STEVE HESS

8601 Barkley Street Overland Park, KS 66212

(913) 579-5395 sh10860d4
@westpost.net
Creative Design
New Product Development / R&D / Product Design
Art Direction / Wholesale / Import/Export
I successfully led gift design, home dcor and greeting card production while man
aging revenue growth, developing marketing programs and directing designers and
artistic endeavors. I designed and launched new products, sourced international
vendors, managed design and oversaw production staff. I am an innovative and awa
rd winning creative director and designer for Hallmark Cards and other gift orga
nizations.
a Improved product lines for major gift manufacturers.
a Designed high quality holiday and home accessories that improved market share.
a Managed design and production teams for variety of products and programs.
a Sourced and negotiated for import / export.
BS, Art Education, University of Wisconsin. BFA, Print Making & Drawing, Univers
ity of Wisconsin. I was continuously recognized and rewarded for creativity, ma
nagement skills and innovative programs. Known to build consensus for programs a
nd products, I received Hallmarkas aBright Lightsa award, given to the one indiv
idual who is recognized by senior management as contributing to Hallmarkas succe
ss.
Tech Skills: Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office Suite.
Selected Accomplishments
Improved product offering, increasing revenue to $2M+ annually. Challenged to im
prove Hallmarkas front-of-store promotions. Identified a unique Dutch artist and
collaborated on new offering featuring artist's imagery. Generated largest port
ion of retailer and company profits for five years. Featured greeting cards and
gift products.
Expanded retail business for holiday dcor company. Hired as designer for Mitchel
l Import Company to improve product line. Analyzed existing offering and develop
ed 14 themed holiday collections. Rearranged showroom to mimic decorated areas o
f home. Traffic and orders increased 33%.
Designed original products that improved gift line. Mitchell Import Company need
ed to upgrade the product line. Designed and developed new holiday product and p
roduced using Taiwanese vendor. New collection became top seller. Collection ear
ned place of honor in Dallas Market Center.
Developed process to generate on-going creativity for new products. Hallmark nee
ded to fuel the flow of new offerings. Developed process for idea and concept ge
neration that engaged the entire department, providing program ideas for testing
and execution. Created readily recognized products.
Career History
Design and Product Consultant, Harvest Graphics, 2006 to present. Lead creative
team in innovative project to develop a greeting card specialty offering. The ne
w offering, CONNEX, is a marketing piece highlighting abilities of Harvest Graph
ics high-end printing solutions. Targeting retailers.
Senior Designer, Mitchell Import Company, 2007 to 2009. Recruited to direct crea
tive and design strategy for new Holiday Home Dcor and Gift Product Division. Le
d product design, showroom display, catalogue production, vendor relations and g
ift wholesale product.
Innovations Manager/Creative Expert, Hallmark Cards, Inc., 2004 to 2007. Continu
ally promoted in $3B retail and manufacturing organization. Directed idea genera
tion and innovation process for new product development in card, specialty and g
ift products.
Creative Director, Hallmark Cards, Inc., 1998 to 2004. Managed sourcing vendors,
art direct production, full life cycle product development, testing, and launch
. Led Designers, Art Directors, annual design budgets. Achieved the Bright Light
s Award for the design and development of home dcor line. Managed 35 artists and
designers.
Earlier: Design Manager, Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Personal: I enjoy swimming, running, biking, gardening, sculpting, and gourmet c
ooking.