About me
Sam has always been about art, he won art contests as a child, he was the president of the high School Art club in his sophomore year. His first billboard design was published on a board on Veteran’s Parkway, Springfield, Illinois when he was only15 years old. While going to college he worked for many sign companies building experience in as many forms of art as he could. He immediately started working as a Graphic Designer after he graduated college. He continued to work for Printers and Service Bureaus, where he worked on projects for hundreds of different companies. In 2001, he took a position as Graphic Designer at WeatherTech. It was brief, within 6 months, he was promoted to the Adveritising/Marketing Director. There he built the entire Marketing, Graphics Design, Photography and Video departments from the ground up, He continued to direct these departments throughout his time there. He was responsible for all physical communication, everything that had the WT logo on it went thru his departments. Packaging, Catalogs, Trade Show Graphics, over 100 Magazine Ads per month, Thousands of Photos per year, hundreds of Videos per year, Sales Presentations, Billboards, even product installation instructions, everything. He directed his team to produce the 2018 WT Super Bowl Commercial. he has over 30 years experience in Graphic Design and over 20 years experience in Marketing/Advertising. Check out his portfolio at: cottage24.com to see his latest work. As Marketing Director, he was responsible for building the marketing plans each year, buying all ad space, negotiating with publishers and tracking our advertising before Google Analytics existed. In 2018, Sam started Cottage24 Marketing & Graphics LLC. C24 is an Advertising Agency that has the experience & expertise of a high end agency, but small enough to provide personal service at a lower cost. C24 has vast capabilities, many services are available. Companies can use C24 to be their entire Advertising, Graphic Design, Photography, Video and Marketing Departments.
Talent you might be interested in
Positions
Creative Director
Directed, Implemented and Produced all Advertising, Marketing, Graphics and Printed Projects for
various clients in many different industries. Helped grow sales with each client.
Directed team building websites, SEO & producing digital advertising campaigns.
Produced Advertising, Signage, Apparel, Printing Projects, Grpahic Design, Logo Design, Truck Lettering, Trade Show Exhibits and more.
Advertising/Marketing Director
Photo and Video Shoots, Planning and Implementing Marketing Strategies and Originating New
Graphic ideas to Communicate Sales Initiatives to the public.
- Directed Advertising/Marketing and Graphics consisting of Graphics, Marketing, Photography
Studio and Video Departments
- Directed a Staff of 25 people – 6 Designers, 6 Photographers, 4 Marketing, 5 Videographers, 2
Photo Retouchers and support staff
- Hired all my own staff
- Advertised in hundreds of Media Outlets including Magazines, Billboards, Radio, TV Shows, Trade
Show, Event Sponsorships, Digital Ads, E-blasts, etc.
- Responsible for Purchasing Advertising – Negotiated Contracts that reached far more!
than a Million Dollars to ad buys as small as $1,000. Maintained over 120 Contracts,!
year over year
- Creative/Art Director on all WeatherTech Graphics for 17 years including Catalogs, Packaging,
Photography, Videos, Flyers, Mailers, Retail Displays, WeatherTech Store Graphics, Signage, Billboard
Graphics, Digital Sign Displays, Trade Show Booth Graphics, Race Track Sponsorships,
Print/Digital ads and more
- Worked with outside vendors to produce Printed Pieces, Packaging, Displays, etc.
- Responsible for Press Checks at printing presses of many kinds of Printing
- Built Advertising and Marketing Program for WeatherTech Europe, maintain about 15 media contracts
in Europe per year
- Art Directed WeatherTech Racing Graphics – Transport Graphics, Stickers, Posters, Flyers, Photography,
Video and more.
- Art Directed PetComfort by WeatherTech Graphics, Photography, Video, Store Displays !
and more
- Responsible for supporting all WeatherTech Departments with Graphics. Sales Presentations,
mock up Graphics to help sell OE companies, in-house Signage, Retail and Store Displays
Samuel
Graphic Designer
- WR Type Skokie Imaging Service Bureau – Graphic Designer/Pre-press - 3 ½ years (10/97 - 04/01)
- Abel Printing – Flexographic Printer - Graphic Designer/Pre-Press - 9 months (01/97 - 10/97)
- Worked with/for several sign companies and printers throughout the 1990's
