Experience & Résumé

Creative & Collaborative.

Adam Holt is an Iowa-based creative director with over twenty years of experience in creative leadership, graphic design, photo and art direction, branding, marketing, printmaking, and art team hiring and management. Specializing in political and corporate clients, Adam takes pride in leading award-winning agencies, using his highly collaborative, no-ego approach to develop cohesive and innovative pieces that outshine the competition.

Adam is energized by his three kids, walks on the neighborhood trail, creative meetings, Iowa State Cyclones basketball, and a great Midwestern snowstorm.

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Résumé

> Founding Creative Director that created firm’s design philosophy, built workflow systems and set tone for an empowering company culture.
> Worked with a team of strategists, writers and designers to produce a variety of communications including direct mail and brand creation for elected leaders and non-partisan advocacy groups.
> Guided partners and staff with a major rebrand with renaming efforts to communicate a forward-thinking strategy that reflects company values. Effectively attained consensus in direction among the partners of the firm.
> Responsible for hiring and managing over 50 designers locally and remotely over a decade. Maintained long-lasting relationships with designers, boasting one hundred percent permanent staff retention and outstanding cycle staff rehiring rates.
> Prioritized and managed workflow while effectively matching client needs to designer strengths.
> Created profit-boosting agency pricing guides that are competitive and in-tune with industry standards; pricing accounts for production time, supply-chain demands, and other variables. Helped remove budget ambiguity for clients and set the tone for clear and transparent communication.
> Worked individually and with teams to produce a variety of communications including marketing, branding, photo art direction, styling, collateral, editorial, screen printing, websites and digital tablet magazines.
> Worked directly with vendors for in-store signage, displays and print materials. Included quoting, specs and print production quality control.
> Completed marketing effort for The Des Moines Social Club’s grand opening, which appealed to people of various cultural and age demographics.
> Responsibilities include project management, working with vendors to produce projects, and maintaining and managing client budgets.
> Notable clients and publications include Anthology magazine, The Iowa Democratic Party, Meredith Corporation, Mittera (formerly Sun Dog), and The Des Moines Social Club.
> Rebranded a beloved indie DIY print magazine, tasked with updating and refreshing the publication to appeal to wider audiences.
> Magazine revamp included curating a new aesthetic and editorial approach through handmade design elements.
> Worked with illustrators and photographers to form a cohesive, thoughtful finished product.
> Art directed and styled photoshoots, taking the lead on art direction, working both in studio and offsite locations.
> Conceptualized, designed and produced unique communication campaigns for employee incentive programs for Fortune 500 and regional companies.
> Supported sales staff to implement strategic communications presentations for prospective clients.
> Designed retail communications for Fortune 500 companies including direct mail, catalogs, outdoor signage, business to business and in-store graphics.
Iowa State University
Fall 1998 – Fall 2002
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic Design
Rome Study Abroad
Fall 2001
Studied Italian design, architecture, typography and language.
Creative Direction, Management, Brand Identity, Brand Strategy, Graphic Design, Print Production, Budgeting, Presentations, Hiring, Workflow Efficiency, Accessibility Standards, Screen Printing, Client Relations, Web Design.
Adobe CC (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, Fresco), Microsoft Office, Apple iWork, ChatGPT, Monday.com, Canva, Procreate, Squarespace, Wix, WordPress.