large format printing, laminating, and sign making and installation.

1995 – Present: Pro bono/volunteer experience
Designed and produced posters, websites, programs, brochures, branding and more for public schools, non-profit music institutions, and local cultural institutions including: Portland Public Schools, Classical Up Close, Portland Youth Philharmonic, and the Portland Highland Dance Association.

Education

B.A. Arts and Letters, Portland State University. Portland, Oregon

I love new projects!
Let’s get started.

Have you decided that I might be a good match for your project? Excellent! Send me a message with some of the details and I will be in touch within 24 hours.
Get Started
© 2020 Susan K. Shepperd, Graphic Design    |   503-522-5472  •  skshepperd@comcast.net