Brian Groppe, Art Director
n
award-winning, creative art director/project manager with a broad
range of experience in graphic design, photographic imaging, and
typography for print and new-media. Practical knowledge of cross-media
workflows and web design using CSS/XHTML. High level technical
skills in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat,
Flash and Dreamweaver.
Work History
2010-present
Art Director—Contemporary Media, LLC., Memphis, TN
Memphis | MBQ: Inside Memphis Business magazines
2002-present
Freelance Art Director—Germantown, TN
Recent clients include:
Le Bonheur Foundation, Folk Alliance International, Kele, Inc., VP Buildings, University of Memphis, Methodist Healthcare Foundation
1985-2002
Towery Publishing, Inc.—Memphis, TN Design Director—Senior
Art Director/Photo Editor, Urban Tapestry Book Division. Guided design standards for start-up while it became the nations largest community-oriented book
and magazine publisher with over $10-million/year in gross sales. Hired, trained and managed
in-house design & production staff for a successful retail photojournal series. Art directed concept and
visual approach for corporate identity, marketing & advertising, city guides & directories, business
magazines, case-bound books, corporate annual reports and web sites.
Education
2005 Certificate in Multimedia, Sessions.edu
Online School of Design—New York, NY
1979 BFA in Graphic Design, California
College of Arts and Crafts—Oakland, CA
Professional Affiliations
Member AIGA, American Institute of Graphic Artists
Member NAPP, National Association of Photoshop Professionals
Member 901Creatives.com, Mid-South network of Independent Creative Professionals
Achievements
2011
Green Eyeshade Award / Best Magazine Cover Design for Memphis Magazine: Second place for August 2010 "City Guide"; Third place for November 2010 "The Man Who Built Modern Memphis"
National City & Regional Magazine Awards: "General Excellence" for Memphis Magazine 2010
2010
2011 Clarion Award from the Association of Women in Communications for Best Overall Internal Magazine Le Bonheur Magazine: 2010 Summer and Fall issues
Gold Aster Award Certificate for the June
2010 issue about LB Club and a Silver Award Certificate for the Fall
issue about Urban Child Institute from the Marketing Healthcare Today
magazine and Creative Images (the magazine/organization for healthcare
marketing professionals) for Le Bonheur Magazine
2005 & 2007
Memphis Woman Magazine art direction: Gold Award / Cover Design, April 2006; Silver Award/
Photo Layout, July 2006; Gold Award / Best Special Issue, October 2004; Silver Award / Excellence
in Design, February 2005; Women’s Regional Publications of America
2007 & 2005
Guest design judge for CASE (College Alumni Southeast Region) Alumni Magazine Design Competition
1999
Phoenix: A Desert in Bloom, with introduction by Hugh Downs, is the best attended Christmas season
book signing for Barnes and Nobles stores nation-wide.
Memphis in May International Festival fine art poster published in CA Illustrator’s Annual.
1998
Guest lecturer in Brooks Museum of Art’s Conference on Computers and Art,
Topic: Computers in the Graphic Arts.
Premier Print Award, Printing Industry of America, for Chicago:
Heart & Soul of America.
1997
Certificate of Design Excellence from Print’s Regional Design Annual for International Paper poster.
1995
Employee of the Year, Towery Publishing, Inc.
ADDY award for the book cover Chaos & CyberCulture by Timothy Leary.
St. Louis: Home on the River, voted “Best New Book by Local Author” in St. Louis Riverfront Times reader poll.
1994
ADDY award for Memphis in May International Fine Art Poster.
ADDY award for the book cover Chicago: Second to None.
1992
Silver Award in Photo Design magazine’s Annual Poster Design Contest.
ADDY Silver Certificate for book jacket Fresno: California’s Heartland.
Certificate of Design Excellence from Print’s Regional Design Annual for MIM New Zealand Poster.