Experience

5/2010 – present

Creative Director & Design Strategist
Patricia Gortari Design

Working alongside strategists, writers, and developers, I elevate the work of agencies and businesses by contributing a fresh, creative perspective that ties thoughtful brand strategy with meaningful, beautiful, and functional design.

9/2018 – present

Household CEO & Mama Werewolf
Gortari Family

As the pulse of the Gortari home, I never miss a beat. I function as our family’s Head Chef & Nutritionist, Director of Arts & Crafts, Housekeeper, Travel Planner, Personal Chauffeur, Conflict De-escalation Specialist, Appointment Scheduler, Child Care Provider, Education & Activity Coordinator, and Wellness Coach.

1/2020 – 5/2020

Creative Director
August United

I directed conceptual and creative strategy for brands including Dial, Persil, Borax, and Food Club. I facilitated collaborative workshops in order to rebuild the team’s creative processes with a focus on generating efficiencies and reducing the stress of rework.

7/2016 – 1/2020

Founder & Event Designer
Board & Fireside

Fueled by curiosity, I founded Board & Fireside with a mission. How might I take the robust strategic visual branding toolkit I’d used with clients to reinvent their brands and apply it to event design? With a desire to reawaken and enrich live event experiences, I set out to assist event planners with conceptualizing, designing, and producing uniquely hand-crafted and meaningful social events. I worked with clients to define the overarching vision for their event, providing creative direction, designing mood boards, handcrafting and sourcing custom design elements, curating the best vendors, and styling aesthetic details.

6/2017 – 9/2018

Donor Events Coordinator
Desert Botanical Garden

I worked with the Garden’s Patrons Circle Committee to conceptualize, design, plan, manage, and execute meaningful special events with the purpose of heightening understanding, appreciation, loyalty and connection to the Garden’s mission and its impact on the community. In this role, I presented event concepts, developed visual themes, sourced materials, tracked budgets and reservations, coordinated with vendors and team members, and executed events.  

2/2013 – 12/2016

Senior Art Director
Sitewire

I lead the agency’s digital design and visual brand strategy practices while managing a team of talented visual designers and creative strategists. My responsibilities included sculpting our approach to UI/UX design and visual brand strategy, developing methods for collaboration with internal teams, formalizing offerings and pitching for business development, writing and reviewing proposals and scopes of work, presenting creative work to clients, explaining design decisions, winning approval, and acting as the champion of digital design best practices. 

I also facilitated collaborative workshops with clients including: goal alignment and prioritization of needs, brand value and style keyword card sorts, empathy mapping, brainstorming and ideation, user story maps, core modeling, sketching and wire frames.

I designed things like: interactive wire frames, mood boards, creative concepts, responsive websites, style guides, icons and illustrations, still photography, and brand expression books.

Early Career

10/2012 – 2/2013
Art Director
Switch Studio

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1/2008 – 10/2012
Design Director
Splinter Creative

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7/2006 – 12/2007
Graphic Designer & Administrative Manager
Everyone Loves Buttons

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1/2006 – 5/2006
Design Intern
Studio A at the University of Arizona

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8/2005 – 12/2005
Editorial Intern
Madden Media

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8/2005 – 12/2005
Editorial Illustrator
Arizona Daily Wildcat