BLACKWELL HIRD
714 Bellevue Place, Pueblo CO, 81004.
EDUCATION:
2001 - Graduated North Country School, Lake Placid, NY
2004 - Graduated Williston Academy, Easthampton, MA
2007 – Pratt Institute, Bachelor of Industrial Design
2011 – Vancouver Film School, Vancouver, Canada – Honors Game Design/Narrative Design,
School Award in Machinima
SPECIALTIES
Product Design Development, Game Design and Development, Graphic Design, Funding Development, Team and Project Management, and Consultant Designer for small independent projects
BACKGROUND
Blackwell Hird is a designer with 13 years product design experience. Seven of those years as a senior product developer in the fast-changing board game industry with demonstrated success in creative problem-solving for startup companies. I am a problem solver. Seriously. Give me a problem and watch me run with it. Right now, this is being fully realized in the production and innovation of strategy board games. I have the ability to focus on core design challenges and devise practical solutions.
SKILLS
Fluency in 3D printing software and prototyping, InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe
Premier, Microsoft Office, CO2 Laser cutting
SELECTED VITAE
2019 - Present
I developed a strategy for maximizing presales within the Kickstarter platform. I used Kickstarter as an industry disruptor by delivering continuous incentives to keep consumers coming back for more during the campaign timeline, thus making the buyer experience more exciting and engaging. Each of my promotions exceeded its targeted amount.
2017-18
I directed a team of seven to create the visual formatting and design of their new game, Medieval including their playing manual, cards and counters requiring significant expertise in the fundamentals of how user-centric designs work together to create a unified aesthetic.
I worked independently to create systemic designs with an extremely flexible layout style that could quickly distinguish between 10 different types of cards, communicate the game’s ancient world setting, be adjustable to any image composition or text length, and cleanly communicate important information.
2013 - Present
PRODUCER AND PRODUCT DEVELOPER, LOCK 'N LOAD PUBLISHING
I’m in charge of developing the company’s propriety games as well as finding and developing new assets and new branding strategies. My proficiencies include in layout design, graphic design, project management, marketing and social media ad design, creative writing, game design and development, as well as in-house team management. I am also the point of contact coordinator for all external domestic and international contract services for off-site fabrication.
2016 - 2012
I designed 8 unique Plexiglas display boxes for free-standing and wall mounted artwork within artist-defined technical and host venue specifications. Additionally, I created miniature 3-Dimensional interactive stage set prototypes responsive to viewer testing sessions and requiring meticulous attention to visual details.
March 2017 - 2018
INDEPENDENT LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND LAYOUT ARTIST, HGN GAMES
I worked with a team of seven to create the visual formatting and design of their new game, Medieval including their playing manual, cards and counters.
March 2017 - 2018
INDEPENDENT GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND LAYOUT ARTIST, GMT GAMES
I worked with a team of 10 to create the visual formatting and design of the playing cards in, Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea.
2008 - 2009
CREATIVE CONSULTANT, STARLIGHT RUNNER LLC
I was a freelance writer on the film, Prince Of Persia. I worked with editors to create and describe the magical elements to be used in the film’s script bible.
2008 - 2011
PROP DESIGN, MCCONNEL AND BURROW PROP ART
I worked on a large team to create highly detailed physical props for film, television and advertising. We made unique objects such as a 3-dimensional version of an Escher drawing for Scholastic, small blue robots for the Jetblue Travel Magazine, and a small-scale version of the White House interior.
2008
LEAD STORYBOARD ARTIST / CREATIVE CONSULTANT, LIONSGATE FILMS
I was responsible for designing scene progression and special effect camera rigs the feature film, Perkins 14, shot in Romania.
Downtime:
My beloved Ford Mustang
Hiking in the Rockies
Re-discovering and exploring old Colorado mining towns
Martial Arts
Swordplay