A bit more about me

I'm Brad Horton, an eco-conscious creative based in Milwaukee.

Overview

Over the years, I have developed a keen eye for detail and a talent for creating designs that are not only visually striking, but also effective in communicating ideas and messages. Whether I’m working with traditional media such as pencils and paints, or cutting-edge digital tools, I have the skills and expertise to bring any project to life.

In addition to my technical skills, I am also a highly creative and adaptable designer. I have the ability to think outside the box and come up with fresh, innovative ideas that will help your business stand out from the crowd. With over 15 years of experience, I am confident in my ability to deliver high-quality, effective designs that will help your business succeed.

I enjoy the prospect of solving difficult problems and digging to the root until the solution is found using a variety of tools. Each creative project has its own unique solution and I always enjoy the process of finding those answers even while learning new skills along the way. Art has the ability to say the quiet parts out loud so that change can happen or solve that whole elephant/rider thing I keep hearing about.

History

While I have been a freelance and in-house graphic designer for over 15 years, I probably got my start like many children of the 1990s immersed in comic books and animated shows like X-Men and Batman: The Animated Series. It was there that I discovered the power of visual storytelling. Comic book covers had to get you to buy them or to generate interest in the story of the month somehow. Over the years, I must have subconsciously mimicked that same tactic through my art and design work. Retrospectively, I was already figuring out marketing and brand development at age 8.

The passion for art and creating visuals led me to further my education at MIAD. After graduating with a BFA in Illustration, I began to work professionally as a graphic designer primarily in B2B marketing. There, things started to click. During that time I also taught myself the ins and outs of web design and development including HTML and CSS–which to me were simply digital brushes on a digital canvas. I was just as comfortable creating print collateral or copywriting as I was making digital content and websites – either collaborating in a team or solo.

Now

Fifteen years later, I’ve had the pleasure of being involved with creating catalogs, brochures, websites, trade show graphics, email campaigns, how-to videos, commercials, and other collateral that have quite literally helped to make millions of dollars.

Reach out if you’d like to talk about art, design, composting, starting an NFT collection, vegan recipes, sci-fi, figuring out how to appeal to the elephant or rider – I’m game.

Quick Stats

basic ingredients
goals

Skills

Graphic Design
Illustration
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe XD
Adobe Dreamweaver
HTML & CSS
Social Media
Elementor / Elementor Pro
User Experience Design
WordPress
WooCommerce
Mailchimp
JS/jQuery & PHP
Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Pardot
3D Studio Max / Solidworks

Experience

Art Director

The Prestwick Companies  |  Sussex, WI USA
Jan 2024 - Present

Overseeing a talented in-house marketing art team with five direct reports and three contractors, driving creative excellence and brand consistency across all visual campaigns.

Graphic Designer

The Prestwick Companies  |  Sussex, WI USA
Sep 2019 - Jan 2024

As lead graphic designer reporting to Marketing Director, bring marketing campaigns and objectives to life through proper layout visualization across print, email, social, and web, guiding fellow art team members for success through ideation, concepts, wireframing to completion.

Highlights

Creative / Marketing Manager

Jan 2016 - Sep 2019

Senior Graphic Design Specialist

Aug 2010 - Jan 2016

Graphic Designer

Landmark Studio, Ltd.  |  Muskego, WI
Sep 2006 - Aug 2010

Provided engaging design services to clients through graphic design, coding, copy writing, social media management, and video editing. Maintained up-to-date reports on market trends through consistent research and analysis.

Highlights

Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) — Illustration
Sep 2002 - May 2006

Additional studies in communication design and sequential art.