SARAH MARIE GERRITYNew media, graphic and web design extraordinairewith a passion for issue advocacy and visual efficiency

Graphic Design // PDF Portfolio

Full portfolio available at www.sarahmariegerrity.com.

As the Editorial Communicatons Assistant at CIPE, I worked closely with executive management to design and execute two major websites: first, the website for CIPE’s first annual Global Editorial Cartoon Competition (left), and later, the organization’s main website interface (right).

The CIPE Editorial Cartoon Competiton site was designed and coded from scratch in HTML and CSS, with Javascript elements to minimize loading times for the portions of our audience located in international zones known for poor internet access.

All graphics were created in Acobe Photoshop and Illustrator, and the site was design and executed within one week. Over the three months that the contest was active, CIPE received almost 1,000 entries from more than 70 countries around the world.

The redesign process of CIPE’s main website was carefully planned, beginning with a comprehensive staff survey that collected information on staff opinions of the previous site. That information was used to create this design in Drupal. This design

uses imagery and clean design to help engage users better. Staff members wanted the site to be clean, simple, but still exciting. Without completely rebranding CIPE, I highlighted elements that will help CIPE visually measure up to the organization’s reputation as international experts on democratic and economic reform. The new CIPE website is scheduled to launch on March 19, 2012.

WEB DESIGN // In-house // Center for International Private Enterprise

My current organization produces more than fifty publications each year, most of which were created in Microsoft work, without any form of branding standards. At an organization with seven regional departments and more than 65 staff members, this presented a number of problems for the Communications Department. So, when I first started at CIPE, I created a list of recommendations for improving the communications and publishing processes at CIPE, many of which were implemented into daily and standard procedure.

The Overseas Report (left) is CIPE’s quarterly newsletter, currently under considerations for redesign. This is a drafted proposal I’ve prepared for the design overhaul, giving the current newsletter a new face. Rebranding the newsletter with a magazine feel will make the newsletter easier to read by attracting a visual appeal – an aesthetic that often gets lost in too much text. With the right emphasis and carefully selected photos and graphics, the publication’s redesign could prove to be very useful in attracting programmatic funding and academic attention.

Before I started at CIPE, there was a collection of flyers that lacked overall consistency, whether they were inconsistent in graphics or content. In preparation for a large conference hosted by CIPE, I standardized all CIPE flyers, and ensured that a flyer existed for each region and key topic of interest. In total, I designed the template, maneuvered through approvals, and coordinated/wrote content for 19 flyers in just six weeks. Since then, staff members have used these flyers to represent their programs more than any other publication.

PRINT DESIGN // In-house // Center for International Private Enterprise

I began Sweetsonian in 2009 to track my culinary adventures as a young urban professional in Washington, DC. It quickly evolved into my other half, both allowing and encouraging me to foster my interests in photography, food, writing, and design.

BLOG // Sweetsonian.com

BLOG // REDUCEREUSEREDESIGN.TUMBLR.COM

Reduce, Reuse, Redesign is a Tumblr I created to showcase a project I took on for fun. By redesigning the slogans from Occupy protest signs, I was able to highlight some of the protesters’ values, and more importantly, their senses of humor.

826DC is a branch of the reading center group 826, initiated by Dave Eggers. As a nonprofit organization, 826 is dedicated to supporting elementary students’ creative and expository writing skills, as well as helping teachers inspire children to write. I freelance a number of smaller, fun projects. Above on the left is a ticket voucher used in a fundraiser event for a prize trip to Cartagena, Colombia. On the right is the branding for their annual March fundraising events, Moustache March, where participants grow mustaches and attract sponsors for donations.

FREELANCE // 826DC