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Carol H.
Art director for social good. portfolios.risd.edu/carolhillson
Professional Background
Carol H. is an accomplished creative professional renowned for her ability to inspire and collaborate on design projects that help organizations and individuals achieve their goals. She has built an impressive portfolio over the years, showcasing her proficiency in various design disciplines, including graphic design, advertising, and web design. Carol's approach to design is deeply rooted in her belief that creativity and strategy should coexist, leading to innovative solutions that effectively communicate her clients' messages.
With extensive experience in the creative industry, Carol has successfully held several prominent positions, including Art Director at The Advertising Council, where she led various high-impact campaigns that resonated with audiences. Her leadership and vision were pivotal as she transitioned through different roles, including Senior Graphic Designer and Creative Consultant at the same esteemed organization. This background not only highlights her artistic capabilities but also demonstrates her understanding of how creativity can drive social impact.
After gaining significant experience in corporate environments, Carol took a bold step to establish her own business, Carol Hillson Creative. As the Owner and Art Director, she combined her passion for design with her entrepreneurial spirit, providing clients with tailored services that encompass the breadth of their design needs. Her approach ensures that clients receive the individualized attention characteristic of a boutique firm while benefiting from the comprehensive service offerings typically associated with larger agencies.
Education and Achievements
Carol's educational journey has equipped her with a solid foundation in both design and social practices. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Graphic Design from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), a leading institution in art and design education. Her rigorous training at RISD has instilled in her a keen eye for aesthetics, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills crucial in her field.
In addition to her BFA, Carol pursued a Master’s Degree in Restorative Practices at the International Institute for Restorative Practices. This academic endeavor reflects her commitment to understanding the social aspects of design and how creative work can positively impact communities and organizations. By integrating restorative practices into her design philosophy, Carol focuses not only on visual appeal but also on creating designs that foster empathy, connection, and positive change within social contexts.
Contributions and Specialties
Carol specializes in various areas of design that cater to the diverse needs of her clients. Her expertise includes:
- Branding and Identity: Developing cohesive brand identities that reflect core values and resonate with target audiences.
- Campaign Development: Crafting compelling advertising campaigns that captivate and engage viewers.
- Multi-Media Presentations: Designing sophisticated presentations that facilitate clear communication of ideas, particularly in PowerPoint and other multimedia formats.
- New-Business Proposals: Creating visually appealing and persuasive proposals that help clients win new business opportunities.
- Packaging and Print Promotion: Designing attractive product packaging and promotional materials that stand out in the marketplace.
- Website Design: Developing user-friendly and visually appealing websites that enhance online presence and user experience.
- Social Media Marketing Consultation: Providing strategic insights and creative content for social media platforms, helping clients expand their digital footprint and engage with their audience effectively.
Carol's versatile skills and proactive approach allow her to deliver innovative solutions tailored to the unique needs of organizations and individuals she works with. Her dedication to staying ahead in trends and technologies ensures that her designs not only meet current standards but set new benchmarks in creativity and functionality.
Achievements
Throughout her career, Carol has achieved numerous milestones that underscore her creative prowess and commitment to excellence in design. Noteworthy accolades include:
- Leading award-winning campaigns at The Advertising Council, contributing to significant public service initiatives.
- Establishing a successful freelance creative business that serves a diverse portfolio of clients across various industries, showcasing her adaptability and market acumen.
- Being recognized for her contributions to social impact through design, reflecting Carol's belief that creativity can drive social good and enhance community engagement.
In every role she undertakes, Carol H. continues to demonstrate her passion for inspiring creativity and fostering collaborative environments where innovative solutions can thrive. Her rich background, coupled with her specialized skills in branding and design, positions her as a key figure in the creative industry, making a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals and organizations alike.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
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