About – bassline-shift

the story so far

My background begins in traditional studio arts. I studied drawing, painting and printmaking, and I spent some time working in independent comics in my 20s before turning to graphic design. Since 1997, I have worked for a broad spectrum of corporations and clients—in-house agencies, small businesses, not-for-profits, boutique record labels and entertainment conglomerates—as a designer, art director and manager, leading teams to deliver high quality print and digital deliverables.

When I’m not working, I engage in other creative pursuits: playing music (mostly bass guitar), acting, directing, and designing sets & props for theatrical productions. And I continue to work in traditional studio arts, creating illustrations, paintings, murals and prints as personal projects and on commission.

collecting brands like they're Pokémon

The logos below represent some of the brands I’ve worked with. Whether you’re in publishing, entertainment, manufacturing or education, or some other industry, I look forward to working with yours.

where i've been

Throughout my career, I’ve enjoyed several long-term periods of full-time employment as detailed below. Meanwhile, I’ve continued to engage in freelance efforts. This has kept me up-to-date with industry standards and design aesthetics—and it gives me an opportunity to work on a broader range of designs.

Senior Graphic Designer

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment

I began working at Redbox shortly prior to the company’s acquisition by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which folded us into a larger corporation. The lines between the various businesses blurred, and the work I’ve done, while primarily focused on Redbox, has expanded to include the other streamers and studios under the CSSE umbrella.

seasonal/promotional campaigns
online and print media to support marketing of Redbox's Streaming and Kiosk lines of business
static imagery as well as motion graphics
key art for various new original titles, as well as revised and refreshed designs for legacy titles for Redbox, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Crackle, 1091 and Screen Media
design support for new content and ad sales pitches

2022

Interactive Design Manager

Torque Creative

Starting as a Senior Designer, I ultimately managed a team of designers in an in-house agency setting, serving a multinational corporation and multiple brands. Our team focused on the digital deliverables. I created and directed web design, UI, online advertisement and social media strategy for Techtronic Industries. Brands serviced include Home Depot bestsellers RYOBI & RIDGID and I was instrumental in the launch of HART Tools, to date, the largest single brand launch into Walmart stores.

digital deliverables for multiple websites
seasonal and product launch campaigns
concept and art direction for photo shoots, working with photographers and professional talent for lifestyle, in-use and still-life product photography
light copy writing
streamlined and innovated new processes to eliminate bottlenecks and accommodate high-volume, low effort tasks, greatly increasing our partner/client's satisfaction

2013

Senior Graphic Designer, Brand Strategy

OfficeMax

In this in-house agency setting, I was part of a team tasked with staying on top of design trends and creating the look and feel for overall company branding, seasonal updates and special projects. Our work touched all channels and aspects of the business.

establish brand look and feel and guidelines for in-store seasonal and ongoing campaigns, and special projects, develop style guides for same
concept and art direction for product, in-use and lifestyle photography
casting and directing of professional talent and internal associates to create recruitment video
designed the UI for three mobile/iPad apps
2 Hermes Awards for print advertisement
Communicator Award for print advertisement
Racie Award for seasonal campaign

2007

Lincoln Highway Traveling Interactive Exhibit

Art Director / Graphics Manager

Horizon Displays

Led a team in designing and producing graphics for trade show and other displays.

created all internal print and digital marketing materials (e.g., brochures, web site)
design of client collateral
hands-on production of large format and other branding graphics for client exhibits
streamlined production processes to generate more profit while producing a better product
created and maintained relationships with 3rd party vendors

2004

Lead Designer

Robis Marketing

I was the principal graphic and web designer in this small, family-run agency setting specializing in creating marketing strategy and materials for small businesses, startups, not-for-profits, and local government agencies.

50% split between web and print projects
project management of multi-site online catalog project
UI creation for a startup ballot-marking machine to help disabled people vote. The end result was successful, and was sold to ESS, one of the largest balloting system manufacturers.

2001

Senior Designer

CCH/Wolters Kluwer

At this in-house publication design department, I was one of several designers tasked with the design and production of newsletters and journals. These publications focused on tax and corporate law.

during my time at CCH/WK, our team engaged in a complete overhaul of existing publications to elevate the visual appeal for a typically staid subject matter
I spearheaded an initiative to redefine style sheets and codify them for uniformity across templates, and simplify training
took on "problem" clients to eliminate antagonistic relationships editorial and design

1997

...that's what they said.

Nancy Hollenbeck

Senior Account Director | Echelon Design, Inc

Nancy H

Marc's creative ideas and the high level of energy he brought to the table makes him one of my fondest project partners.

7 Days Ago

Jess Wright

VP of Brand Marketing | Techtronic Industries - TTi

Jess W

Marc possesses a remarkable knack for delivering digital design concepts and campaign materials that solve business and marketing challenges.

7 Days Ago

Carly Hoehn

Partner Marketing North America Team Lead | Zoom

Carly Hoehn

...his talent as a graphic designer truly soars when he’s given the ability to take creative liberty... he receives requests and absorbs ideas from clients, then turns them into a working concept better than any one could have imagined.

7 Days Ago

Chase Newmyer

Digital Marketing Coordinator | XenTegra

Chase Newmyer

Collaborating with Marc was a highlight of my tenure as a digital marketing coordinator. Marc's insistence on quality and his ability to elevate our work to the highest standards was nothing short of inspirational. His dedication to his craft is admirable, and I hold a great deal of respect for his professional ethos.

7 Days Ago

Jennifer Hewitt

Project Manager

Jennifer Hewitt

Marc fostered strong relationships with his subordinates as well as the internal team and was well respected and valued within our core team as well as with our clients, which is a critical part of agency work.

7 Days Ago

Greg Akers

Certified General Appraiser/displaced commercial print & trade show sales person

Greg Akers

Marc is always thorough, creative, timely AND funny! Able to survive when the cook has but one patty!

Elizabeth Borowski

Channel Marketing Manager | ScanSource

Liz B

Marc is both creative and pragmatic; he knows how aim for the stars and the path to actually landing there. He's one of the best communicators I know and is an expert at navigating the space between designers and stakeholders.

Jeff Haddon

Experience Architect

Jeff Haddon

Not only is he a solid designer producing beautiful results, Marc adds a unique savor to the design team stew. He brings much more to the culture than your basic, heads-down team member. I’d be happy to work with him again.

7 Days Ago

Gretchen Weaver

Writer/Conceptor/ACD

Gretchen Weaver

Marc always takes the work seriously, while not taking himself too seriously. Two traits that make an excellent creative and someone you want to work with and for.

7 Days Ago

the story so far

collecting brands like they're Pokémon

where i've been

...that's what they said.

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