Byron A. Gronseth

Art Director / Interactive Designer

Seattle, WA, USA
byron@byrongronseth.com
http://byrongronseth.com
I am a visual artist and interactive designer. I've spent a lifetime designing, creating and building compelling experiences on behalf of globally recognized brands such as Toyota, Microsoft, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gilt Groupe, Porsche, Paul Gauguin Cruises, Windstar Cruises, Black Hat Events, Hartz and the World Economic Forum. The experience of discovery and exploration anchors the cornerstone of my work.

I bring to the table a keen eye for remarkably tailored visual layout & presentation, dramatic visual design, a categorical emphasis on typography, freehand & digital illustration and advanced photo manipulation. My friends and family consider me to be a genuine storyteller; I excel at both narrative form and creative writing. I also possess a naturally enthusiastic and excellent rapport with clients, both in solving problems and presenting ideas & creative work.
Artist Statement
In my own words // i believe that design is more than just a simple matter of visual orientation and sensibility. to me, it is a subtle and considered blend of idea generation, technical expertise, gut creative instinct and the ability to wield and manipulate language to communicate a message, thereby producing a powerful reaction. in short, i solve problems with the correct application of creativity, technique, intuition & storytelling. equally inspired by old world and hyper-modern aesthetics, my work indulges in visual duality, stress and clarity, and the balance of positive & negative forces. the stories i tell explore exact science and emotion, heroes and villains in all of us...
Notable Clients
Toyota, Microsoft, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Porsche, Windstar Cruises, Paul Gauguin Cruises, Gilt Groupe, Parallels, Hartz, World Economic Forum, and Black Hat Briefings & Training.
Relevant Work Experience
Seattle, WA, USA
May 2012 – Present
pop
Senior Designer
Crafting beautiful, compelling and imaginative experiences for global audiences.
Seattle, WA, USA
Oct 2010 – May 2012
Banyan Branch
Art Director
I am currently the Art Director at Banyan Branch, a social media marketing, interactive and analytics firm. For over a year and counting, I lead the creative design effort on everything interactive in the social space. As Art Director, I design and produce robust, user-focused websites and social media assets to inspire, entertain and encourage global audiences to engage with a diverse portfolio of Fortune 100 brands and organizations such as Microsoft, Amazon, Porsche, Hartz, Parallels and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Seattle, WA, USA
May 2009 – Sep 2010
Black Hat Briefings & Training
Senior Designer
I was the Senior Designer at Black Hat Briefings & Training, a security conference organization that hosts industry-leading deep technical events. I was responsible for maintaining the integrity of the Black Hat brand, strategic creative vision for Black Hat and all related products and services. I produced multi-tiered event experiential collateral, advertising, and on-site marketing materials, as well as design & maintain the Black Hat event websites.
San Antonio, TX, USA
2008 – 2009
Altair Technology
Senior Designer
Responsible for creative conceptualization, mockup and front end development of websites for local and national clients using HTML & CSS, some JavaScript then uploading into an ASP-based robust proprietary CMS (Altair Commerce Engine) with development team. Daily tasks include producing custom graphics, icons and illustrations, ongoing maintenance of over 50 active e-commerce and small business web sites and managing e-newsletters and some marketing collateral. I also was responsible for creating new logos and branding for a number of new clients.
San Antonio, TX, USA
2008
Drew/Walker Group
Art Director
Hired to design and launch Toyota Texas Visitor and Education Center at a local Tundra production campus in San Antonio. Led creative and production efforts with a 4-person team tasked to design and manage a permanent interactive exhibit for 10,000 sq ft of floor space, dedicated to giving visitors a true to life experience of the Toyota manufacturing plant in San Antonio, Texas. Myself and one other creative designed window clings, wall graphics, produced video, managed video and photo crew documenting the Toyota production facility. It was my personal responsibility to assure quality service, materials and production to complete the project for a global corporation. Day to day duties not involved with Toyota included design and art direction of advertising materials and web sites for regional and local clients.
San Antonio, TX, USA
2007 – 2008
Blue Star Contemporary Art Center
Graphic Designer and Print Production Manager
In this position I designed and produced monthly mail-out invitations and announcement cards either by outsourcing to local offset printers or by in-house print production using press-ready image processing, resource gathering and credits, and color management. I also produced advertisements for upcoming exhibitions and special events, most recently published in the international art magazine d’Art, the Texas quarterly ARTLIES magazine, C San Antonio magazine, and San Antonio Woman magazine.

My biggest success at Blue Star was managing a fully integrated advertising campaign for the Arts & Eats 2007 gala event, with original designs and completely original branding for 1500 attendees, including “Save the Date” cards, web presence, online ticket sales, ticket design, specialty invitations and large format signage.
San Antonio, TX, USA
2003 – 2007
US Air Force: AF Research Laboratory
Program Manager, Webmaster, Research Integration
Throughout the tenure of my active duty Air Force career, I had the opportunity to manage and produce Directed Energy Bioeffects division level multimedia solutions for public, internal, and inter-agency awareness and promotion, benefiting a 300 member joint service organization producing website design and creative multimedia communication solutions. I maintained public web and private intranet, web–based content management environments for Air Force Research Laboratory communication systems. Produced division public affairs video, research portrayal subsequently used by Directorate Chief in senior-level briefings in Washington DC, and across the country. Earned accolades for capturing Air Force Research Laboratory history and future vision with technology-oriented collage series of posters created for public viewing.
Press & Publications
"Observations of China's Interactive Climate" // from Banyan Branch [Social Media Blog]
http://banyanbranch.com/social-blog/chinas-interactive-climate/

"Fresh Faves: Byron Gronseth & a Re:Fresh Jess" // from Fresh Jess [Style Blog]
http://www.freshjess.com/2012/02/fresh-faves-byron-gronseth-refresh-jess.html

"First Class Mail" // from Seattle City Picks [Local Boutique Newsletter]
http://seattlepicks.com/newsletter/0201.php

"First Class Mail" pickup // from Portland City Picks [Local Boutique Newsletter]
http://portland.citypicksgroup.com/2011/04/22/first-class-mail

"Meet Byron A. Gronseth" // from Show & Tell, [Design Blog]
http://blog.allisonlehman.com/2010/02/meet-byron-a-gronseth/
Education
Athens, OH, USA
1999 – 2003
Ohio University
Management & Strategic Leadership
Officer training / Air Force ROTC
Skills
 
marketing strategy, interactive design, Art Directing, illustration, photo manipulation, print design, Branding and visual identity, Creative Writing, Creative Direction, signage, environment design
Projects