I'm Garrett Shafer,
But my friends call me g... big G, lil g, G man, G baby fresh,
G$, G6... the list goes on. Knock yourself out.
Me
My biggest fixation is interpreting different thoughts and ideas visually, and bringing them into the real world, no matter the complexity or medium.
As a creative, our jobs never really stop. You can't stop seeing, even if your eyes are closed. It's nigh impossible to resist thinking and viewing the world in different ways, and it's a fact I embrace passionately. I pride myself in my work ethic; pushing boundaries for clients to find new, comfortable horizons, and I excel alone, or in collaborative efforts to discover the fantastic perspectives of other creatives.
Experience
A couple of years ago I made the jump from commercial to in-house creative as a Senior Graphic Designer for Cinemark Theatres' corporate team. I spend most of my time crafting crave-inducing imagery for our Food & Beverage sector and helping people find their next favorite movie by creating graphics for our Studio Partnerships team. Before going in-house with Cinemark, I was a Senior Art Director at the ad agency SGK Inc. There, I worked with quite a wide range of clients: like Netflix, Dick's Sporting Goods, Amway, Chick-fil-a, Kelloggs, Sensient, Home Depot, and Comcast to name a few. On the side, I like to pick up freelance work that ranges anywhere from album artwork, band t-shirts, and show posters, to art direction and creative consulting for startups. I find it to be a pretty interesting spread.
I'm a typical art school kid from Columbia College Chicago, with a bachelor's in graphic design in 2016, and have 8 total years of professional experience with art direction and design. The things I can't ever ignore include: maintaining brand standards, visual consistency, and photo direction; managing, overseeing, and directing designers, copywriters, and photographers; participating in presentations, collaborating across many different teams and offices across the globe, and overall elevating my clients' experience through each piece that comes my way.
Skills
I'm most proficient in Adobe Indesign, Illustrator and Photoshop and have moderate experience with Adobe After Effects, XD, and some 3D experience with Sketchup and Adobe Dimension. I'm always trying to learn more. I love working in teams but can do just as well on my own. I'll never shy away from a presentation and I thoroughly enjoy picking clients' brains for what they need most. In my 9+ years of professional creation, I have gained priceless experience with print work, directing photography & videography, and social media direction along with various other digital & web experiences. I've also spent a few years working on expo & experiential designs. More recently, I've been expanding my skills in motion graphics and video creation to become more adept in After Effects. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm excited by the new possibilities and opportunities.
I like to think I'm a bit of a wild card and a fast learner who can adapt to any new environment, program, or industry.
Interests
Damn, you made it this far? Thanks for hanging in there!
Additionally, I'm a sucker for anything dissonant or clean, and everything in-between. Minimalist approaches, stark contrasts, glitch art, surrealism, photo manipulation, brutalist architecture... I eat it up. I'm also incredibly fond of noisy music, and strangely morbid ads (you know the ones – think World Wildlife Foundation campaigns, anti-smoking ads, and those early 2000s commercials with the insufferable, illustrated dog that judges potheads – anything cheeky, dark, or clever).
In my free time, I dabble with music, play in a couple of scrappy punk bands, shoot photos, travel, and keep my cats and some plants alive with my wife.
If you find any part of this moderately interesting, funny, or weird, chances are, I'd like to work with you. Feel free to shoot me an email. My contact info is below.
Contact
You can also slide in my DMs or check out what I'm doing these days on social media below.
