Real Life — bonjourgalore

“ Alexcandra is a Digital Marketing Manager at Shareflo. Her focus is driving not only engagement for installs, but interacting with and growing a true audience. She is an expert on social media and has creative experience in unique, addictive, and very viral content.”

— Joel Palath, Shareflo CEO

2B: Creative Process

2B: Creative Process - Before Back — 2B: Creative Process - *Before Back*

Starting off with my graphic design skills they also have been expanded over the past year. I haven’t just been branding for myself but I’ve had the amazing opportunity to brand for my client, Locked n’ Loaded Personal Training. I created her branding board after she collected and submitted her top images. From there I developed her logo and business cards; her website is still under construction. After a lot of hard work this summer I was also hired as a freelance graphic designer for the Indigo Group in Branford, CT. All these opportunities are only helping me get closer to my goals and I will never stop striving to better myself personally and professionally.

Previously mentioned in the Communication Program section of this portfolio I explained my love for the creative process. At times it can be difficult for me to articulate what I'm trying to design. Yet, when I track and really take each set up of the creative process with time I end up being able to execute exactly what I had envisioned. I have not only been working with Shareflo, but I started working with an up and coming fashion brand, Shpala. This collection is specifically tailored for tall women. I had the pleasure of recreating her logo, designing her business cards, and implementing customer CSS on the website.

When designing the business cards the designer and I texted back and fourth at least 100 times a day throughout the process. At one point the designer apologized for the amount of changes they were making, but I assured them this is what it is about and I have the goal of making them satisfied. Ultimately, it's what I love to do. In the end through the constant feedback the collaboration was beyond successful creating some the best business cards I have yet.

3A: Writing Skills

During my time at Shareflo I was given the task to write a few blogs and then tried to take a more editorial style by giving a recap of the #PizzaBeerMobile event at tumblr. Writing for multiple social media platforms really required me to take what I have learned from basic writing courses to copywriting and apply that all into one. As I have gotten more experienced with my writing I am now an ambassador for the Clover Newsletter. Even more recently, my article that I wrote was featured on their daily newsletter in December 2016. Having them feature my article is a win for me and my confidence in my writing as I feel it is much stronger. As I transition out of being in school everyday my ideal plan is to start my #figuringitout 365 Project. This graphic design, self discovery, and branding project will all have one end goal and is being strategically planned. The start of this project will naturally be January 1st, starting with the alphabet challenge.

For internships, Shareflo has been one of the largest real life learning experiences. This internship has challenged me more than any regular course could/would, however I must say I definitely was well prepared for it. The idea of social media marketing seems so easy, but today I will be the first to admit that is far from the truth. To be an effective digital marketer you need to first do your research on what works and what does not. Growth hacks are everything and you will quickly realize hashtags and likes mean more than if you are “cool” or not. Being given Instagram to run and manage I underestimated what it would take to grow the account. After trial and error, I can proudly say I grew their account to 1,500 followers in the course of 4 months. I was then given the opportunity to create an eBook focusing on Instagram Growth Hacks. This gave me the chance to show what I know, open my design skills to creating an eBook, and also help people grow their accounts too.

2B: Creative Process / eBook Design (Click to View)

Being promoted to the Project Manager was a great honor especially after a very successful Launch Party that ended up being sold out. I was asked by my Supervisor to host a Growth Course focusing on Instagram at the General Assembly. This put me way out of my comfort zone but put my presentation, design, and communication skills to the test. Not only was the opportunity shocking but also to see how my Supervisor described me for the course description made me feel very appreciated. Although designing and mobile marketing are not about the praise but focused on the intended message being understood, it made all my hard work worth it.
Below are the presentations I designed for the courses at General Assembly:

Instagram Growth Course | Campus Ambassador Course | Email Marketing Course

4B: Ethical Communication

Shareflo provided me experiences I never thought I would have. It wasn't just once either, but the one experience I am beyond grateful for was the ability to start a podcast series with another intern and my good friend, Spencer. For these podcast we set them up in a Q&A format with an editorial style. I created these graphics to give a clean and modern feel to the podcast and maintain brand aesthetic.

When prepping for an interview I would research the guest thoroughly. One of my favorite part of the prepping was creating the questions. I would enjoy guessing/assuming how they would respond and have a follow up question as a "what if". Even though these are hosted and recorded digitally the need to be aware of verbal and nonverbal communication cues is still very much valid. Through this experience it became very apparent to me that in this digital world we must maintain eye contact, watch tone of voice, and maintain a true representation appearance.

Below are two of my favorite podcasts we did on the series. The first was with Jason Malki, CEO of Alleyboost and Sports Wonks. We were lucky enough to attend the Alleyboost Startup Expo back in November. At this event we got to meet some pretty hot companies like Fiverr and Breather.

The second was with January Barnes, CEO of ParlayMe. Not only does she have an amazing Instagram feed but she's an amazing interviewer at events and shares short clips on her account. Additionally, her company offers a concierge type service for startups to identify their needs and help grow and expand their audiences while working with an Angel Investor. She's a truly inspiring person and great storyteller, I know I can learn a lot from her.