Resume:

Alan Fore Design Ninja, 1998 - Present
With a freelance career covering almost 20 years, I can honestly say there isn’t much I can’t handle. I’ve worked on everything from identity designs to full-line product catalogs of more than a hundred pages. As a freelance designer, I’ve helped clients launch companies, create and redesign web sites, bring app concepts to life, organize photo shoots, and find models and acting talent. I understand that not everyone has the resources to hire an entire agency to work on their project. They need someone with ninja skills. Fast, flexible and effective. That’s me.

Portraits by Alan, 2005 - Present
Portraits by Alan is my way of getting back to telling people’s stories and falling back in love with drawing things by hand. My portrait work comes in handy in commercial settings from time to time, but I mostly work for individuals and families on a commission basis.

Upside Marketing, 2006 - 2013
My time at Upside was, without a doubt, where my ninja skills got their biggest boost. For seven years I learned from masters of the craft. I had the chance to work for and with tremendous designers, copywriters and project managers. At Upside I was involved with everything from concept, to execution, to production. We worked with clients of all sizes and from all different fields. We built brands, we launched products, we made our clients look like rock stars, and we had a great time. I got to be a photographer, designer, artist, model, talent scout, project manager and storyteller.

FurnitureFind.com / WineSource.com, 2004-2006
When I came back to FurnitureFind they were in full swing. Much of it was familiar ground, but there were exciting new challenges. They were working hard to expand their brand, so I got to work on email campaigns, web graphics and some great print pieces. They were also starting a new initiative to sell wine online. I was responsible for building the entire brand from the logo to web site. I also styled and shot all the product photography.

Family & Children’s Center, 2003 - 2004
FCC is a local non-profit organization that runs amazing programs in my area. In 2003 they hired me as their lone designer. I worked with their Director of Communications to completely revamp and reinvigorate their brand. I was responsible for corporate literature, advertising, internal communications, event promotion, as well as the organization’s family of web sites.

FurnitureFind.com, 1999 - 2003
In the early days of the internet, when e-commerce was a new and scary thing, FurnitureFind.com hired me as their web designer. I was responsible for the graphics used throughout the site, as well as spearheading the continual effort to make the site more user friendly. It was a wide open field back then and we were trying new things every day. But my time there influenced the rest of my career. I feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to learn about web design from the very beginning. That perspective continues to help me to this day.

Freelance Illustrator, 1998 - 2004
I started my career fresh out of college as a freelance commercial illustrator. I worked doing illustrations for book covers, children’s magazines and board games. I developed a colorful, realistic and expressive technique that focused on story-telling. While my efforts in the illustration field eventually gave way to graphic design, the time I spent learning how to tell stories is something that continues to shape how I work.