- "I would be delighted to provide a reference for Emily, as she is exceptional both professionally and personally. In fact, she is the only graphic designer for whom I can provide an unqualified high recommendation. She stands head and shoulders above others with whom I have worked.
I worked with Emily while I was Director of Project Management at a local web development agency. We relied solely upon consultants for website designs, and we hired Emily on an “as needed” basis to create web design mock-ups based upon creative specifications provided by the client. We had 10 or 12 consultants who we regularly used in this capacity, but Emily quickly became our consultant of choice, This was because her work was original, detailed, and creative, but also because Emily is highly conscientious and responsive; she met every single deadline she was given. In fact, she stepped in and helped us out a number of times when other consultants failed to deliver on designs which they had promised. I cannot emphasize enough how different she is from the stereotypical “flighty artist type”.
Emily was responsible for translating sometimes quite nebulous design specifications (e.g, “I want the design to be fresh and original”) and preparing several pages of design compositions for each project. Her designs were original, with attention to detail on a very fine level. Clients were inevitably as happy with her designs as we were. As mentioned, Emily always delivered what she promised when she promised, and she did so cheerfully and willingly, even on one demanding project which fell over Christmas break.
From the perspective in which I worked with her, Emily’s primary strength and distinguishing characteristic was that she is very organized and reliable, unlike the vast majority of designers with whom I worked. However, looking at Emily outside of that narrow perspective, I would say that her artistic abilities and her personality are equally exceptional. She is very helpful and positive, with a “how can I help?” attitude towards work, which makes her a pleasure to work with. I think this strength could also work against her, as she might not build definite enough boundaries around herself outside of normal working hours.
The nature of the consultant job for which we hired Emily meant that I only have worked with her on an individual basis. She was self-motivated and disciplined enough to work well individually. While I cannot speak for her interactions as a team member, I can say that she worked well with each of the project managers, and that she did a very good job of juggling our sometimes competing deadlines with grace and composure.
We never had occasion to criticize Emily, though my sense is that she would accept criticism as a means for improvement. I say this because she often solicited feedback,and did so in the manner of looking for ways to improve her work.
In conclusion, I would like to say that I think you would be very pleased with Emily and the quality of her work. She is a unique blend of creative, artistic, organized, disciplined, and self-motivated, with an unfailingly positive attitude. I believe that she will be an asset wherever she works, and wish her the best."
Cheryl Miller Wilson, Project Manager, Huron Consulting Group
-------------------------------------------
“I would highly recommend Emily. She is a kind, creative and caring individual who will definitely be an asset to any organization she works for. I hired Emily to work on a per project basis for a number of different projects over a span of approximately 2 years. The work was primarily graphic design for websites. I have worked with a lot of designers over the years and Emily was truly a breath of fresh air. I worked with the client gathering the requirements for their site and then I would discuss these with Emily and she would provide me with concepts to present to the client. She always provided a variety of different looks and was very open to feedback and making changes based on client requests. She kept in constant communication with me on where she was at with our work and also handled deadlines well.”
Dave Jackson, Owner, Internet Marketing Solutions
-------------------------------------------
“Emily and I worked extensively on web development projects for internal and external use. Her attention to detail, design sense and innate understanding of the proper representation of content was always top-notch. She would not let leave her desk/computer/site without the high standards she demands.”
Jonathan Mergy, Director, Information Technology, Powis Parker, Inc.
-------------------------------------------
“Emily is wonderfully creative and dedicated team member. She was never shy about branching out and learning new skills in order to make a greater contribution. Her high ethics and generous sense of humor kept us going during some very stressful deadlines, and she always brought her best game. She's a talented creative force.”
Colleen O'Rourke, HSP Life and Leadership Coach and Director of Product Management, Powis Parker
-------------------------------------------
“Emily came in and had the difficult task of redesigning and refining a work-in-progress website. She handled the job with grace and flexibility receiving directions from multiple avenues. She was also a self-motivated individual who sought out the information she needed to get the job done.
She was eager to learn and to expand her repertoire. She took on website programming as well as working on brochures and packaging. She was constantly seeking to be challenged in all aspects of design. She should be very proud of her career accomplishments thus far.”
Lily Quach, Director of Graphic Design, Powis Parker, Inc.
-------------------------------------------
“Emily is an amazing, hardworking and capable individual. She is constantly striving to exceed expectations and is always thinking about the whole picture rather than just her position. She is innovative, caring, and full of potential. I eagerly await to see how her career will progress...I know she will take any company to the next level that allows her to. Emily was an invaluable team member and friend.”
Emilie Drumm, Creative Book Specialist, Powis Parker, Inc.
Projects