Nina Eleanor Alter
v. 415.948.6852 -- e. (myfirstname, nocaps) @bigwheel (dot) net
studio.bigwheel LLC San Francisco, CA
December 2007 - Present, April 2007 - August 2007
Sole Proprietorship, practicing Information Architecture, Interaction Design, and hybrid Interaction/Visual Design.
Clients include: BEA Systems, Palm Inc., Tailrank Inc., September & October 2007 were spent in Europe with SRL.
Survival Research Labs San Francisco, CA
July 2003 - Present
Contributing Artist, Builder, Production Manager, Machine Operator, "Crew"
Since it's inception in 1978, SRL has operated as an organization of creative technicians dedicated to re-directing the techniques, tools, and tenets of industry, science, and the military away from their typical manifestations in practicality, product, or warfare. Performances consist of a unique set of ritualized interactions between machines, robots, and special effects devices.
Yahoo! Inc Sunnyvale, CA
March 2005 - March 2007
Senior Visual Designer, hybrid Interaction/Visual designer
Senior Visual Designer working with the Yahoo! Platform UED team- specifically, with the Network Standards group. Previously, Senior Visual Designer for the Yahoo! HotJobs property.
America Online Mountain View, CA
March 2004 - October 2004
Senior Visual Designer
Worked within a brand-new visual design group, formed in Mountain View to compliment the team in Dulles, VA. Our task was to create a fresh look/feel for AOL's forthcoming broadband products; AMP and YGP were the two products I lead design efforts on. 8 Months into the duration of the team, it was dissolved in a company re-org.
Creative Persuasion LLC. San Francisco, CA
February 2002 - August 2003
Art Director
Design lead for a boutique litigation-consulting firm. Responsible for developing materials to present information-dense arguments, case-facts, and narratives, in an absorptive fashion to median 8th-grade educated jurors. Additionally responsible for hiring, directing, and working with freelance creatives, and with creating Creative Persuasion's website.
Nuka Design San Francisco, CA
December 1995 - 2002ish
Freelance Design DBA
Clients included: San Francisco Bar Association, Specialized Bicycles, Sessions Inc., Wired Magazine
O'Neill Inc.Santa Cruz, CA
January 1999 - October 2000
Senior Print Designer
Worked on all print, packaging, and advertising needs for O'Neill sub-brands in the Snowboarding, Dive, and Women's Surf. Created all packaging and POP needs for Men's Surf, as well. Directed both domestic and overseas licensee companies in the development of their advertising and POP materials.
Fox Racing Inc. Morgan Hill, CA
March 1999 - August 1999
Senior Print Designer
Part of Fox Design Group, a 20+ person team of ISDA industrial designers, graphic designers, apparel designers, and a separate pre- and post-production film team. Worked semi-independently on all print design and advertizing needs for Shift MX, Fox's sub-brand specializing in (at the time) Freelance motocross apparel.
*surface magazine San Francisco, CA
July 1995 - August 1996
Associate Art Director, Associate Designer
Brought on board to the skeleton-crew staff with their second color issue (yep, it used to be a black-and-white, uncoated tabloid!). Worked closely with the publishers and creative directors in re-directing the magazine to broaden readership internationally, and to target savvier and more educated domestic readers.
California College of Arts and Crafts _(sadly renamed to CCA) San Francisco, CA
Attended 1992-97, 2001; degree confirmed Fall 2001
BFA Graphic Design
Thesis: "Playing God: Surveillance and the Social Psyche," presented Spring 1996.
Awards: Inclusion of Senior Thesis in the 1997-8 Catalog, 1996 All College Honors, 1994-6 "Concept" juried show inclusion.
Awards
1997 Communication Arts Design Annual, inclusion for excellence in Art Direction for *surface issues number 8 & 9.
1997 PIE Publications Design Annual for excellence in Art Direction for *surface issues number 8 & 9.
Technical Proficiencies
Online + Interactive
Fluent in all Adobe CS products, precise attention to color-management and typesetting. User-Centered Design evangelist, practitioner, and general fan-girl; what makes the user happy, makes the business happy! Working-knowledge of HTML, CSS, and Flash MX. Java, DHTML, and AJAX familiar; always an eager co-conspirator with engineers in scheming how to milk the best performance and interactive possibilities, from all available technologies- front and back-end.
Versed in writing styleguides, creating cross-network standards, adhering cross-network standards, and evangelizing in an empowering and positive way, how client orgs can adhere to cross-network standards; Localization best-practices; Community best-practices; Usability best-practices; Copywriting for UI best-practices. Past team participant in multiple usability studies of all budgetary and practice varietals; frequent instigator of "guerrilla-style" informal usability testing, and a strong advocate of balancing design-vision with study-findings. Pixel-perfect protagonist.
I <3 pencils, markers, post-its, and huge rolls of butcher paper.
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General Cubicle
Mac OSX, Apple devotee for 20+ years; Windows Vista, familiar and fearful; Windows XP, fluent; Microsoft Office, capable. Years of experience working with teams overseas. DOS language- formerly fluent, since forgotten. Unix and Linux- everyone asks... so, nope, not a lick.
