Aaron Tilford Creative

Graphic Design • Art Direction • Writing/Editing • Curatorial

General info
PhoneNumber object (66639) office
Graphic Design • Art Direction • Writing/Editing • Curatorial
Los Angeles, CA
After an intensive internship at Bergman Associates, focusing on fashion and beauty, I moved to the position of senior designer at The Oliphant Press, focusing on non-profits as well as some corporate institutions, working directly with its director Ron Gordon. Since my salaried employment there, I have continued to do work for The Oliphant Press on a freelance basis, in addition to independently providing creative services to other clients. I have recently relocated to Los Angeles and am looking for a position that utilizes my skills and experience. I have a clean, sophisticated sense of design that balances classic with modern; extensive experience with text-heavy projects (I am skilled in typography); and prepress experience. I am highly organized, detail-oriented, and have both strong written and verbal communication skills. As the majority of my work has been with small studios or freelance, I am used to managing all projects from conception through completion. With a background in art and a passion for writing, I founded Spunk, an independent literary art journal, in 2003. After years of working with accomplished editors at prestigious institutions and many notable writers in editing my journal, I have become a skilled editor. After years of writing for Spunk as well as other publications and sites, I have become a skilled writer. In 2017 I was selected as a Lambda Literary Emerging Writer.
Experience
Los Angeles
Jun 2000 - Present
Freelance Designer, Art Director, Writer/Editor
Develop, design, and direct creative solutions for clients. Manage projects from exploratory phase through completion. Advise content and strategy. Photo and copy edit. Create original drawings, photographs, and text for select projects. Meet with and present design work to clients and directly handle their requests daily. Types of projects have included gala event materials, presentation decks, fundraising materials, brochures, ads, logos, kinetic identity concepts, music packaging, theatrical backdrops, books and other publications.
New York City
Jun 2000 - Dec 2010
Senior Designer
Developed and designed creative solutions for clients. Managed projects from the exploratory phase through completion. Met with and presented design work to clients, directly handling their requests daily. Created original drawings and photographs for select projects. Types of projects included gala event materials, annual reports, newsletters, fundraising materials, brochures, ads, logos, posters, art catalogs and other publications.
New York City
Jun 1999 - Aug 1999
Design Intern
Bergman Associates
Assisted in the design process and on photo shoots. Brainstormed creative solutions and sourced materials. Attended meetings with clients (L’Oréal, Redken, Pureology), handled their requests daily. Helped manage projects through completion. Projects included logos, signage, promotional materials and objects.
Aug 2003 - Nov 2018
Creative Director, Editor-in-Chief, Publisher
SPUNK art & perspectives
Designed and produced 12 limited edition, independent literary art journals to-date. Handled all social media promotion (IG: @spunkartandperspectives) and produced all related events (issue launches, readings, curated art exhibitions)—managing talent (visual and peformance artists, writers, musicians) and assistants—and directed a few short films. Spunk is sold in select bookshops and online at www.spunkartandperspectives.com.
Education
Bloomington, IN
- 1999
BFA Fine Arts/Graphic Design, minor in Art History
Indiana University
New section
Lambda Literary Emerging Writer Fellow in Non-Fiction
The highly competitive Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices was established in 2007 and is the first of its kind ever offered to LGBTQ writers: a one-week intensive immersion in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, genre fiction and playwriting. The Retreat is an unparalleled opportunity to be mentored by the very best writers in our community, to develop one’s craft, make connections with publishing industry professionals and build a strong community of peers.