Karen Grigsby

Responsible for department leadership, performance, quality and all related communications. In charge of overseeing the execution, production and prepress for PetSmart promotional and marketing collateral, ensuring that marketing objectives are met and that all projects are completed accurately and on schedule.
• Manage production design team’s workflow from inception to completion for all monthly planner and permanent in-store marketing materials
• Implement design, production and release of monthly promotional sign kit for US, Canada and Puerto Rico driving incremental in-store sales
• Develop, own and distribute proofing process with Customer Experience team to review and edit each stage of production, check for accuracy and consistency, ensuring that all copy and design objectives are met
• Interface with marketing, copywriters, art directors, designers and traffic to understand concepts, facilitate production of marketing objectives and bring creative to life

• Support design and production for in store advertising signage
• Lead designer for promo sign kit - approximately 300 signs monthly, US, Canada and Puerto Rico
• Review and approve press proofs from vendors and printers

• Lead designer for National Geographic’s line of products - aquatic, reptile, small animal and cat
• Lead designer for the annual Halloween and Holiday packaging program
• Layout and design packaging for 15 Proprietary PetSmart brands (Hard goods, Specialty, and Consumables)
• Create artwork within die line specifications provided by vendors
• Design art for boxes, poly bags, hang tags, labels and header cards
• Assist with fast-paced prepress and production art work
• Review and approve press proofs from vendors and printers

Responsibilities include creating new package design, work with existing artwork to update brands, review press proofs, prep files for release to vendors, and work with vendors and printers to maintain brand standards. Work directly with product managers, creative manager, graphic designers, and copywriters to maintain and support 18 proprietary PetSmart brands. Provide fast-paced production art support to design team. Support for printers and vendors after art files released.

• Supported 25 Graphic Designers with prepping files to print and correcting prepress errors before delivery to printers
• Created die lines for packaging for Discover card marketing pieces
• Helped improve the file release process to offset and digital printers
• Lowered printing costs and improved efficiency by using my skills as a Graphic Production Artist
• Worked directly with Graphic Designers and production services to maintain the Discover brand

Responsibilities included assisting design teams in graphic prepress production for direct mail, packaging and advertising projects. Type alterations, page layout, die line work, preflighting files and managing workflow of on time delivery to print vendors. Responsible for maintaining and uploading final files to the Digital Asset Library and servers, purchasing of images from stock photography houses. FTP final print ready files to offset and digital print vendors.

• Responsible for preflighting files, preparing files for print, troubleshooting, and making customer requested alterations
• Trapping files through Prinergy, creating custom imposition layouts using Preps and outputting proofs
• Knowledge of spot and process color jobs, trapping, editing PDFs, varnish plates, and die lines
Frequently worked with and edited die lines for packaging, pocket folders, and marketing pieces for clients. Also responsible for production on several major client’s projects which included layout and typesetting of a medical book each month including creation of all graphics, charts, and tables.