Resumé
D.J. Reichel
Art Director, Graphic Designer, Illustrator & Typographer
“Keep your eyes open. You'll learn things that way.”
said my dad when he was teaching me anything.
I do. And because I keep my eyes open, I’ll always be learning. With an open mind and a clear view, I believe constant growth and development means to pursue life's education through it’s perpetual challenges, changes, relationships, interactions, risks, truths, mysteries, pitfalls and achievements.
Life’s usually crazy, and in a perfect world, crazy is good.
“Looking at myself” Self Portrait by D.J. Reichel, 1990,
I am an artist. Creativity is my business.
In addition to my professional efforts, I am a passionate home remodeler with a flair for painting and refinishing hardwood floors. See my behance page for floor pics.
Outside of work, I’m an enthusiastic gardener. My summers are spent in my garden coaxing tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and zucchini from the ground.
I’m also a very capable amateur chef who loves to dazzle my family and friends with beautifully delicious meals.
I’ve been working as an art director / designer / illustrator / typographer for more than 35 years. That experience has taught me to provide thoughtful collaboration, spot-on creative thinking and effective decision making. I’ve always worked hard and invested copious hours to become skilled and efficient. The projects I’ve worked on have required me to manage myself, my co-workers and vendors including photographers, commercial printers and freelance artists with a variety of specialties and disciplines.
Standards and expectations change often enough to keep me a constant student. Through perpetual study and practice, I have grouped my love and dedication of “making things” with my print production knowledge, and added a robust sampling of computer programming. My interest lies in becoming a special blend of old school craftsmanship and new school technology.
In and out of the office, my values encompass a realistic “can do” and “do it right” mindset.
Objective
Skills
To work on any project involving intelligent thinking, high quality design and fine craftsmanship.
I use my head,
my heart, and
my hands.
I listen to ideas and directions, read books, day dream, talk, talk to myself, think, rethink, watch tv, critique movies, shoot baskets, get lost, fly kites, grow flowers, grow vegetables, refinish furniture, refinish floors, stay awake during long meetings, lead, follow, create layouts, paint a room including the ceiling, sketch, listen to music, sing in the car, stand tall, swing a hammer, design, build, doodle, write headlines, go fishing, take pictures, make pictures, make things, revise everything, take walks, avoid skateboards (and broken bones), plan dinner, cook dinner, eat dinner, manage printing, drive a stick shift, prepare silly lists, yadda, yadda, yadda, etc., etc., etc. and then some.
During my summer time: I blend compost, till soil, plant seeds, nurture plants, tend, harvest and can tomatoes. And then when it’s cold outside, I make a damn good batch of Mom’s chili.
“Explorer” Self Portrait by D.J. Reichel, 2000
Experience
as a Student
MOST RECENT
Case Western Reserve University
Full Stack Web Development Bootcamp
Completed 2019
STILL USING THESE SKILLS
Cleveland Institute of Art
Adobe Creative Suite
Completed 2012
Graphic Design
Completed 1985
IN THE WAY BACK
Cuyahoga Community College
Web Design 2
Completed 2004
Web Design 1 - HTML
Completed 2003
Photoshop
Completed 1997
ANCIENT HISTORY
Lakewood Adult Education
Website Design
Completed 1998
Asian Cooking
Completed 1993
Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
Advertising Design Major
Studied 1982-83
West Shore Vocational Education
Commercial Art major
Graduated 1981
Lakewood High School
Art, English and Math majors
Graduated 1981
Experience
as a Freelancer
D.J. Reichel Graphic Design for Communication & Style
Lakewood, Ohio - Since June 1989
Responsibilities: All aspects of running a small business (including but not limited to): managing projects, people, technology, time, money, contacts, presentations, proposals, prices, promotions, sales, marketing, and vendors.
Projects: (including but not limited to) Design & production for Ads, brochures, newsletters, annual reports, logos, stationery, flyers, menus, announcements, catalogs, invitations, greeting cards, labels, displays, packaging, hats, t-shirts, pocket folders, posters, signs, magazines, illustrations and calligraphy.
"Rowing in the Rain” Self Portrait by D.J. Reichel, 2005
Experience
as an employee
Hathaway Brown School
Shaker Heights, Ohio - 2019 - Present
Visuals & Publications Manager
Here I am.
I never pictured myself working at a K-12 all girls school, but I love it. The summers are quiet (no students or faculty on campus). The rest of the time is chaotic - just how I like it. My desk is adjacent to a hallway, so that can get loud in between classes. The projects can be long and the deadlines tight.
I design graphics and page layouts, produce finished art, occassionally draw some pictures and manage printing for a variety of literature and advertising. My favorite projects are HB's Alumnae Magazine, Notable Women posters and program and working with the class officers to design and produce the 8th grade class sweatshirts.
How'd I get so lucky to work here?
Cleveland Opera
Cleveland, Ohio - 2001
Summer School Art Teacher
With Cleveland Public Schools
The first day was a zoo,
the last day was even better.
I designed and taught art projects to girls and boys in grades 2 through 5. We created props and set materials for the students production of “The Pirates of Penzance.” It can’t be more fun than this. Most days were great and some days gave me a headache. Everyday gave me an opportunity to share with someone.
I got to work with main stage opera singers. Beautiful.
I was in a roomful of kids everyday! Priceless.
ArtsyFartsy
Cleveland, Ohio - 1991 - 1992
Art Director / Senior Designer
Inspiring creative interaction.
Me and some friends bought into some new full-color garment printing technology and formed our own t-shirt design & printing company.
The design efforts crossed between commercial establishments (companies we knew), established markets (retail stores), new markets (events), activism (politically motivated) and just plain old ideas (the wackier the better). The individual projects covered marketing & advertising and custom full-color garment printing for corporate promotion, event giveaways and art wear.
We hung out.
We worked hard.
We became computerized.
We thought we were.
Carpenter Reserve Printing
Cleveland, Ohio - 1989 - 1990
Art Director / Senior Designer
My first major promotion.
Still old school.
Different types of projects came in from my supervisors. After briefing, I’d think of ideas and sketch design solutions, run them by my boss, then prepare the layouts. After revisions and finally approval, I’d start the production. Specify and order the type. Schedule and direct the photography. Order or make any other art involved. Onward to prepress and then the pressroom. I worked directly with other specialists to ensure high design standards for quality and accuracy.
I could think, design, present and produce real solutions for real projects
in a professional environment. I learned a lot of information I still use today.
Morgan Studio
Cleveland, Ohio - 1982
Graphic Artist
A good start for my career.
Downtown. Working at a real art studio with drawing boards, paper and markers. While learning great methods and techniques, I assembled, by hand, most of the layouts that were used
for client presentations and approval. I used the big camera to shoot all sorts of stats and film negatives for color keys and presstype. I then moved onto the “paste-ups” by creating or gathering various other art elements, including type galleys, and pasted them together on art board or plastic acetate overlays.
I worked hard here, learned constantly and felt comfortable in my career choice.
“Busy as a bee” by D.J. Reichel, 2000
United Way of Greater Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio - 2005 - 2018
Publications Manager
Talk about moving from the frying pan into the fire.
I had hoped to be the webmaster, but a limited staff and my solid understanding of print production provided me with a steady diet of print literature to chew on. My projects ran the gamut of “full on blank paper” concept development to teeny, tiny “change the date and get it outta here” postcard production. Most everything was followed up with a long, crowded, approval process, a weeks worth of revisions and a drop-dead timeframe of yesterday or sooner. It was a punch in the nose, but I still managed to get everything done well, with a smile on my face.
You need some of this?
Saifman Richards Associates
Beachwood, Ohio - 1993 - 2001
Graphic Designer
I’m high tech.
I became their first call when their office became busy enough to staff up. What started as a few hours a week to do Quark production quickly turned into a few days, a full week, then quickly all the time. On all the projects. I worked directly with art directors, production managers, salespeople and executives to create, build and maintain finished art files. Everything was computerized by now.
This was a great professional agency environment to work in. It’s an experience I’m proud of.
DesignWyse
Cleveland, Ohio - 1984 to 1989
Art Director / Graphic Designer
I finally have a real graphic design job.
My projects always started with direction from my boss. I then made layouts by hand for presentations to clients. I used paper, markers, pencils, stats, rubdowns, color keys. You name it, old school stuff. Then I’d fit the copy to the layout by using a complex formula involving character counts, font profiles, type faces, sizes in points, leading in points, line width in picas. I’d mark-up my final copy with all this information and send it to a typesetter, who would provide me with type galleys. Define, schedule and order any other photography or art involved. Next step was keyline. If you know what a keyline is, then you know the rest. I constantly worked hard, digested what I learned and invested tons of hours to become good in this art business.
I grew by leaps and bounds with this experience because of the work I did and the people I worked with. If you get the chance, learning from the best is well worth it.
Donn Litho
Bay Village, Ohio - 1981
Assistant Graphic Artist
In the beginning.
My vocational commercial art training was beginning to provide for me at the Donn Corporation print shop. Very technical without any of today’s tech. I worked directly for the art director and pressroom manager. I helped them by working with the big camera to shoot stats and film negatives. I did paste-ups for corporate literature and stripped negatives, then burned and cleaned the printing plates. I also operated bindery equipment for padding paper, saddle stitching and drilling holes. Like I said earlier, this was my first taste of the technical side of being a graphic artist.
I don’t remember being overly good at this job, but I do remember trying hard and learning a lot of valuable real world information. Thanks guys.
“Just Chillin” Self Portrait by D.J. Reichel, 1992
MP Design
Sagamore Hills, Ohio - 2003 - 2005
Art Director
Quark, Quark, Quark –
Illustrator, Illustrator, Illustrator.
I started part-time proofreading layouts by comparing printouts to Excel documents. We were working on a very large catalog with lots of products. Everything had to be verified at several levels. I moved into creating Quark docs to sort and pair-up a vast database of photos and copy blocks. I progressed into lead layout designer and directed other freelance artists with project techniques and file management procedures. I eventually transitioned to package layout and production for Lowe’s Portfolio brand lighting products.
This was a huge chunk of fast-paced layout and finished art production of catalogs and packages.
Matrix Essentials
Solon, Ohio - 1994 - 1999
Art Director / Graphic Designer
Back to the Grind.
Everything I like to do, at a place with people I like. Grind out ideas, renderings, layouts, ads, packages, workbooks and catalogs. This was a busy place with all sorts of products and marketing materials to go with them. Lots of people involved with lots of ideas and a steady stream of things to do.
I really got to stay busy, make a lot of different things, manage different projects and work with people who knew what they were doing.
Peto’s Type House
Cleveland, Ohio - 1983
Photo Typographer
Getting to know type.
This was one of downtown Cleveland’s primier typesetters. I created all sorts of headlines and display words one letter at a time. Using a Typositor. Fonts were available on long strips of film that were threaded through a light controlled lens and maneuvered with handles and gears. Each individual letter was arranged so light would shine through it and onto a strip of photographic paper. Exposure time was adjusted and letter spacing was added manually. The finished words flowed through a tray with a series of developing, stopping and fixing chemicals. I’d cut-up the strips, paste them together, shoot a photostat and present for approval.
I liked working here. I could be artistic and productive, at a fast pace, all at the same time.
Fisher Fazios
Lakewood, Ohio - 1980
Grocery Store
My first job. I’m in the union.
I mostly packed grocery bags at the end of the conveyer belt. Sometimes I helped people out to their cars with groceries. I collected the shopping carts from the parking lot. I received and kept track of the returnable bottles. Anyone remember those? The good shift was a night where I could help stock the shelves. I got to use the pricing gun and a box cutter. I liked it.
I mopped the floor once. I spilled the bucket five minutes before the store opened. Serendipity turned that into a good idea. I never had to do that task again.
My first paycheck, after union initiation and dues, about $3.00. Ouch!