Eileen Leeds
UX & UI | Visual Designer
Senior Visual Designer, 20+ years of experience building visual design systems for major media outlets, leveraging my product management expertise, facilitating precise content within proprietary design systems and content management systems (CMS). Excelling at managing design upgrades. Curate content with subject matter experts for audiences of 5K to 700K+ viewers. Win awards. BS in Illustration from Fashion Institute of Technology. Training at General Assembly, Maven.com & OReilly.com. Instructional Design at Quinnipiac University.
linkedin.com/in/eileenleeds | 3leeds@gmail.com | Fairfield, Connecticut, USA | +1 646-283-9053 | www.eileenleeds.com | www.3leeds.com
EXPERIENCE
>> DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER
DeSales Media | Brooklyn, New York & remote | March 2019 - July 2020
DeSales is the media & marketing arm of the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn & Queens serving 1.5M+ parishioners via multiple digital media streams.
Hired to redesign the diocese’s 100+ year old news publication, The Tablet, and train editorial staff to function in the Adobe Creative Suite - to edit and produce the weekly product.
Presented two design paths for the product: 1. Fully modernized logo, typography and designs that translate well to mobile ultimately. 2. Same logo and improved design templates that cleaned up visibility, readability and production management. Number 2 was chosen to avoid disruption of marketing streams and audience familiarity.
Developed The Tablet Jr publication with the diocese’s educational media services director and staff to deliver Catholic themed content to parochial elementary school students once a month. Successfully launched this product within 2 months, it is promoted still as a bonus product for Tablet news subscriptions.
Interfaced and coordinated with Advertising Sales staff to process advertising placements weekly, and special sections seasonally, improving the handoff of valuable revenue-producing advertising, with the potential to reach 1.5M parishioners,185 parishes.
Partnered with the online production team to ensure quality designed news content passed from editorial to digital, including seasonal advertorial sections.
Lead meetings with News Corp and Advance Publications to explore print service advantages through their production facilities.
Responsible for the timely processing of print editorial content to meet deadlines as staff adapted to new production requirements.
>> SENIOR DESIGNER for region
Hearst Connecticut Media | Norwalk, Connecticut & remote | January 2014 - October 2018
Hearst Connecticut Media is a multiplatform news outlet that serves a growing Connecticut audience. They publish eight daily city news properties and 13 weekly local properties.
Onboarded newly acquired major daily news properties with redesigned templates from Hearst corporate and inhouse templates.
Interfaced with Hearst’s nationwide news groups to learn updated system workflows.
Attended editorial meetings daily as art director to prepare visual content for breaking and long term news presentations and coordinated priorities with content stakeholders.
Redesigned a group of 8 weekly publications for ease of composition by copy/production staff, clarifying Hearst Connecticut’s visual identity,
Prepared daily libraries of styled graphic elements for editorial, layout and online staff to enhance content presentations, mindful of visual accessibility hurdles for mobile viewers of news products.
Data visualization of daily, locally, and nationally composed data sets, as handed-off by reporting staff for audience viewing and comprehension.
>> SENIOR DESIGNER / INFORMATION DESIGNER
New York Daily News | New York, New York | March 2000 - December 2013
NYDN has been a top local, national and international news source for over a century, now a property of the Tribune News Service.
Daily product deadlines for complete, edited, curated visual content on demand for print and online. Designed content to flow with digital device accessibility in mind as it was distributed online from print workflows.
Participated in developing digital functions as newsrooms expanded content streams.
Explained diagrammatically breaking news events, with accessibility in mind, for viewers locally, nationally and internationally, in conjunction with top editors.
Long term development projects for major enterprise news products, interpreting gathered content to create visual impact and ease of multilevel audience viewing, subjects such as Child Obesity, Terrorism in New York, War Overseas.
Participated in multiple subject matter projects: Data Storytelling, Major News, Features/Lifestyles, Business, Sports, Advertising.
>> COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Red Cross, Blood Services, Southeast Region | Savannah, Georgia, USA | 1997 - 1999
Red Cross Blood Services has been the largest blood supplier and blood product distributor in the United States since 1940. The Southeast Region serves local cities and communities, and in the past served southeast South Carolina and upper Florida from their Savannah offices and labs.
Interfaced with major media outlets in 3 states to prompt volunteers to donate blood.
Designed communications and promotional materials to engage repeat and potential blood donors to attend blood drives in their communities.
Wrote PSAs and Press Releases for public awareness and direct media communications.
Upgraded communications content management system to Adobe products.
Managed vendor interface for blood donor thank-you collateral production and distribution.
Coordinated with National Red Cross HQ on national programs and issues.
SKILLS
>> HARD SKILLS
Art Direction / Creative Direction
Multimedia Storytelling
User Experience
Project Leadership
Adobe Creative Suite, InDesign, Photoshop, Acrobat, Illustrator
Figma
Data Analysis / Excel / Open AI
Investigative Research
Style Guides / Brand Guidelines
Print Publication Design
Researching new methods
Communications Directives
Iconography / Logos
Illustration / Diagrams / Procreate
Color Trends
Scheduling software
>> SOFT SKILLS
Strategizing with design novices
Accessibility considerations
Project planning
Communications, internal & external
Interdepartmental teamwork
Enthusiastic work ethic
Supportive to teams
Trainer / Teacher
EDUCATION
>> DEGREE
Illustration, BS
Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY New York, New York
Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY New York, New York
>> TRAINING
Instructional Design
Towards a masters level certificate
Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT
Towards a masters level certificate
Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT
UX Design Circuit
General Assembly online
General Assembly online
Data Analysis Circuit
General Assembly online
General Assembly online
Tableau software
General Assembly
General Assembly
Adobe Captivate
Certified 2019
Instructional design software
Certified 2019
Instructional design software
OReilly.com
Tech training, subscriber since 2012
Tech training, subscriber since 2012
School of Visual Arts,
Pratt, Fairfield University
Ongoing design studies
Pratt, Fairfield University
Ongoing design studies
AWARDS
>> Catholic Press Awards
Third Place 2020 - Illustration — Catholic Self-Care presentation, The Tablet
>> Society of Professional Journalists, Connecticut chapter (CTSPJ), Hearst Connecticut Media
Second Place 2017 - Circulation >40K — Page One — Trump’s Supporters
First Place 2014 - Circulation >40K — Page One — Ruins Reborn series
First Place 2014 - Circulation >40K — Informational Graphic — Ruins Reborn series
>> Associated Press Awards
2003 - Layout — D.C. Beltway Sniper Caught, New York Daily News
_______________________
Eileen Leeds | UX | UI | Visual Design
3leeds@gmail.com | 646-283-9053 | Fairfield, Connecticut, USA
Eileen Leeds - Senior Visual Designer, 20+ years building visual design systems for major outlets. Product management. Precise content in proprietary design systems and CMS. Design upgrades. Curate content with subject matter experts for audiences 5K to 700K+. Win awards. Illustration BS, FIT NY. General Assembly, Maven.com, OReilly.com, Quinnipiac University