Olivia James

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT OLIVIA JAMES

As a creative being, I have an intimate understanding of the design process from concept to execution; as an organizational freak, I grew to be critical of the system around the work. I know what kind of environment creatives require to be empowered and free to make great work; and I understand a team’s need for structure, accountability and measurement. With these adverse attributes, I’ve honed a gamut of skills that have allowed me to sit in many roles across a marketing & branding team. After 10 years of exploring the workforce in these various roles, I’ve come full circle and returned to my roots as a graphic designer - not that I ever went very far. My responsibilities have always included some form of management, direction or participation in creative work. As a junior in college I co-founded Hands Down Creative, a startup branding agency that gave us a head start on real-world work, client relationships and managing simultaneous projects in the creative industry. From there I dove into in-house marketing for an international software company, then explored a dual role in marketing management across two sister companies, moved on to a leadership role at an agency and then took a giant step back.Over the last decade I ascended the shifting ladder of my career through leadership changes, team restructuring, company politics and crazy client relationships, only to question the value in climbing the ladder in the first place. I’ve spent the better part of 2017 traveling, exploring thought, enjoying time with my toddler and basically re-centering my spirit while freelancing on the side. Now, I’m settled on the other side of the country and looking to jump back in.