I have worked for some of the biggest names in the industry…
Ogilvy Advertising, Saatchi & Saatchi, Wunderman Cato Johnson, Bertlesmann Music Group (BMG Entertainment)…
at various levels, learning every aspect of the business.
– Angela Medici
About me and where to start…
As far back as the early 1980s, I was an art student at the School of Visual Arts (SVA), where I majored in graphic design. Being a working-class kid from northern New Jersey, I knew I couldn’t indulge myself as a fine artist; I had to prepare for a career.
In 1985, I landed my first job in New York City as a print studio production artist at Smith Greenland Advertising, a small advertising agency. It was an ad agency created by old Madmen from the heyday of Madison Avenue. I worked in their bullpen, where I learned how to build mechanicals in B.C. (before computers).
Since then, I’ve made a career as a graphic designer that has included publishing, advertising, and entertainment industries. I acquired experience and learned all the necessary computer graphic programs. Along the way, I worked for some of the biggest names in advertising, such as Ogilvy Advertising, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Wunderman Cato Johnson/Y&R. My experience covered corporate, consumer, and pharmaceutical advertising.
In the late 80s to early 90s, I worked freelance for various advertising agencies and design studios. I assisted the creative department in transitioning ad campaign concepts into layouts and then to finished mechanicals. I learned all the technical aspects of color and type from beginning to end, making me a more proficient designer. During this time in my career, I collaborated with fascinating and talented people and learned the importance of working as a team. These experiences were invaluable.
In 1993, I began an assignment as a freelance designer for Bertelsmann Music Group, BMG Entertainment Publishing. Soon after, I was brought on staff as an art director managing BMG Music Club’s creative department. Being a big music fan, this was my dream job. I got to work promoting major record labels like RCA, Arista, and Buddha. My responsibilities included collaboration with A&R (artists and repertoire) representatives and copywriters to market and design CD packaging, ads, and direct mail inserts.
With the internet revolution, I returned to school and learned web graphics, focusing on HTML/CSS styling and Flash animation. It was the new millennium, and, as a designer, I felt the need to expand my skills for the next advertising market or risk being obsolete. In 2001, I partnered with an associate from BMG to create a web design firm under the name Triskelion Design. Our clientele were Broadway theater producers who needed to expand their marketing from print to the World Wide Web. Working in New York’s Broadway theatre community was a surreal, fun adventure, often including open night parties with famous actors. Unfortunately, it was short-lived.
In 2005, my part-time freelance job at Ogilvy Advertising became my full-time staff job. It lasted 18 years. Ogilvy had a full-service art studio that produced print and digital advertising. Working closely with Ogilvy’s creative department and designing and repurposing ad campaigns for various publications was a full-circle move for me. In 2020, Ogilvy’s production studio became part of Hogarth Worldwide. Most of my work samples are from my time at Ogilvy and Hogarth.
As a seasoned graphic designer, I would be an asset to any creative studio, sharing my highly experienced production skills and being a deadline-oriented creative graphic designer. I can also be a print production trainer to teach entry-level studio artists to prepare print files for release and avoid costly vendor revisions. Either way, I am looking forward to my next adventure.