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1. Matthew Balaam
07730 953486 mattybalaam@gmail.com
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2. Matthew Balaam
07730 953486 mattybalaam@gmail.com
13 years print and web industry experience and a strong
interest in typography and layout combined with sound
technical print knowledge.
Ability to create stunning artwork in a variety of formats
from an existing creative, or from an open brief.
Used to working to sensitive deadlines and to manage
a variety of projects at once. Flexibility to either work as
part of a team, or individually.
Employment Skills
Freelance Designer/Artworker Excellent InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat Pro,
November 2009 onwards QuarkXPress and Freehand skills. Experienced up to CS4.
Considerable experience with Flash, some web CMSs,
Working freelance for print and web agencies. Dreamweaver, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook.
Sound technical knowledge of print techniques and how
Graphic Designer to maximise designs to suit various media.
The Studio (now closed), Newsquest Media Group, Experience at hand-coding HTML, CSS and SVG graphics.
Brighton Feb 2004 – Nov 2009 Adept at working as part of a design team and individually,
with effective verbal and written communication.
Working as a designer and artworker from wide ranging Ability to work from an open-brief, and to bring out the
written and verbal briefs. Often from conception through best in an existing creative.
to final artworking, but sometimes taking on one role. Accurate with an eye for detail.
Designing and preparing print-ready artwork for a variety Excellent image manipulation and retouching skills.
of media and finishes; from newsprint and glossy finishes, Can work quickly from provided styles and templates, and
to web animations and bespoke one-off projects. produce clear templates and styles for other people.
Range of project sizes: entire supplements, promotional Good organiser: able to manage deadlines and keep files in
campaigns, adverts, web banners, branding, covers, page a clean, easy-to-follow state.
layouts, posters and design templates. Extensive knowledge of Mac and Windows systems.
Liaising directly with internal departments (editorial, Quick learner of new software and technologies.
promotions, advertising, photographic etc.) as well as external
clients and print companies.
‘Employee of the Month’ award winner four times, and
runner-up three further times.
Prepress Artworker
Newsquest Media Group, Brighton July 2001 – Feb 2004
Adverts and layouts, producing final artwork for print,
Education
pre-flighting, liaising with printers, database management.
Prepress and Reprographics BA (Hons) Media and Cultural Studies
Archant Media, Ipswich Nov 1997 – July 2001 Southampton Institute 1993 – 1996
In Reprographics department prepared files for newsprint A mixed practical and theoretical degree.
and glossy publications. Learnt extensively about colour Practical modules of the course covered production of
correcting, colour profiles, image retouching, pen-tool video and audio, desktop publishing, the internet, photog-
cut-outs. Created photo-montages for covers and features. raphy and writing for media.
Produced GIF and Flash web banners. A wide ranging selection of theoretical disciplines were
Moved into Prepress using Quark Xpress and Illustrator studied, and an emphasis was placed on how to use these
to produce adverts and layouts. to assist the creative process.
Sales 3 A-Levels, 10 GCSEs
Eastern Audio, Ipswich Sept 1996 – Nov 1997 Westbourne, Ipswich 1986 – 1993