Summary:
A Graphic Designer and Illustrator with 15+ years building the infrastructure behind the work, sketching concepts by hand, then engineering the standards, libraries, and processes that carry that work into production. Oversaw full brand identity systems for nonprofit clients and delivered original illustrations inside the brand guidelines of companies like Disney and Cracker Barrel.
Technical Competencies
Brand & Visual Design: Brand Identity & Guidelines • Campaign Design • Print Design • Digital & Web Design
Illustration: Concept Sketching • Infographics • Editorial & Social Illustration • Advertising Illustration
Tools: Adobe Creative Cloud: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Fresco • Acrobat Pro • Canva • Figma
Illustration: Concept Sketching • Infographics • Editorial & Social Illustration • Advertising Illustration
Tools: Adobe Creative Cloud: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Fresco • Acrobat Pro • Canva • Figma
Practice: Accessible & Inclusive Design • Stakeholder Presentations • Process & Template Systems
Work Experience
Sarah Adkins Design 2009 – Present
An indie design studio with a focus on non-profits, socially progressive and environmentally sustainable practices.
Graphic Designer & Illustrator
An indie design studio with a focus on non-profits, socially progressive and environmentally sustainable practices.
Graphic Designer & Illustrator
• Design brand identity, campaign, and social media assets for mission-driven clients; Successfully won more than $35K in grants for Transformations CDC and raised an additional $1,800 through a fundraising event.
• Developed full branding standards, logo, letterhead, business cards, targeted audience collateral, and a fundraising thermometer for Lives United: Music, Arts & Community, supporting $15,000 raised to restore a historic Hook & Hastings organ and $500,000 raised for music and visual arts programs.
• Designed and illustrated the poster, social campaign, Eventbrite page, and signage for Night at the Carnegie, a Fund for the Arts: NeXt Program event introducing the Carnegie Center for Art & History to 200+ guests.
• Own every stage of client work independently, from creative brief through final delivery, across print, digital, and web formats.
QSR Automations 2012 – 2024
Global leader in restaurant technology, serving solutions from kitchen display systems to table management, hardware.
Creative Designer 2013 – 2024
• Illustrated over 900 custom bird's-eye view restaurant illustrations for the ConnectSmart Host software across 700+ sites, for clients including Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, The Cheesecake Factory, and Cracker Barrel.
• Designed a cohesive system of 180+ buttons for touch screens and printed physical bump bars within the ConnectSmart Kitchen software, running on 60K+ installs worldwide in restaurants including Texas Roadhouse, Bubba's 33, and Dave's Hot Chicken.
• Built the intake process for incoming design requests from other departments, improving how customer expectation identification and cutting overall design revisions by 90%.
• Established the company's first licensed stock image library, in-house hardware photography, and font library.
Junior Creative Designer 2012 – 2013
• Produced brochures, spec sheets, hardware inserts, table tents, trade show booths, and digital ads for the ConnectSmart product family, coordinating directly with print vendors on color calibration, paper weight, and finishing.
• Created and accelerated the company's social media presence past 12K followers across platforms, producing photo and video content and targeted social ads for product launches and trade shows.
• Coded HTML and CSS for both client and internal newsletters and onboarding email sequences using Constant Contact.
• Developed full branding standards, logo, letterhead, business cards, targeted audience collateral, and a fundraising thermometer for Lives United: Music, Arts & Community, supporting $15,000 raised to restore a historic Hook & Hastings organ and $500,000 raised for music and visual arts programs.
• Designed and illustrated the poster, social campaign, Eventbrite page, and signage for Night at the Carnegie, a Fund for the Arts: NeXt Program event introducing the Carnegie Center for Art & History to 200+ guests.
• Own every stage of client work independently, from creative brief through final delivery, across print, digital, and web formats.
QSR Automations 2012 – 2024
Global leader in restaurant technology, serving solutions from kitchen display systems to table management, hardware.
Creative Designer 2013 – 2024
• Illustrated over 900 custom bird's-eye view restaurant illustrations for the ConnectSmart Host software across 700+ sites, for clients including Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, The Cheesecake Factory, and Cracker Barrel.
• Designed a cohesive system of 180+ buttons for touch screens and printed physical bump bars within the ConnectSmart Kitchen software, running on 60K+ installs worldwide in restaurants including Texas Roadhouse, Bubba's 33, and Dave's Hot Chicken.
• Built the intake process for incoming design requests from other departments, improving how customer expectation identification and cutting overall design revisions by 90%.
• Established the company's first licensed stock image library, in-house hardware photography, and font library.
Junior Creative Designer 2012 – 2013
• Produced brochures, spec sheets, hardware inserts, table tents, trade show booths, and digital ads for the ConnectSmart product family, coordinating directly with print vendors on color calibration, paper weight, and finishing.
• Created and accelerated the company's social media presence past 12K followers across platforms, producing photo and video content and targeted social ads for product launches and trade shows.
• Coded HTML and CSS for both client and internal newsletters and onboarding email sequences using Constant Contact.
Education & Certifications
Bachelor of Fine Arts – Visual Communication Design – Art Academy of Cincinnati
Non-degree Courses – Dynamic Web Development – Sullivan University
Non-degree Courses – Dynamic Web Development – Sullivan University