Sandra Ragan, Designer and Illustrator
Plum Grafik Visual Communications
Inland Empire, Monterey Peninsula & San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Please contact Sandra@PlumDigital.com
Focus:
 Practical communication of ideas, products, and information through the creative use of digital technology. Conceptualizing, processing and preparing visual images for optimal use in commercial or private settings. Educating clients and providers in concepts, requirements, and related skills.
Experience:
In addition to creative and production skills I have substantial experience in system analysis, GUI design, technical support and problem solving on computer hardware and software across a wide variety of platforms, including Apple (Macintosh & mobile), Windows and UNIX computers.
Designer, Illustrator, and Consultant.
Present (DBA) Plum Grafik, S. California Inland Empire, San Francisco Bay Area & Monterey Peninsula
Projects include: photocomposites & renderings, retouching, illustration, logo/letterhead designs, catalogs, brochures, corporate presentations, website creation and maintenance (about this site) (FAQs notes), publications, advertising, database, direct mail, packaging, signage, display, trade-show graphics, newsletter design, and broadcasting. Consulting. Macintosh, Apple Mobile, and Windows technical support and training.
Clients include:
Ace Architects, projects included Oakland Facade Project
Alameda Credit Union
Aquent Partners
Arte y Verso Limited Edition Spanish Language Cards
Bio-Rad Laboratories Diagnostics Division (ISO 9000 ) and Corporate Offices, Hercules, CA
Carver + Schicketanz Architects, now Studio Schicketanz
Eagle Spirit Press
Faulkner Color Labs
Fiction for Real
Grape & Thistle Press
Lawrence Hall of Science FOSS Project, University of California, Berkeley - Full Option Science System modules
Macy's West Divisional Visual Merchandising, San Francisco
Meet My Plate
MFAC - The Municipal Fiscal Advisory Committee to the Mayor of San Francisco
MOMA - Monterey Museum of Art
Peter Cole & Company, Oakland, CA
Starwerk Publishing
The University of California, Office of the Prisident
The Cypress Tree Inn, Monterey, CA
The East Bay Conservation Corps and YSCal - Youth Services California
Viacom Outdoor(AKA Gannett Outdoor, Outdoor Systems, and Infinity Outdoor.)
in addition to private individuals.
Specialist,
Apple Retail, Monterey Del Monte Center
Six years. Duties include: Retail sales, Customer Service, Personal Setup, Consumer Workshops, Creative Support, and One to One training sessions. Part time.
Graphic Designer,
Macy's West Divisional Visual Merchandising,
Store Design, Planning & Construction. San Francisco
Three years. Duties included: In-Store signage and collateral and special graphic projects for all Western Division stores,* executive special projects, seasonal promotions, and merchandising standard illustrations.
* 125+ stores from Texas to Hawaii, and Guam with the addition of Liberty House in 2001. Macys' consolidated divisions and moved these functions to Cincinnati in 2005.
Senior Illustrator
CEB - Continuing Education of the Bar,
University of California Office of the President (UCOP)
Projects included: Graphics for legal products and company use including legal publications, textbooks, and presentation materials for live tutorials, interactive CD’s, and on-line services. Conversion of forms (OCR and fielding Acrobat “forms” format linked to Access database) for SmartLaser CD product. Working simultaneously on Mac, Windows98 and NT platforms,
Administrative Assistant II and Computer Resource Specialist II
University of California Office of the President, and TOPS (UCOP Departments).
Position of note: seven months at the Office of the Treasurer of the UC Regents. Worked closely with management to formulate employee evaluations and job descriptions. Work with users to refined existing databases, plan and implement new database incorporating data from electronic and print documents. Personnel forms design, conversion of documents between software packages. Assist users in efficient operation and troubleshooting of Windows software products
Designer and Digital Imaging Specialist.
Custom Process in Berkeley, CA. a large custom photo lab.
Three years. Projects included; interactive presentations on CD-ROM, commercial and private photo-retouching and photo-compositing for continuous-tone film (negs. & trans. up to 8x10), collateral advertising, large format display graphics, and corporate slide presentations. Digital service bureau operations; Leaf45 film scanner, Master and Pro PhotoCD, MGI Solitaire 8XP/JetStream RIP film recorder, Kodak Portfolio PhotoCD and CD mastering. Private client projects included extensive restorations of 19th and early 20th Century photographs.
Clients include:
California Department of Water Resources DWP
Chevron Land Development
Disney Films
Fantasy Records/Saul Zantz
Kaiser Permanente, Northern California
Kodak
KPIX Channel 5 News, San Francisco
Lucas Films
Mervyn's Department Stores
San Francisco Opera
Spectrum Holobyte (computer game maker)
Viacom Outdoor(AKA Gannett Outdoor, Outdoor Systems, and Infinity Outdoor.)
Designer, Computer User Interface (GUI) Analyst,
and System Administrator.
Aaron Marcus and Associates, Inc. Emeryville, CA.
Design firm specializing in information and GUI design.
Five years. Projects included; analysis of computer software, charts and illustrations for magazine articles, interactive audio/visual materials and animated prototypes, two books, interface specification documents, hands-on workshops, and client business development.
"Graphic Design for Electronic Documents and User Interfaces," "Human Factors and Typography for More Readable Programs" (cover and illustrations), and "The Cross-GUI Handbook for Multi platform User Interface Design" (comprehensive research analysis and illustrations).
Fortune 50 clients include:
Amdahl
American Express
Apple Computer
AT&T
Hewlett-Packard
Kodak
Lawrence Berkeley Labs
Motorola
NASA
NCR
Unisys
US Patent Office
Instructor at Los Medanos College, Pittsburg, CA.
Graphic Production Arts.
Instructor at Contra Costa College, San Pablo, CA.
Graphic Design, Illustration, and Business for Designers.
Three school years, two summers.
Graphic Designer, Assistant Media Design Production Technician.
Contra Costa College, San Pablo, CA.
Five years. Three years as student graphic designer. Projects included theater posters, programs, signage, teaching aids, class schedules and advertising fliers, general campus advertising, student staff supervision, and on-call replacement for department supervisor.
Computer hardware and software consulting for an Authorized Apple VAR (Value Added Reseller), customer needs analysis, training and sales of Macintosh systems, peripherals, and software. Clients included large national and international corporations in biotechnology, finance, and computer aided design.
Executive Assistant to the CEO of a Beverly Hills land management corporation. Clients included well known entertainment personalities and multinational corporations. Offices in London and Beirut, Lebanon. Interior design for one EO including the execution of a commissioned oil painting as the central focus. Assistant bookkeeper (interim head bookkeeper) for three divisions (each with independent financial structure), payroll, sales commissions, payables, accounts receivable for multi-million dollar real estate accounts, personal and international business correspondence.
Retail sales in art and drafting supplies, original art, prints, framing supplies, furniture and misc. promotional items. Intensive customer service, merchandising, promotional displays and framing services.
Aditional experience in Interior Design, Counseling, Purchasing and Inventory Control.
Degrees/Credentials:
California Community College Instructors Credential (Lifetime) in "Printing and Communication Services" from UC Berkeley Extension
Associate in Science Degree, Contra Costa College, CA, with honors.
Prerequisites for Medical Illustration: Pre-Med, Graphic & Fine Art major
Psychology minor. Alpha Gamma Sigma.
Edward Tufte workshops in Visual Display of Information
Member of (NAPP) The National Association of Photoshop Professionals, now part of KelbyOne.
Member of AIC - The American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works
Diablo Valley College
Basic Character Modeling in Maya
Sterling Ledet PhotoShop CS and InDesign CS workshops
Ciber Flash workshop
Monterey Peninsula College,
3D Design and Intermediate Watercolor classes
UC Extension classes in education. Workshops & self-study programs: digital production arts, photography, art media conservation, creative writing, textile design, fine art, sculpture, music, environmental design, and volunteer services. Other employment experience includes: |
