James D. Kramer was born July 17, 1964 in Encino, California. He was raised in the San Fernando Valley, and received his bachelor of science degree in graphic design from Woodbury University in 1986. In 1992, Jim served as President of the Santa Clarita Valley Artists' Association, located 10 miles north of the San Fernando Valley. As a member of the SCVAA, Jim received numerous awards for his paintings, including Best of Show, and Best in Category.
In 1994, Jim—along with his wife and two sons—moved from their home in Valencia, California and relocated to Everett, Washington. From 1994 to 2007, Jim worked as a book designer in the publishing division of Microsoft Corporation. In addition, he has remained active as a freelance graphic designer, and shamelessly promotes his online gaming interests by authoring and producing gaming modules.
Jim's other interests include traveling with his wife Pinky, and their four children. He also enjoys board gaming, roleplaying games, and home brewing.

The Design Services

Full-service print design and production services: I'll handle as much or as little of your print project as you require, including arranging for print brokerage. Concept to completion, design-only, production-only, art direction, or just a simple in-house consultation—all in whatever measure your project requires.
Web site design and maintenance services: Your web presence is becoming increasingly important, both to your product or service, and to interacting with your customers. However, not every web site needs to be a Flash! driven wonder of interactivity, just as not every print job needs to be a 4-color extravaganza of blind embosses, foil stamps, and die cuts. Well executed visuals are great, if such visuals serve to communicate your message effectively.
Illustration services: Technical illustration goes hand-in-hand with effective graphic design and production. You can rest assured that your visual communication of abstract ideas will be effectively communicated to your audience.
Slide deck design and production services: Face-time with managers, employees, and prospective clients is important, but suffers where the message is being delivered through non-existant, ineffectually designed, or poorly produced slide decks. My long-running professional experience with a Fortune 100 company has provided me with direct exposure and hands-on experience in producing high quality, visually stimulating communication tools.
Photographic restoration and retouching services: From scanning to complete restoration and repair, I'll take your product shot, or beloved family portrait from egad! to awesome! To view some samples of restorations I have executed, click here.
Networking services: I'm not talking about your WAN or LAN here. If I don't have the skills or bandwidth your project requires, I will ensure I employ only the most skilled crafts person your budget will support. My network of professional contacts includes copywriters, illustrators, Flash! developers, web developers, photographers, printers, video editors, full-service design firms, and more.
Personal services: Every client is my most important client, and every job, is the most important job. It's a simple rule that I live by daily in my professional career. I personally will address each and every concern you have, because I take your satisfaction very seriously.
1:1 instruction services: Whether you need to brush up on the latest versions, or you're in need of a career change, I can tailor a learning experience specifically to your need. Whether in the Windows or Macintosh environments, I can introduce you to the latest version of Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Acrobat), and Adobe FrameMaker. Your first 1 hour consultation will always be free. I also offer instruction in general print knowledge, and graphic design concepts.

Summary of Qualifications

Manager of Artists | Graphic Designer | Print Production Specialist

Creative and Production Leadership:: For 13 years I reliably provided creative solutions for a Fortune 100, Redmond, WA-based software company. In this role, I designed interior layouts for all books sold through the retail channels in both brick-and-mortar locations, as well as through online booksellers. Additionally, I worked closely with curriculum designers to establish layout and production templates for use by authors and production staff as required.
Proven Record:: I am skilled as both an individual contributor as well as a manager of artists and designers. These skills have helped me to take my teams through transition periods requiring a shift into new, unfamiliar applications and processes for executing long document publications, organizational restructuring, and changes in creative visioning.
Well-rounded Design and Production Skills:: I am equally comfortable working on Microsoft Windows and Macintosh operating systems, as well as the use of traditional design and production methods where required. My experiences have provided me the opportunity to work extensively with many of the major graphics and business applications. I am also experienced in coding HTML/CSS and designing websites using NotePad and other text-only applications.
Experienced Freelance Designer:: Over the course of my career, I have maintained an active freelance clientele. This includes a range of projects, including; book design, logo and I.D. packages, brochures, signage, posters, and other projects. Much of this work also includes donated time to charitable organizations.
Bachelor of Science, graphic design:: Woodbury University (with a minor in business administration). Cum Laude.
Technical Skills:: Strong verbal and written communication skills. Personable and able to communicate with designers, artists, and key stake holders. Proficient in working with a wide variety of design and business applications in both Windows and Macintosh environments, including; Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe FrameMaker, Adobe PageMaker, Macromedia Freehand, Carrara, Bryce 3D, Microsoft FrontPage, MacOffice, Microsoft Office (MOS certified in Excel 2003), FileMaker Pro. Strong design, layout, and production skills in books, book covers, ID packages, brochures, posters, packaging, HTML, and more.

Capabilities and Equipment

Software: Macintosh; Adobe Creative Suite, Macromedia Freehand, Carrara, Bryce 3D, MacOffice, FileMaker Pro.

Windows; Office, Visio, FrontPage, Adobe Creative Suite, Macromedia Freehand.

Awards & Recognitions

Distinguished Award; book design, 2004: Microsoft Office Document Designer; Microsoft Press, Success³; Society for Technical Communications, Puget Sound Chapter, technical publications, interior layout
2nd Place in Category; Masters' Category, 1993: Santa Clarita Valley Artists' Association, Spring Art Classic
Best in Show; 1992: Santa Clarita Valley Artists' Association, Summer Sidewalk Exhibit
1st Place in Category; Mixed Media, 1992: Santa Clarita Valley Artists' Association, Spring Art Classic

About the design services Identity

Orange

Orange is a color associated with power, healing, enthusiasm, creativity, vitality, and endurance. Individuals who enjoy the color orange are usually thoughtful and sincere. Orange is also the color of luck. It is said by some, that if you require change in your life, you should burn an orange candle for seven nights. Curiosity is a strong force behind orange, as well as an exploration of new things.

All these things together encapsulate the creative efforts that are the profession of the graphic designer. It is my goal, and your expectation, that I should explore new ways to express your creativity, deliver your message, and connect with your customer at a personal level.

circle

Circles and spheres can be described universally as; a plane curve everywhere equidistant from a given fixed point, the center, a planar region bounded by a circle, a series or process that finishes at its starting point or continuously repeats itself; a cycle, a group of people sharing an interest, activity, or achievement, a sphere of influence or interest; domain.

For my purposes, the circle represents a continuous flow of communication; an exchange of ideas, provoking thought and creativity.

Franklin Gothic font family

Franklin Gothic was designed by Morris Fuller Benton in 1902. The font is part of Benton's large family of neogrotesque fonts which he named "gothics". These were contemporary American answers to the Swiss-designed Helvetica at the turn of the century.

Franklin Gothic is solid, steady, conservative but with an unmistakable quality that speaks of its versatility.