Max Gaines

Principle Art Director for The Penn Fund serving as lead designer for all Penn Fund campaigns, HTML email developer, brand manager, webmaster, project manager & co-marketing strategist. Achievements include:

• Conceptualized, developed, provided creative direction, co-managed and co-directed a video featuring University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann.

• Successfully implemented a rebranding of The Penn Fund creating cohesive visual identity system all marketing material helping The Penn Fund to raise $31.7 million during fiscal year 2014. Fundamental characteristics include broad expanses of white space, consistent use of typography, while also emphasizing thinness, efficiency and clarity.

• Solely responsible for overseeing the redesign The Penn Fund website (and content management system), utilizing my design strategy, resulting in over 60% of users being new visitors to our website since launch.

• Initiated and successfully launched the integrated digital marketing campaign The Penn Fund Relays breaking donors down into teams by decade, challenging them to help their team win by making donations thus increasing they’re participation rate. On average participation rates overall increased from 25% to 27% during campaign.

• Strategic rebranding of existing marketing campaign The Ivy Stone Society December Drive, a campaign for increasing members to the Ivy Stone Society, helped The Penn Fund reach 10,000 new donors during the FY14 December Drive campaign – the highest ever.

• Regularly facilitating and managing the production of all direct mail, visual communications and videos. I am well versed in working within budget constraints, managing expectations, assigning tasks and planning responsible for different campaigns. Also creating production schedules, acting as a liaison, managing expectations and ensuring that deadlines are met while building and maintaining relationships with vendors are all key areas I excel at.

Providing freelance photography, design and creative work for individuals and companies including: New York Magazine, OK Magazine (online), Two One Five Magazine, P.O.R.N of The Roots, various indie musicians and artists, a public works projects for Victor A Johnson Designs and SEPTA, WXPN.com and The Philadelphia City Paper.

Primary responsibilities included following style guides to properly execute layouts for various catalogs and advertisements, routine digital design of web banners and layout for ‘M-Style Lab’ section of macys.com, contributing in concept development, graphics and GIFS for the Macy’s MBlog and photo-shoot edits. Also worked closely with copywriters and traffic coordinators as well as becoming familiar Macy’s CMS and brand standards.

Professional graduate student mastering skills in art direction, design, marketing, typography, branding and motion design. Also served as a teachers assistant for Prof Alisa Zamir (Executive Vice President, Design Director Taylor & Lives) Visual Communications 1, Freelancer for a limited number of clients, as well as being a exhibited Artist.

Represented by Leonides Molinar photography featured in gallery on West 43rd Street in NYC Hells Kitchen neighborhood. Also shown at The International Caribbean Arts Festival 2007 in NYC, The Shanghai Arts Fair 2008 and Art Basel 2008 in Miami.

Created timely merchandising displays throughout store based on GAP provided style guides. Working closely with the visual display staff produced layout plans for the store, prepared inventory for sale and maintained a comprehensive library of visual displays.