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David Willson Male
Jupiter, FL
United States

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David Willson

Illustrators beware. India is poised to take over the art market too.

They are not only outsourcing magazine production to India, but illustrations too!

Posted on December 3, 2008 at 11:27am —

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David Willson: Editor, writer, art director and illustrator

The Holidays... when stress is often our biggest motivator

The Holidays are a time we all look forward to, aren't they? Well, they do bring their own particular set of anxieties. Among these, what will we tell family when they ask what gift we would like? How will we cope with the incessant deadlines and social obligations? How do we stay true to ourselves and enjoy what should be a fulfilling time in the midst of all the hype? And as an art directors or editors, how do we tap into these particularly strong emotional undercurrents to reach our audience in a motivational way, yet keep it positive?

Such was the goal at Soap Opera Magazine when I designed and illustrated an ad for its Holiday Subscription Drive. Mom ... the center of all holiday stress ... deserves something special, said the ad ... a magazine she could relax with every week of the coming year.

Do you want to reach your holiday audience in a memorable way AND put a smile on their face? How about a holiday cartoon or illustration that actually enhances your editorial or advertising message, rather than the usual stock imagery? E-mail me ... I'm available.

I'm a designer, illustrator, editorial cartoonist, writer and I've even done a stint as the editor-in-chief of a magazine. I have the background and experience to take a concept to its fullest. Let me know how I can help you. Download sample (pdf) magazine feature articles I have written here. View more of my illustrations, editorial cartoons and designs in my Image slideshow.

Profile Information

Title:
Designer, Writer, Illustrator, Cartoonist
Company:
David Willson Design
Company Website:
http://homepage.mac.com/dwillson
Media Type:
Publishing, Newspaper
Media Realm:
Consumer Media, Business Media, Associations, City & Regional, Niche/Enthusiast, Creative Agency
Home Region:
South
Past Companies & Brands
American Media Inc.
Soap Opera Magazine
Country Weekly Magazine
Weekly World News
Startling Detective
Detective Cases
NewsMax.com
ValueRich magazine
The Corporate Real Estate Executive
Perspectives
I'm Looking For:
Networking, Business Partners, Jobs, Inspiration
Professional Background: (Resume)
• Editor/Writer: Senior editor and writer with specialties in publications launch and redesign
• Creative Director: Advertising campaigns and corporate identity design, art direction, graphic design, photo retouching, illustration (traditional or computer) and editorial cartooning.
• Expert in: Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, InDesign (CS3), Quark, Painter, Microsoft Word. I illustrate and retouch using a WACOM tablet stylus.
• Management: Mac technology, project and staff leadership, photo direction, prepress, press check.
• Additional skills: public speaking and presentation.

Work Experience
9/2003 to 1/2008: ValueRich Magazine - West Palm Beach, Florida
I launched, and was editor-in-chief of a nationally distributed Wall Street financial magazine.

9/2000 - 7/2001: NewsMax - West Palm Beach, Florida
Hired under contract to redesign the newsletter of a political website as a news magazine for general distribution and rack sales.

2/2000 - 7/2000: American Media Inc. – Boca Raton, FL
Art Director for six crime magazine titles acquired in the purchase of Globe Communications.

9/1993 - 2/2000: NACORE International - West Palm Beach
Creative Director for the International Association of Corporate Real Estate Executives (NACORE). Art director of the Corporate Real Estate Executive magazine. Creative director of association web site; collateral and marketing design for tradeshows, brochures, advertisements and signage.

3/1992 – Present: Palm Beach Daily News - Palm Beach, Florida
Editorial cartoonist for the Palm Beach Daily News. I have received three annual “Excellence in Editorial Cartooning” awards from the Florida Press Club.

8/1991 - 9/1993: American Media Inc. (AMI) - Lantana, FL
Design editor for weekly fan magazines including Soap Opera Magazine and Country Weekly. Part of the start-up team that developed a prototype all-digital production path that was later implemented throughout all AMI owned operations.

6/1985 - 8/1991: David Willson's Artmasters, Inc. - Jupiter, FL
Founder, President and Creative Director of a full-service advertising design studio.

Prior to 1985
Various positions as creative director, agency art director, technical illustrator, photo technician, textile design artist, freelance designer and illustrator.

Awards and Career Highlights
• My design work for NACORE International's Executive magazine received recognition and awards from these organizations:
- American Society of Business Press Editors, Excellence - Publication Redesign
- American Society of Association Executives
- Association Trends
- Florida Magazine Association, Charlie Awards
- Communication Concepts, APEX Award for Excellence
- Publishing & Production Executive and Printing Impressions, Gold Ink Awards
- Printing Industries of America, excellence in 4-color magazine
• Author of articles on the early history of the Palm Beaches for local books and newspapers.
• City of West Palm Beach Centennial Celebration logo design, 1993
• Currator: exhibition of historical photographs and illustrations from the 1880's for the West Palm Beach Centennial, 1993.
• Numerous Addy Awards in both Palm Beach and Broward County competitions
• Two Bronze Awards for Newspaper and Magazine Advertisement, 28th Annual International Hotel Sales & Marketing Association's Advertising Awards.

Community
• Twice past-president Rotary Club of West Palm Beach — Sunrise
• Twice past-president The Lake Worth Pioneers’ Association
• Public speaker on historical Palm Beach County
Personal Interests
Books, music, fine art, illustration, Web, design, writing, guitar, cartooning, opinion
Education:
East Carolina University, Commercial art major with a minor in painting. Managing editor of The Fountainhead student news and Vice President of Sigma Chi Delta fraternity.
Other Web Profile or Personal Web Site
http://homepage.mac.com/dwillson
My LinkedIn
My Facebook
Other Web Profile URL or Personal Web Site
http://synonumb.blogspot.com/
Relationship Status:
Married

Comment Wall (7 comments)

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At 5:24pm on September 10, 2008, Bob Andelman said…
David,
That must be one big damn mailbox!
Bob
At 7:00pm on September 9, 2008, Bob Andelman said…
The Nemo collection looks awesome! We saw the "Masters" exhibition in Milwaukee and the original pages were amazing.
At 12:06pm on August 25, 2008, Cable Neuhaus said…
Good seeing you -- and your wife -- in Orlando at the FMAs.
At 10:43am on August 22, 2008, Melis said…
Hi David, I hope all is well at FMA! Hopefully you were able to say hi to Cyndy or Brian at our booth. Have a great day. ~ Melis
At 11:34am on August 8, 2008, Vincent Hunt said…
Good to meet you David!! Awesome works!
At 9:02am on June 13, 2008, Christina Wood said…
I haven't had much luck with things like the FMA but would be willing to give it another try if there's an event that you think just cries out for a freelance writer. Happy Friday!
At 1:58pm on June 10, 2008, Christina Wood said…
Greetings from South County, David. I'm down in Delray Beach.

Latest Activity

David Willson added the blog post 'Illustrators beware. India is poised to take over the art market too.'8 hours ago
David Willson's profile changed 8 hours ago
David Willson replied to the discussion How has your art role changed? 1 day ago
 
 

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