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PETE NAWARA – Graphic and Web Designer

Email. hello@petenawara.com | Web. design.petenawara.com

PROFILE

I’m a graphic and web designer with a strong visual arts background, adept at the creation of stunning, but functional designs. I was internationally trained at Parson’s School of Design in Paris France and have been involved in the fine art, graphic design, illustration and web design fields for 5+ years.  My fine art and illustrative skills make it easy for me to bring illustrations to life in projects, from sketches to full realization.  Using traditional methods such as thumbnail sketches and concept drawings, as well as being an expert in both Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, I am able to produce intuitive and effective layouts for both print and web. I enjoy being a part of a team and am great at both receiving and lending advice in order to bring a project forward. I have a good understanding of development and am therefore great at working alongside developers.

SKILLS

Web Design, Graphic Design, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Flash), HAML, SASS, HTML, CSS, PHP, Javascript, Photography, Illustration, Painting, Drawing, Sculpture

EXPERIENCE

Graphic/web Designer — SkillRazor — Chicago, IL 2009
With SkillRazor, I’m in charge of print design and website design / architecture from a concept level to implementation of design. This includes building wireframes, creating comps in Adobe Illustrator / Photoshop, working in a Ruby on Rails environment and coding in HAML and SASS with a team of developers.
Lead Graphic/web Designer — Pelu Design — Chicago, IL 2009 – Present
Pelu Design is a freelance team consisting of myself and Luke Ratto. We’ve been responsible for customizing Wordpress installs to fit the needs of clients. This includes complete theme redesign, installation of appropriate plugins, and in some cases complete identity redesign. We’re currently building the PeluDesign.com portfolio.
Graphic/web Designer — iSavera — Chicago, IL 2008
Since I’ve started doing freelance work with iSavera, I’ve been responsible for creating compelling designs including concept, typography, unique design solutions and overall site architecture.
Graphic/web Designer — 4BIT Art & Music — London, England 2005-2008
While working with 4bit Art & Music, I was responsible for all web, and print design, as well as working with and updating the CMS to be user friendly for content implementation.
Graphic Designer — Uptownboogiedown — London, England 2008
Uptownboogiedown brought me on to do their identity design, web graphics, and all of their flyer and general print design. They also fly me out regularly to paint live at their monthly art and music event in the heart of London. www.uptownboogiedown.com
Graphic/web Designer — The Love Explosion — New York, NY 2008
The guys over at The Love Explosion asked me to take on their identity design, as well as a Wordpress install and a few updates. www.theloveexplosion.com
Graphic/web Designer — Cajual REcords — Chicago, IL 2007
The developers over at Cajual Records called me in to show them a couple different design flavors for their new website. I was responsible for designing several different mock ups for use with their custom CMS in Adobe CS. This included site layout and functionality concepts. www.cajual.com
Graphic/web Designer — Inersol Corp. — Chicago, IL 2007
Inersol Corp hired me to do their identity design and their web design. I was responsible for several design mock-ups in Adobe Illustrator and then implementing these designs into their already existing Joomla CMS using HTML and CSS. www.inersolcorp.com
Interactive Talent — Beverage & Food Group — Hilton Head Island, SC 2007
Beverage and Food Group hired me on to tour with their client as part of their Interactive Talent crew. I was brought on to paint large scale portraits live in the midst of rock concerts nation wide. These live paintings took place at 20 concerts nation wide with such artists as Citizen Cope, Keller Willams, Alice Smith, Rachel Yamagata, The Black Keys, Dinosaur Jr., The Black Angels, The Walkmen, and more. See www.petenawara.com for more information and images.

EXHIBITIONS

The Artist Project (Merchandise Mart, Chicago IL)
Exhibiting Artist – Group Exhibition – 2008
Elegant Mr. Gallery
Exhibiting Artist – Group Exhibition – 2007
A New Spirit of Progress – New York City
World Culture Open Gallery, 11 East 26th Street
Exhibiting Artist – Group Exhibition – 2007
Camel Signature Tour
Live Painting at 20 concerts across the United States
with Citizen Cope, Keller Williams, The Black Keys, Dinosaur Jr., and more. – 2007
Proud Gallery (Camden), London England
Exhibiting Artist – Group Exhibition – 2006
Waxaddict Gallery, Chicago IL
Exhibiting Artist – Group Exhibition – 2003 – 2006
Parsons Art and Design Show, Paris France
Exhibiting Artist – Group Exhibition – 2001 – 2005
Gallery B.O.B., Paris France
Exhibiting Artist – Group Exhibition – 2005
The Mirror Conspiracy, Paris France
Exhibiting Artist – Solo Exhibition – 2005
Past … Present … Future… , Paris France
Exhibiting Artist – Group Exhibition – 2004
Espace Commines, Paris France
Exhibiting Artist – Group Exhibition – 2004
Junior Fine Arts Show, Parsons Gallery, Paris France
Exhibiting Artist – Group Exhibition – 2003

EDUCATION

BFA – Parsons School of Design, Paris France
Fine Art – 2001 – 2005
Academy of Art College, San Francisco CA
Graphic Design – 1999 – 2001
Columbia College, Chicago IL
Graphic Design – 1998 – 1999

AWARDS RECEIVED

Art Interview 8th International Artist Competition
3rd Place (Online Competition) – 2007
Art For Progress
Honorable Mention (Online Competition) – 2007
Drench Art Awards
Winner (Online Competition) – 2006
Drench Art Awards
Runner Up (Gallery Competition) – 2006
Parsons Paris Grant
2003 – 2005
Parsons Paris Work-Study Opportunity
2003 – 2005

PUBLICATIONS

Three Peas “Video Interview: Pete Nawara” – 2009
Artisan “MTGB: Pete Nawara Paints” – Sharon Potsch – 2008
North by Northwestern “Conversing with Chicago artist Pete Nawara” – Lauren C. Ruth – 2008
Daily Herald “A Modern Take on Mary” -
By Molly Collins – 2008
Daily Candy Article “For Pete’s Sake” – 2008
Art Flock Interview “Interview: Pete Nawara” – 2007
Our Art Site Interview – 2007
Camel Smokes Article – 2007
Camel Smokes Video Interview – 2007