¡Saludos! Welcome to my portfolio.
Check back soon for a few examples of my recent work or visit my LinkedIn profile, the Sterilex website or Sterilex social channels (LinkedIn and YouTube are a great place to start) for my latest body of work.
I began my creative journey as an artist many years before earning a Master of Arts in Publications Design from the University of Baltimore and beginning my career as a designer in 2003. Today, I am an innovative, empathetic and respected Design leader with 20 years of success growing brands across diverse geographies and market verticals, driving engaging integrated marketing campaigns, and leading and developing the creative vision of purpose-driven, growth-oriented teams. Some of the highlights of my journey are shared below. If you are as passionate as I am about using your gifts to do good wherever you can and enjoy collaborating with like-minded creatives, reach out for a virtual coffee chat!
Governor's Office of Maryland (2003 – 2005)
For two years, I led design efforts within the Governor’s Office of Maryland, coordinating offices, and several state agencies as the Web and Graphic Design Coordinator. One of my first assignments was redesigning the Governor’s Web site. During this early phase of my career, I designed publications, logos, posters and interactive CDs, was a member of the State Web Branding Advisory Group and Interagency Design Team, managed intern and contract employees, and assisted the Office of Disabilities with hiring a webmaster.
VLA Designs (2005 – 2019)
Shortly after leaving the Governor's office to work for a small boutique design agency and invitation business, Valerie L Anderson Designs came to life in my cozy row home in Baltimore City, Maryland. For 15 years, the focus of my work was on creative strategy, creative direction and design for marketing and design agencies, corporate clients in the B2B and B2C spaces, non-profits and higher education institutions.
Services included: creative direction, corporate communication, logo and brand development, advertising, publication design, data visualization, marketing collateral, large format signage, Web interface design, copy writing, editing, photography
In-house Creative Direction (2018 – 2024)
From 2018 to 2024, I led a team of creatives at Sterilex, an award-winning biotech company in Hunt Valley, Maryland that focuses on keeping people and animals safe from harmful pathogens through innovative solutions for biofilm control. As the Creative Director, I oversaw the company brand and creative strategy and collaborated with the marketing team to promote products and services to a global market.
Career Highlights
Led the successful rebrand and launch of Sterilex’s Animal Health industry and product line resulting in a 300% increase in market segment revenue
Oversaw the research, selection, biz case presentation and implementation of Marketo Engage marketing automation platform expanding email nurture capabilities, improving digital platform connectivity and visibility (Wordpress, Salesforce, LinkedIn), generating valuable customer insights and improving lead generation and revenue pipeline
Set up workflows, conducted trainings and successfully migrated Sterilex marketing project management from Airtable to Wrike saving time, improving processes and streamlining corporate communication
Created and led digital marketing strategies and tactical plans that engaged and grew Sterilex social channels by >300% and boosted web traffic by >15% to >100% annually over 6 years
Collaborated with marketing colleagues on positioning, messaging and campaign strategy to generate successful lead-gen campaigns that contributed to annual corporate growth of 15-20% and >10% pipeline valuation
Facilitated design thinking workshops to hone and develop positioning, messaging, value proposition, personas, customer journey maps, customer needs statements and big ideas that elevated the customer’s needs, clarified our commercial strategy and resulted in team alignment
AIGA Baltimore Board Leadership (2017 – 2021)
One of the most gratifying experiences of the last decade was serving as a volunteer on the board of AIGA Baltimore, our local chapter of the professional association for design, a national nonprofit organization powered 100% by volunteers. As the President of AIGA Baltimore (2019-2021), I supported and guided a volunteer board of directors in our mission to lead as designers, create events that engage the creative community in meaningful discussions, provide a network of support and education for our design community and bring about positive social change through design. Prior to being elected chapter president, I served as Programming Chair ('17), Programming Director ('17–'18) and Vice President ('18–'19).
What Else Brings Me Joy
From mid-summer to fall, you will likely find me in my flower beds tending to my 55 dahlias. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of varieties. A dinnerplate variety named Break Out is pictured with me above. My love of dahlias began while recovering from lung surgery at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. Aside from allowing me to be more present for my family and pets (two parakeets, one Russian Blue cat and a super sweet Corgi), one of the best parts of working remotely has been taking mental health breaks to get my hands dirty, soak up the sun and enjoy the beauty of these magical and diverse flowers.
Head back over to my website about page to learn about places that stole my heart!