Thompson Rivers University - Open Learning
BDesign PLAR Digital Portfolio Submission
Contact
William Matthew Lazzarotto
1504 - 1003 Burnaby Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 4R7
Mobile: 604-803-5052
Email: mattlazzarotto@gmail.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mattlazzarotto
Statement of Competence
I, William Matthew Lazzarotto, am a seasoned creative professional with over fifteen years of experience delivering strategic visual communication and design solutions. My professional practice has provided me with a comprehensive, university-level understanding of both visual and interactive communications, which I have applied to leadership roles that required advanced project management, technical implementation, and strategic thinking.
My competence in Visual Communication and Print Design is demonstrated through my work leading complex projects from concept to completion. At the City of Surrey, I designed award-winning collateral for print, web, and social media, consistently delivering full campaign initiatives on time and on budget. This role, along with my freelance work, honed my skills in layout, typography, and image manipulation. At McElhanney, I have taken on a leadership role where I direct photo and video shoots, including drone footage and event coverage, which speaks to my capabilities in art direction and managing the entire visual asset creation process. My ability to manage projects is further evidenced by my implementation of a streamlined print production workflow at Absolute Results Productions, which significantly reduced project turnaround time and increased accuracy.
In Interactive Communications and Web Design, I have developed expertise in creating engaging digital assets and managing the systems that support them. While at Seon, I designed a wide range of digital materials including infographics, ebooks, and white papers that effectively communicated complex information and increased customer engagement. My proficiency extends to the strategic implementation of digital infrastructure; I have led projects to integrate new digital tools like Mailchimp and Canva at McElhanney and successfully managed the migration of an entire photo and video asset library to a new SharePoint platform. I also led the implementation of a digital asset management system for the City of Surrey. My recent "Intro to UX Design" coursework from Emily Carr University of Art and Design has further solidified my foundational knowledge in user experience and contemporary web practices.
My career has been a continuous process of learning and application. I have consistently moved beyond simple execution to lead strategic initiatives, develop and implement more efficient workflows, and manage complex projects that have a measurable impact. I possess the highly developed skill sets, professional knowledge, and analytical abilities of a Bachelor of Design graduate and am confident in my ability to meet and exceed the program's learning outcomes.
Statement of Professional Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
My professional experience has been a constant exercise in applying and refining my professional knowledge, technical skills, and analytical abilities to solve complex communication challenges and improve organizational processes.
Analytical & Strategic Abilities: My analytical abilities are most evident in my approach to diagnosing workflow inefficiencies and developing effective systems. At Absolute Results Productions, I analyzed the existing project lifecycle, which led me to propose and create a new print production coordinator position that streamlined the entire workflow. This ability to deconstruct a problem and implement a structural solution is a core competency. At McElhanney, my role involves developing comprehensive creative briefs, a task that requires a thorough analysis of project goals, target audience, and key deliverables to form a clear strategy. Similarly, at Seon, I developed a project intake and tracking procedure to manage requests from four different vertical market managers, demonstrating my ability to create order and efficiency in a multi-stakeholder environment.
Technical Knowledge & Application: I possess expert-level proficiency in industry-standard software and have a proven ability to lead the integration of new digital tools. My skills in the Adobe Creative Suite were essential at Seon for designing engaging digital assets, infographics, ebooks, and white papers that communicated complex information effectively. More than just a user, I am a technology leader. At McElhanney, I have spearheaded the integration of new platforms including Canva, Mentimeter, Mailchimp, and Clipchamp to enhance team-wide collaboration and creative output. My technical knowledge extends to infrastructure, having led both the implementation of a new digital asset management system at the City of Surrey and the critical migration of a photo and video library to a new SharePoint platform at McElhanney.
Professional Communication & Problem-Solving: A key component of my skill set is the ability to communicate complex information clearly and solve problems creatively. I have developed comprehensive training materials, including video tutorials and guides, to ensure organization-wide adoption of new tools and processes. This requires distilling technical information into easy-to-understand content. I am adept at cultivating strong professional relationships with marketing stakeholders and business support services to ensure seamless communication and alignment on project needs. These experiences have honed my ability to present design concepts, articulate strategic rationale, and advocate for effective solutions within a professional corporate environment.
Curriculum Vitae
Summary
As a seasoned creative professional, I specialize in developing and executing impactful projects that align with corporate standards. My expertise in digital and print media keeps me at the cutting edge of industry trends and technologies. I excel in managing multiple projects under tight deadlines and budgets, ensuring organizational efficiency and success. My strategic creativity and problem-solving skills enable me to tackle complex design and technical challenges effectively. Additionally, I implement and coordinate team systems, digital asset management libraries, and analysis, fostering collaboration and driving results.
Experience:
McElhanney - Graphic Designer & Team Systems Management
2023/08 - Present
Designs engaging communications (graphics) that effectively communicate information for the organization.
Leads and facilitates the updating and implementation of Marketing Communications team systems, including documentation, instructional videos, acquisitions, and updating the Marketing Resource system.
Conducts Lunch & Learn sessions, including a Movember Lunch & Learn interview with positive feedback from participants.
Developed a comprehensive Photo & Video SharePoint Library to support Marketing & Communications efforts, ensuring high-quality visual content for client presentations and projects.
Created a supporting ‘How to’ video to help users familiarize themselves with the new Photo & Video Library.
Strengthens relationships within internal teams, establishing Marketing & Communications as a trusted resource and fostering a collaborative work environment.
Transitioned to a full-time permanent employee.
Seon - Graphic Designer (Contract)
2022/05 - 2023/08 (1 year 4 months)
Designed digital assets, infographics, ebooks, white papers, and brochures.
Developed and implemented a project intake and tracking procedure.
City of Surrey - Graphic Designer
2014/07 - 2019/09 (5 years 3 months)
Designed award-winning collateral for print, social media, web, and internal communications.
Led and implemented a digital asset management system.
Absolute Results - Graphic Designer + Print Production Coordinator + Account Manager
2011/09 - 2014/01 (2 years 5 months)
Implemented a streamlined workflow and provided strategic improvements for cloud-based project management tools.
Ultra Digital Printing - Print Prepress Graphic Designer
2010/03 - 2010/12 (10 months)
Developed skills for print production in the marketing communications industry.
Education:
(In progress) Bachelor's Degree in Design, Thompson Rivers University (2023/01 - Present)
Intro to UX Design, Emily Carr University of Art and Design (2024/01 - 2024/04)
PHTG 1015 Professional Business Practices, Langara College (2017/09 - 2017/12)
Certificate in Digital Graphic Design, Vancouver Community College (2008/09 - 2009/05)
Awards and Honors:
2021 UN Climate Change – British High Commission Ottawa; 2021/04
26th Annual Communicator Award of Distinction – City of Surrey; 2020
2019 MARCOM Gold & Platinum Award – City of Surrey; 2019/10
2012 Event of the Year – Tourism Langley – CVEMS; 2013/02
2010/2011/2012 Outstanding Graphic Design – Langley Players Theatre;
2009 Brenda Barber Memorial Award – Vancouver Community College; 2009/06
Professional Qualifications and Memberships
(In progress) Bachelors of Design from Thompson Rivers University.
RGD Canada Member - Affiliate (in the works)
Certificate in Digital Graphic Design from Vancouver Community College.
Professional Cook Training Level 1 & 2 from Selkirk Community College.
Certifications: Learning Art Direction (LinkedIn), Creativity: Generate Ideas in Greater Quantity and Quality (LinkedIn), Actsafe's COVID-19 Safety Procedures Course, MPPIA Motion Picture Industry Orientation 2019, Pilot Certificate – Basic Operations Transport Canada 2023/12.
Industry-Related Short Courses
Emily Carr University of Art and Design: Intro to UX Design (2024/01 - 2024/04)
Langara College: PHTG 1015 Professional Business Practices (2017/09 - 2017/12)
LinkedIn Learning: Learning Art Direction, and Creativity: Generate Ideas in Greater Quantity and Quality
Actsafe's: COVID-19 Safety Procedures Course
MPPIA: Motion Picture Industry Orientation 2019 Online Exam
Professional References
Reference #1 Name;
Title, Company, Contact InformationReference #2 Name;
Title, Company, Contact Information
Software & Production Tools
Adobe Creative Cloud: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, Acrobat, Bridge, Premier Pro and Rush, After Effects, Express, Beta apps, Express, Camera RAW.
Web Design Tools: CSS, HTML, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe XD, Figma, WordPress, Squarespace, SharePoint.
Digital Asset Management: Implementation and coordination of digital asset management systems.
Project Management Tools: Experience with cloud-based project management tools and workflow optimization.
Other tools: Canva, MailChimp, Mentimeter, Miro, Microsoft 365 suite (PPT, Outlook, Word, Excel, POWER Bi, Clipchamp, Forms).