L I N D S E Y B L A K E L Y

Creative Wunderkind

LINDSEY BLAKELY

500 Melrose Street, Apt. D, Jonesboro, AR, 72401

501-909-3755 lindseypblakely@gmail.com

To the Team at Arkansas Life,

When I learned you were searching for a creative director, I was over the moon. Since the magazine’s announcement in 2008, I’ve continuously been impressed with your sophisticated style and high-class articles. As I send you my resume and portfolio, I hope to be afforded the opportunity to impress readers in the same way your team has continued to impress me.

Becoming the creative director for Arkansas Life would be a dream job for me. This is true not only because of my stacks of dog-eared magazines, but because this publication is one that I’ve aspired to work for. If I had the time, I would tell you how much I’ve admired your publication, or why it has continued to make its way to the top of my stacks. But for now, let me tell you why I could be a dream candidate for you. Firstly, I am a big thinker, and I have a proven track record of putting my big ideas into action. When I became Editor-In-Chief of The Herald, the youngest in history, my first goal was to redesign the newspaper. Instead of redesigning aspects of the publication, I redesigned it in its entirety. This included the nameplate, front-page design, page templates, fonts and masthead. By doing this, I was able to transform the newspaper into a more enticing publication with a modern design that appealed to our audience. This redesign gained the accolades of not only the regular audience, but also several prominent news designers in the industry, including Ron Reason. My ambitions didn’t stop there. Throughout the year, I continued to push the newspaper forward. In my tenure, I led the creation of two special editions of the newspaper, both of which earned numerous awards. The issues, which involved in-depth feature stories, lengthy photo shoots and a fresh design for every page, were ultimately featured on the university’s homepage. This was another first for The Herald. With support from a great staff and adviser, I was able to lead The Herald to place in the Best College Newspaper category at both state and regional level conferences. After a year of forward-thinking, I was also awarded second place for Editor of the Year at the Arkansas College Media Conference.

My big ideas and visionary goals don’t end with The Herald. Whether it is implementing a marketing strategy that increases audience numbers and online traffic, creating a logo for the university, or simply serving as Editor-in-Chief for a class magazine, I continue to see my ideas come to fruition. As the creative director, I hope to be able to bring these big ideas to your publication, and continue your stellar reputation as the No. 1 publication in Arkansas. I’d like to lead Arkansas Life, just as I have led other publications, to award-winning designs and pages that make readers unable to put it down. As a recent graduate, I want to grow with this magazine for several years. More importantly, I want to share my big visions with Arkansas Life and continue to push this magazine forward. If I am offered this position, I will be ready to hit the ground running and help Arkansas Life exceed its own expectations.

I would love to speak with you to discuss the position in greater detail and to answer any questions you have about me. I am very excited to learn more about this opportunity and share how I will be a good fit for Arkansas Life.

Thank you,

Arkansas Life121 East Capitol AvenueLittle Rock, AR 72203

LINDSEY BLAKELY

500 Melrose Street, Apt. D, Jonesboro, AR, 72401

501-909-3755 lindseypblakely@gmail.com

EXPERIENCE

Leadership Center, Arkansas State University | Jonesboro, ARMarketing Director, Student Activities Board | May 2013 - May 2014• Developed and implemented marketing strategy which improved online

presence by increasing social media traffic by over 50%• Provided overall direction for marketing initiatives, managed all social media

accounts and interaction with audience, collaborated and advised other directors about marketing techniques, educated other Leadership Center departments about marketing techniques, strategy and tools

• Designed ads, fliers and posters prior to events, worked with other graphic designers to collaborate on marketing material, photographed and captured video of events, edited footage and photography for future use

Graphic Designer | Summer, 2013

• Collaborated with various Leadership Center departments to design material for upcoming events, special projects and promotions

• Advised faculty about formatting, publication, usage and troubleshooting• Led special project to create the Department of Campus Recreation logo; final

project included a centralized logo with several individual logos for each branch of department

• Provided design support after summer tenure was completed, creating posters, fliers and handouts when graphic designers were unavailable

The Herald, Arkansas State University | Jonesboro, AREditor-In-Chief | Fall 2012, Spring 2013

• Redesigned entire publication, including front page, page templates and name plate, to convey a more modern appearance for both print and online audiences

• Headed the creation of two special editions, including special layout, photo sessions and feature stories. Both issues were commended by nationally acclaimed designers and one was featured on the university’s homepage;

• Led a staff of 30, including six section editors, to produce twice-weekly publication with a circulation of 5,000, while strategizing to attract and maintain core readership

• Served as lead paginator, designing front and jump news page twice-weekly; oversaw the direction of newspaper’s design, including use of typography, photographs and infographs; educated new editors about design principles and practices, provided support to section editors during design processes

• Supervised the editorial staff and made final decisions for content, design, deadlines and performance; conducted weekly meetings and twice-weekly production of newspaper while approving and copy editing content

• Other positions with The Herald included News Editor, Photo Editor, Staff Writer, Photographer and Graphic Designer

Paragould Daily Press | Paragould, ARGeneral News Reporter | Summer 2013Sports Reporter | Summer 2012• Covered local meetings, events, politics, business development, sports,

agriculture and general or breaking news, to create original written and photographic content for daily publication

• Created the annual Farm Family special section which includes several stories, hundreds of photographs, and several advertisements

• Assisted Editor-in-Chief in story creation, copy-editing, research and story development

SKILLSAdobe Photoshop

Adobe InDesign | Adobe Illustrator | Adobe Acrobat

Some HTML | Some CSS Flash | Microsoft Office

Suite | Hootsuite | Google Analytics | SEO | Social

Media Management

EDUCATIONArkansas State University

Bachelor of ScienceJournalismMay, 2014

S E L E C T E D W O R K S

HERALD REDESIGN

OLD

NEW

GRAPHIC DESIGN

CAMPUSRECREATION

CAMPUSRECREATION

CLUB SPORTS

CAMPUSRECREATION

WELLNESS PROGRAMS

CAMPUSRECREATION

RED WOLF CENTER

CAMPUSRECREATION

INTRAMURAL SPORTS

Dept. of Campus Recreation logo, Arkansas State University

Logo for city of Bryant, AR

A W A R D S

Editor of the Year, 2nd place, 2013Front Page Layout, 1st place, 2013

Breaking News Coverage, 3rd place, 2013Art/Illustration, 3rd place, 2013

Meeting & Speech Coverage, HM, 2013Personality Profile, HM, 2013

Reporter of the Year, 3rd place, 2012Art/Illustration, 1st place, 2012

Front Page Layout, 2nd place, 2012News Writing, 2nd place, 2012

News Photo, 3rd place, 2012Headline Writing, 3rd place, 2012Photo Illustration, 1st place, 2011Photo Illustration, 2nd place, 2011

Feature Writing, 3rd place, 2011

Arkansas College Media Association

Southeast Journalism ConferenceOn-site Feature Writing, 2nd place, 2011On-Site Feature Writing, 2nd place, 2012

Bonnie ThrasherAdviser, The Herald

Arkansas State UniversityP.O. Box 1930

State University, AR, 72467(870) 972-2979

Natalie EskewAssistant Dean:

New Student Registration & Student Activities BoardArkansas State University

P.O. Box 1980State University, AR, 72467

(870) 972-2055

Harry PorterGeneral Manager, Paragould Daily Press

1401 W. Hunt Street Paragould, AR, 72450

(870) 239-8562

Steve GillespieEditor-In-Chief, Paragould Daily Press

1401 W. Hunt StreetParagould, AR, 72450

(870) 239-8562

R E F E R E N C E S

T H A N K Y O U