Creative Agencies

Art Director/Lead Graphic Designer/Separator

Creative & Design

I have made my professional living as an Artist for over 23 years. I have worked for some great companies with some great Artists and for some great clients. I have been a part
of some very successful Art Departments and I have a very diverse background. I have worked with some of the top companies in the world and have been fortunate to have worked
for as many as I have. I believe my experience is one of my strengths. I have done everything from Print Design and Magazine ads, to Web Design and Multimedia Design, to Logo
and Brand Development as well as all kinds of Digital Illustration. All of these experiences have made me a well balanced Artist and person. I have learned valuable lessons with each new
challenge. Being a part of many companies, I have seen what works and I have seen what has not. Allowing me to grow and apply these lessons in my everyday position as an Artist
and Art Director.


Some of my personal strengths I believe are:

Creativity and Talent - I have been interested in art from and early age. I always excelled in school in art projects and creative thinking and later on in art classes and
art competitions. I believe my involvement in sports only stregthened my competitive nature in art. I have crafted my abilities and made the most of
my passion and I enjoy the path I have chosen. I believe in my skill and talent and have worked hard to always push myself to grow to be the best artist I can be.


Passion - I love Art and being able to be Creative. I enjoy all kinds of art and I draw influence from many different mediums. My passion drives me to be better,
even after all these years. I want to be good at what I do and I want people to see that when they see something I design. It's always fuels my creative fire.


Self Motivated - I understand that there are many personalities in the workplace. I love to learn new things and to be challenged - a determined personality and always
striving to be the best I can be. I want every project I do to be the very best it can be because that piece of art not only has the company name attached to it, but also my own.


Strive to be Successful - My Goals - Constantly nourish and develop my creative side. That doesn't just mean hone your skills in particular software or become great at
r ecognizing pantone swatches. It means think about what makes people love the way things look to them. It's more than just making something look good, it's about making
it look right for the selected audience. Aesthtics are essential and cannot always be explained.

Good Peripheral Vision - It's one thing to specialize in a certain area of the industry and certainly knowing your subject inside out is essential, but maintaining good peripheral
vision is a must too. Even though I often have to produce for certain clientel and focus on a particular subject matter, I still follow what's going on in branding and advertising,
and indeed the wider creative world.

My involvement and ability to excell in sports has definitely transistioned seamlessly into my career as an artist and Art director. I was chosen for many all-star teams and

was chosen as the M.V.P. many times. My success and experience in sports has allowed me to be a better leader and better team player in the work environment. I understand

the importance of knowing your teammates and understanding what motivates each individual. I have been the Art director of as many as 15 and as little as 2. The approach is the

same, lead by example and understand that the artist spend more time at work than they do at home. Therefore, it is very important that each one is shown appreciation for the job

they do and the unique abilities that they have are utilized and acknowledged.
GRAPHIC DESIGNS
POSTERS/ADS
AWARD WINNING SEPARATIONS

Design and Separate Apparel for a variety of licensed companies that include Disney, Marvel, Mack Truck, Duck Dynasty,
Self-motivated Professional	Margarittaville, Ron Jon, Cabela's etc. Maintained accurate specs, adhering to print and art specification standards.
Strong Design Sense	Directed graphic artists/separators with approach and execution that met the high standards of our clients. Designed
unique print materials, including advertisements, brochures and logo designs. Contributed ideas during strategic and Digital Illustration	conceptual brainstorming sessions. Also worked with production floor to ensure consistency and quality.

Trend and Emerging Brand Awareness
Create and modify art for print production/screen-printing for NASCAR Photograph/Edit photos for catalogs/website.
Apparel Styling Techniques	Create/Edit layouts for fashion apparel catalogs. Work closely with other artists, sales department, printers, and color separations department. Review and critique projects to maintain a consistently high standard of creative quality.
Vendor Relations	My position is as a leader in the Art Department and I have worked for Nascar for 21 years. Constantly striving to create
better and fresher art for the NASCAR fan for our wholesale and Trackside customers. Also helping to create systems
Applied Styling Techniques	and processes to streamline the creative direction and work flow of the art department. I also worked directly with screenprint facilities to assit with the quality of the end product.

Senior Graphic Designer/Illustrator/Separator

Fabrics Construction	Create and design apparel for a variety of licensed companies that include West Coast Choppers, American Choppers,
Ford, Dodge, Chevy, International, Foose Designs, Louisville Slugger. Responsible for creative art and quick turn
Creative Leader	separations. I was often asked to work on separations that required a print that matched the comp and required a quick
turn around. I worked with a staff of 10 artists and was often utilized as artists with many concepts. If someone needed
a "catchy phrase", then I was their man. As a group, our art department often met to discuss concepts and execution.
As a result, we produce high quality work with a quick turn-around.

Expert Knowledge of Separations

Played second base and stole some bases before being traded to the Canton Crocodiles in the summer of '96.
Expert Knowledge - Photoshop/Illustrator

Professional Baseball Player

Kirk Huffman is an Art Director/Lead Graphic Designer/Separator at Castle Shirt Company in Salisbury, NC.

Kirk Huffman

Kirk Huffman

Skills

Interests

Industries

Education history

Wingate University