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Michael Thomson
I have an insatiable desire to make the world a better and more beautiful place. I believe in bold iconic design that doesn't shy from using beautiful inspiring colours and unique crafted typography. I always endeavour to see things from the audience's point of view, in order to delight and reward them for their time and attention I always try to give them something un-expected in return.
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Show profile Hide profileW O R K E X P E R I E N C E
Art Director: Haas Collective (Cape Town ,RSA)
March 2012 - Present
For the past few years I have been working as part of a highly experienced creative team on wide range of clients, from insurance to retail, restaurants and entertainment. Working in this fast-paced industry has taught me to manage deadlines and work well under pressure. Conceptualising, designing and presenting advertising campaigns has also helped me develop a higher level of critical thinking and communication skills.
Freelance Graphic Designer: Independent (Cape Town, RSA)
February 2010 - March 2012
I have been involved in developing brand identities, stationary and packing for private clients, mostly small business start-ups. I was also responsible for the design and DTP for all marketing material for the Whisky Live Festival for 2012 (and 2013 at Haas).
Barista, Barman & Waiter: Greens Restaurant Group (Cape Town, RSA)
December 2006 - January 2010
I was trained and certified through Ciro Coffee as a barista and worked full time at Greens, eventually being promoted to Head Barista/Barman. I worked at all 3 locations of their restaurant franchise, training new barmen and ensuring a high standard of coffee throughout the business.
Landscaping Assistant: Vula Environmental Services (Cape Town, RSA)
May 2006 - October 2006
My role at Vula was to assist the landscaper in supervising the laborers and performing more complex tasks such as plant positioning, measuring and laying out plant beds, lawn areas and soil shaping. Our primary focus was environmental rehabilitation as well as managing large scale commercial landscaping projects.
Construction Laborer: Beck Interiors (London, UK)
June 2005 - February 2006
I worked on construction sites across London assisting tradesmen primarily with manual labor, as well as general site maintenance. I learned allot about hard work in this job, we would put in a minimum of 52 hours of hard graft per week sometimes with added overtime.
Customer Services Representative: Southern Electric (Portsmouth, UK)
March 2005 - May 2005
I was recruited out of high-school in South Africa to join an elite group of door to door salesmen in the UK. We were sent on an intensive 1 week training course on direct sales techniques, cold calling and resistance handling. This was a highly competitive environment, and gave me a solid practical understanding of sales theory.
E D U C A T I O N
Cape Peninsula University of Technology: Bachelor of Technology (B-Tech) Graphic Design.
2008 - 2011
Subjects: Communication Design; Design Techniques; English; Professional Practice; History of Design.Tutoring: In 3rd and 4th year of my studies I was employed part time by the university, as a digital tutor, to help fellow students with computer skills and understanding the design software. I organized and hosted group tutorials and assisted students on a 1-to-1 basis.
The College of Cape Town: National Senior Certificate in Art & Design, (Grade: 12)
2003-2004.
Subjects: Business English; Business Afrikaans; Computer Graphics; 3D Design;
2D Design.
W O R K E X P E R I E N C E
Art Director: Haas Collective (Cape Town ,RSA)
March 2012 - Present
For the past few years I have been working as part of a highly experienced creative team on wide range of clients, from insurance to retail, restaurants and entertainment. Working in this fast-paced industry has taught me to manage deadlines and work well under pressure. Conceptualising, designing and presenting advertising campaigns has also helped me develop a higher level of critical thinking and communication skills.
Freelance Graphic Designer: Independent (Cape Town, RSA)
February 2010 - March 2012
I have been involved in developing brand identities, stationary and packing for private clients, mostly small business start-ups. I was also responsible for the design and DTP for all marketing material for the Whisky Live Festival for 2012 (and 2013 at Haas).
Barista, Barman & Waiter: Greens Restaurant Group (Cape Town, RSA)
December 2006 - January 2010
I was trained and certified through Ciro Coffee as a barista and worked full time at Greens, eventually being promoted to Head Barista/Barman. I worked at all 3 locations of their restaurant franchise, training new barmen and ensuring a high standard of coffee throughout the business.
Landscaping Assistant: Vula Environmental Services (Cape Town, RSA)
May 2006 - October 2006
My role at Vula was to assist the landscaper in supervising the laborers and performing more complex tasks such as plant positioning, measuring and laying out plant beds, lawn areas and soil shaping. Our primary focus was environmental rehabilitation as well as managing large scale commercial landscaping projects.
Construction Laborer: Beck Interiors (London, UK)
June 2005 - February 2006
I worked on construction sites across London assisting tradesmen primarily with manual labor, as well as general site maintenance. I learned allot about hard work in this job, we would put in a minimum of 52 hours of hard graft per week sometimes with added overtime.
Customer Services Representative: Southern Electric (Portsmouth, UK)
March 2005 - May 2005
I was recruited out of high-school in South Africa to join an elite group of door to door salesmen in the UK. We were sent on an intensive 1 week training course on direct sales techniques, cold calling and resistance handling. This was a highly competitive environment, and gave me a solid practical understanding of sales theory.
E D U C A T I O N
Cape Peninsula University of Technology: Bachelor of Technology (B-Tech) Graphic Design.
2008 - 2011
Subjects: Communication Design; Design Techniques; English; Professional Practice; History of Design.Tutoring: In 3rd and 4th year of my studies I was employed part time by the university, as a digital tutor, to help fellow students with computer skills and understanding the design software. I organized and hosted group tutorials and assisted students on a 1-to-1 basis.
The College of Cape Town: National Senior Certificate in Art & Design, (Grade: 12)
2003-2004.
Subjects: Business English; Business Afrikaans; Computer Graphics; 3D Design;
2D Design.
