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I have operated Bob Paltrow Graphic Design in Bellingham WA since 1996, serving regional, national and international clientele with professional web design, graphic design, illustration, photography, branding & identity, copywriting, marketing (with a niche focus on music industry, arts and apparel) and promotions. I graduated cum laude from the University of Arizona in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts & Sciences degree with a Studio Art emphasis in graphic design and illustration. I minored in 20th Century Art History. I also have considerable academic and professional experience in painting, drawing, photography and sculpture. I also count myself lucky to have studied sculpture (figure modeling) one semester with sculptor Luis Jimenez, who greatly influenced me as an artist. In 1990 – during my senior year in college – my poster entry won a design competition to promote a year-long lecture series featuring social activist artists, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The U of A’s design program was rigorous in developing hands-on process, with an even greater emphasis on concept-driven design. A well-executed design should be preceded by a well-developed idea. That’s the foundation of my design philosophy and I try to bring that to all my projects for my clients. After graduating from the U of A, for the next two years I would work doing a variety of freelance work including children’s pop-up book production; pen and ink illustrations for public school math and science books; illustrations for field guides for Southwest Parks and Monuments Association; working as a typesetter for a weekly re-sale magazine; and was the principal in-house artist for a local coffeehouse chain in Tucson, AZ creating menus, ads, t-shirt designs, table tents, posters – the whole gamut. In 1992, I got a great job as the in-house designer for award-winning music label Soundings of the Planet in Tucson. It was at Soundings that I gained experience and insight into working with musicians — as well as the independent record label side of marketing and distribution. I was employed by Soundings for five years, designing dozens of cd covers and packaging, catalogs, posters, calendars, point-of-purchase displays, new release flyers, specialty promotions, bumper stickers and buttons – a lot of great, fun stuff. I had a fabulous assistant who is a great artist in his own right, Mykl Wells, and we were part of an 8 person marketing team. In 1994, that job would take me to Bellingham, WA where Soundings husband-and-wife founders Dean and Dudley Evenson had re-located their recording studio in 1989. I would begin my own business a couple of years later, but I continue to do most of their album cover art and design work, as well as designing and maintaining their website. It has been an 18-year collaboration with one client: awesome! Giving BackIn addition to my graphics art training, I have a great deal of experience working with groups of people, specifically to produce fund raisers and plan events for a variety of causes including domestic violence awareness, women’s issues, race issues (I host a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day open mike every year), local environmental issues, and preserving animal habitats. I have also emceed events on stage, so I have experience thinking on my feet while multi-tasking. I believe that my abilities and skills as an artist, designer and illustrator are greatly enhanced through multi-cultural and community immersion: you have to look inside and outside for inspiration. MusicMusic is also a big part of my life. I studied classical & jazz piano and music composition formally from the time I was 10 through my first year of college before switching up and dedicating myself academically and professionally to design. Music production, composition and performance are a big part of my personal life, and increasingly on a professional level. I front a rock band, The Patriots of Tomorrow, doing lead vocals, piano/keyboards and rhythm guitar, as well as composing all the music for the group. I also perform solo piano and vocals. In 2009, I worked with singer/songwriter and choreographer Sabrina Gomez, writing a couple of songs and helping to produce the musical score for an original work she produced throught the Blaine (WA) Performing Arts Center, titled “Esperanza.” I would like to do more musical scoring, audio design and music production in the future. I am continually composing and writing music – and I enjoy putting together mixes together and developing arrangements using Garageband and Digital Performer. I’ve self-produced several albums of original music including |
 Bob Paltrow Web Design and Graphic Design Some design/illustration highlights:
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