©2010 Shannon Calvert. All rights reserved.

SHANNON CALVERT
shannon@hireimagination.com
203-767-9311

Combine the vision of a designer, the wit of a writer, the eye of a photographer, the technical skill of a Mac guru, the print experience of a production manager, and the ingenuity of a magician with the imagination of a kid at heart. Blend well. Apply liberally to any marketing problem. Watch the sparks fly.

Over 25 years of professional experience in advertising, package design, sales promotion, direct marketing and collateral. The disciplines may be distinct, but the object doesn't change: mesmerize the target audience with a powerful appeal and then bend them to your will. What mad scientist wouldn't love that job?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, it had better be worth reading! Like any other design problem, the task is to challenge conventional expectations and communicate the message with a unique, memorable story. Inspire laughter, smiles, thought, and create an experience. No Photoshop composites here— each is a single click of the shutter. Guess how.

Squeeze a company's corporate image, name, product, and basic marketing message all down into their simplest form and you have a logo— the core visual representation of a business. Simplifying the message is one of my favorite challenges, and I tackle logos, product names, and headlines with the enthusiasm of a doberman facing a stick of pepperoni. Unleash me.

I started offering local portrait sessions a few years ago, and somehow word got around. It's actually fun for me— new models mean new opportunities to try out lighting, angles and poses. When a parent or spouse gets all emotional over a good photo, the satisfaction of knowing I've made something that will be cherished for generations is priceless.

There's something uniquely fascinating about wildlife photos. It's easy to forget the diversity of life that shares our planet when all we normally experience are gray squirrels and pigeons. A wild puffin might as well be from another planet, and even a backyard owl or bullfrog seems exotic when we can get a good look and study the details.

I can't be the only one who wears a big, stupid grin whenever the plane lands in some distant city. No matter where you live, the change of scenery is exciting. There's a sense of adventure and discovery. New sights, sounds, foods, a change of climate, and unfamiliar birds singing a foreign language. Every new location is a treasure hunt to see what visual riches I can find and bring back home.

I don't claim to be an expert in HTML, CSS or Actionscript yet, but I have a good handle on the principles and standards of web design and I'm not easily intimidated. Domain names, site design, search engine optimization, Flash banners, and even full e-commerce solutions with tax calculation, shipping and variable pricing. Where there's a web, there's a way, and I'll figure it out.