hello

michele bartlett
designer/ developer/ art director

I am Michele Bartlett and I am a designer, developer and art director. The beauty of gray quote is from one of my favorite songs and I feel it represents me as a designer. I see it as taking a closer look to appreciate the details. Ever since I was a kid I have always taken notice that the world is filled with design. This is what sparked my interest and led me to pursue a career in art. What I do has never felt like a job, it’s a passion. Scroll down to learn more about me.

about me

I have over 18 years of design experience most of which includes designing and hand coding webpages and web applications that are optimized across all browsers while focusing on delivering an engaging user experience. In addition to my web experience I also have an extensive background in print design, branding, and art direction. I bring together a diverse understanding of visual communication goals, technical knowledge, and educational techniques. I have a strong client service approach with a commitment to visual excellence and exceeding client expectations. I’m a creative problem solver and collaborator. I have managed teams of diverse personalities in deadline driven environments. I also strive to improve with each project, from learning a new design technique to increasing my front-end coding skills.

I am the Creative Services Manager at Post University. My role as Creative Services Manager is to manage all aspects of the university website, everything from information architecture and user experience to coding and design. I also work on print projects, provide art direction, and branding guidence as needed. The current responsive version of the Post University website was built in Telerik's Sitefinity Content Management System. Most recently I had a major role in Post's new branding and visual identity which were designed to reinforce Post’s distinctive contributions to education and the community. See below to view some samples of my work.

my portfolio

  • StriveZero
  • PhilaU Online
  • Franklin Online
  • Post Openhouse
  • Post Accepted Students Day
  • Post Outlook
  • National Time Systems
  • MEI
  • Temple Financial Literacy
  • Towers Perrin 1
  • Towers Perrin 2
  • Towers Perrin 3
  • Towers Perrin 4
  • Futurism
  • Tyler School of Art
  • Notebooks
  • Red Flag Media Ads
  • APBA 66
  • Rabbit Ears
  • Americare
  • Stonehearth

To view more examples of my work, please visit my Behance site, behance.net/michelepbartlett


"Michele was a very hard working, conscientious, accommodating, creative and team oriented artist who never lacked vision and talent to complete any of the projects that were given to her."
Marc Rinaldi, V.P. - Operations and Sales at Real Coco Water

"She delivers excellent work under tight deadlines and always manages to stay patient and do whatever it takes to achieve the quality results needed."
Elise Pereira, Senior Manager/Head of Internal Communications at Etsy

"She has a strong work ethic, and approaches each project and task with a keen eye toward successfully achieving the end goal."
Kelly Statmore, Chief Communications Officer at Gwynedd Mercy University

 



my skills

  • SPECIALTIES
    Web Design/Development, UI/UX Design, Mobile/Responsive, Usability Research/ Testing, Prototyping, Wireframing, Information Architecture, Content Management

  • SOFTWARE
    Microsoft Office, Visio, Visual Studio, TFS, Axure, Balsamiq, Adobe CC14 & 15 - Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Illustrator, and InDesign, Asana, Basecamp, Constant Contact

  • PROGRAMMING
    CSS, HTML, XHTML, JavaScript/JQuery, AJAX RadControls, .Net Framework 4.0, Drupal, Telerik Sitefinity, Bootstrap, and a little PHP

  • ADDITIONAL
    Art Direction, Print Design, Illustration, Digital and Studio Photography

my process

A decision-making process surrounds any design, whether it is architectural, graphic, or something abstract, like a business model. The ultimate goal of every design process, however, is to meet the desired needs of the client and end user. I have found the below process very useful.

 

Today this process is broken up into different roles: UX Designer, Information Architect, Visual Designer, Front-end Developer, Programmer, Project Manager, and Content Specialist. For most of my career I have all or done a combination of those roles working on various projects.

 

Since there are narrower roles now, I find myself focused more on the User Experience and Visual Design. I am also interested in Information Architecture and Front-end Development with HTML and CSS. I feel my diverse background is an asset because I understand the importance of each part and it has helped me communicate and collaborate with other team members to come up with the best solution to meet the needs of the client and the end users.



  • Learn/Discovery

    You need to understand the scpe and goals of a project and discuss all options available. Project Analysis and consultations with Client – asking the following: purpose, target audience, visual impression, tone, method of navigation, marketing, and completion date. Then you can create a creative brief and/or project plan.

  • Planning

    After learning what you need to build you start planning how you are going to make it happen.

    - Researching
    - User testing
    - Working a IA – Organizing Content
    - Wireframing
    - Create a design strategy

  • Design

    With a solid understanding of the user experience and project goals conceptual designs can be created.

    Then you go the cycles of design and refine until final approval.

    Once approved you can start to prepare elements for Development.

  • Development

    Optimizing the website’s functionality using a combination of front-end web development and HTML/CSS coding.

    Also working on content integration and programming for custom requirements.


  • Testing

    QA and Test - cross browser testing and validate code. Testing really should be an integrated part of the ongoing development process. Discovering issues early helps to guide the project to a successful deployment.  



  • Delivery and Support

    Deliver finished project. Introducing the site to the world, submitted to search engines and is live!

    Set up a maintenance workflow and schedule and provide guidelines and training if needed.