Cirquel Design is an archive of my freelance work from 1994–2008.
It is now The Brand Builder System with Virtuallinda.

Visit the new website here »

cirquel design & development llc
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Marketing Strategist & Designer  • Baltimore, MD

410.505.4186 • Contact Me

   
Objective

I am your creative & strategic partner to help you turn goals into action, bring your ideas to life & focus on effective, low-cost marketing strategies.

I work with with service-based entrepreneurs to end the cycle of ineffective marketing tactics following my mantra of “Simplify. Build. Profit. Repeat.”

   
Skills

STRATEGY

  • Business Planning
  • Marketing Strategies
  • Networking (Online & Offline)
  • Brainstorming
  • Feedback & Review
  • Sales Funnels
  • Productivity Tips

TECH

  • Do-It-Yourself Solutions
  • Tech Solutions & Setup
  • Tech Questions

DESIGN

  • Logos & Brand Identity
  • Websites
  • Business Cards
  • Marketing Materials
  • Social Media
  • Email Marketing
  • Promotional Graphics

TOOLBOX

  • Free Tips
  • Training
  • Resources
   
Experience

The Brand Builder System with Virtuallinda

www.virtuallinda.com
www.brandbuildertoolbox.com
2008–present

I work with service-based entrepreneurs to end the cycle of ineffective marketing tactics following my mantra of “Simplify. Build. Profit. Repeat.”

Build your business with less stress using my structured, yet flexible approach:
THE BRAND BUILDER SYSTEM.

Strategy, Brand identity, Websites, Marketing & More

I offer training & customized support to start & grow your service-based business. I can help you get you started AND help you transition into working with ideal clients…and I can create & implement a plan that works for you. Build your brand at a pace & budget that works for you!

DO-IT-YOURSELF

Get started with my budget-friendly toolbox to start & grow your business. Work at your own pace with free tips, training & resources.
www.brandbuildertoolbox.com

DONE-WITH-YOU

At any time, add on 1-on-1 support to accelerate your success & ease your stress. Transform your vision into reality & attract ideal clients with your marketing. Brand identity, websites, business cards & more.
www.virtuallinda.com

SERVICES INCLUDE:

  • Business & Marketing Strategy
  • Logos & Brand Identity
  • Websites (Landing pages, Weebly or WordPress)
  • Business Cards & Other Marketing Materials
  • Social Media
  • Email Marketing
  • Tech Solutions
  • And more...

Clients include Full Spectrum Productivity, Global Wave, The Marc Steiner Show, Kim Eisenberg Consulting, Most Powerful Life, and Abby Locke.

Workshop Facilitator & Speaker on Branding, Design & Marketing

www.virtuallinda.com/about/speaking
2010–present

Are you looking for an expert on branding, business strategy, marketing, social media or tech tools?

I am available for speaking engagements, workshops, webinars & teleseminars.

I am on a mission to help Startups, Solopreneurs, Coaches, Consultants and Business Owners embrace marketing and simple technology. I am a creative geek with a passion for helping people strategically reach their goals.

With humor and example stories, I will explain the “moving parts” of building your brand…the many technologies and websites that have to work in sync in order for a business to be successful. I will outline how to build a strategy with concepts such as branding, softer selling techniques and building relationships online.

Audience questions are highly encouraged to customize the presentation. Audience members will leave with ideas on how to better target audiences, leverage existing networks and be more efficient using technology.

SPEAKING TOPICS INCLUDE:

  • How To Create a Magnetic Marketing Message
  • How to Increase Profits by Defining Your Perfect Client/Customer
  • Reducing your Marketing Overwhelm & Increasing Your Profits
  • Online Marketing: Getting from Overwhelm to Action
  • Social Media Strategies for Successful Engagement and Community Building (Workshop)

All topics can be developed into a custom presentation or workshop for your specific needs.

PAST SPEAKING EVENTS & WORKSHOPS INCLUDE:

  • AGU Education and Public Outreach Workshops
  • Chesapeake Life Planning Network Meeting
  • National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) – Washington, DC
  • Women Entrepreneurs of Baltimore Business Owner Success Series
  • The Productive Business Owner Telesummit
  • WOAMTEC Confident Women Conference Tour
  • Morgan State University Graves Honors Program Guest Seminar

The Sun Today

www.thesuntoday.org
2010–present

I co-founded The Sun Today, one of the leading hubs on solar physics and space weather. My design and strategy helped build this community by blending education with excitement about the Sun. It reaches millions of people and the site is often quoted by reporters globally. Lessons learned from this project can be applied to YOUR passion to build your brand.

  • FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/thesuntoday (120K+ Likes)
  • YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/thesuntoday (1.9+ million views)
  • TWITTER: www.twitter.com/thesuntoday (5k+ followers)
  • PINTEREST: www.pinterest.com/thesuntoday (29.6K+ followers)
  • GOOGLE+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/101577035484910932773/posts (3.3+ million views)

Participated in social media strategy & execution for award-winning live NASA webcasts.


Social Media Works

2009–2011

An on-call team which offered a unique blend of consultation, services and training for Entrepreneurs. Clients relied on our expertise for both small projects and an entire web presences. Services included social media profile setup and WordPress blogs/websites. Training from Byte Sized Learning assisted teams in learning how to maintaining their social presence.

Linda Schenk (Virtuallinda) was the project lead. She has a unique blend of creative and technical knowledge. She works with people who are ready to begin a journey of embracing technology and learning how it can make their business run more smoothly…with a twist. She understands:

  • Social Media is complex, and it’s very easy to get overwhelmed and confused.
  • The how-to’s don’t matter if you are not clear on what you want to accomplish.
  • Most busy professionals don’t have a lot of time.

Social Media Works worked your team to understand your short- mid- and long term goals and scale your project to your budget and time frame. We recommenedd a project strategy to plan for your company's growth.


Byte Sized Learning

2009–2013

ONLINE TRAINING

Virtuallinda created online training to teach you big concepts in small chunks of time, at your desktop or on-the-go. This is was a unique format that every professional could use to increase his or her knowledge of social media quickly and effectively. The training topics covered were business strategy, networking, social media and blogging with WordPress.

  • On-demand and short format to fit into your busy schedule
  • Big concepts are broken down to eliminate info overload
  • Low-cost investment that won’t break your budget
  • Simple action steps will put your new knowledge into practice immediately
  • Printable workbooks to record your ideas
  • PDF handouts that are quick-to-read and will act as a reference library
  • Online videos will reinforce concepts as you listen and see what is being taught

STRATEGIC COACHING WITH VIRTUALLINDA

For more personal support, coaching was added to help get specific questions answered. The recorded phone sessions built on the online training.


Cirquel Design & Development

www.cirquel.com
1998–2010

     

Arthur Graphics, Inc.

www.arthurgraphics.com
2002–2005, 2008

Freelance Web and Graphic Designer

Services offered included strategic planning, usability evaluations, information architecture, branding and logo design, illustration, content (copywriting and editing), analytics and web metrics, and virtual assistance.

The aim was to design websites that are easy to navigate, pleasing to the eye, load as quickly as possible, target your intended audience, and meet key business goals.

Involved in all stages of production including branding, marketing, interaction design, HTML, graphic design, site launch and search engine submittals. Specialized in finding cost-effective solutions for clients such as PayPal and Blogger. Clients include: 

   
 • The Marc Steiner Show / Center for Emerging Media: www.centerforemergingmedia.org
Branding, Information architecture, design and development of a community & podcast website. Site built using Drupal to promo radio show, blogs, featured articles on a variety of topics. Content entered by client, then displayed based on template styling. Special promotional images for events & features. ECommerce donations uses PayPal.
   
 • Military Benefits Portal & Website
Redesign and coding of HTML templates. New flash elements to educate users on the various services available. Templates design to be used for other Military branches with minimal layout changes. Updated navigational elements so user does not feel “lost” in the site.
   
 • Fashion Community Website
Information architecture, design and front-end development of a community website featuring user profiles, fashion photo upload with rating system, "Add a friend", user comments, weekly video webisodes. Users created a "closet" consisting of their own and favorite items from other users. Design incorporated the site sponsor's look into parts of the website.
   
 • TalentPlanet: www.talentplanet.com
Full site development for a small business, which combines executive recruiting with coaching and organization development.  Also features tips from a bi-monthly KPIX news segment.  PHP code for rotating content and fly-out menus for easy navigation. Added Blogger to site for new book promotion. Podcast development in progress.
   
 • Heart Healthy for Life
Full site development of this community website featuring articles, video and audio content. Utilizes PHP, CSS and JavaScript to create multi-tiered navigation structure.  Member management system and payments processed via PayPal's subscription plan. Members-only pages are protected with username and password.
   
 • SFA, Inc & US Army / Primedia / HealthMark Multimedia:
Created various industrial and medical illustrations using Photoshop and Illustrator. Accuracy of graphics was very important. (Arthur Graphics)

The Berndt Group

Baltimore, MD
2005–2008
Web Production & Usability Specialist

 • Front-end programming of multiple websites using HTML, CSS, javascript, Flash-detect and SEO (search engine optimization) techniques. Sites used Dreamweaver templates, server-side includes and/or CMS template integration.
• Review of information architecture wireframes
 • Conducted on-site client training of Adobe Contribute and Dreamweaver. Wrote documentation for internal production and QA procedures.
 • Evangelist for usability and interdepartmental collaboration to streamline the development process.
 • Sites launched include The Berndt Group, University of Maryland School of Law, MapInfo,
AIPAC Extranet and Internet, Mercy Medical Center, Maryland China, Maryland SPCA, and
The Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital.

 

Engine Performance

Marketing Communications Talent Agency
Baltimore, MD
2005
Freelance Contractor

 • On-site freelancing at a variety of companies in Baltimore-DC Metropolitan area.
 • Projects included flash banner ads, marketing campaigns and product packaging.
 • Demonstrated ability to quickly adjust to unfamiliar working environments.

Passion Parties

Brisbane, CA
2001–2002
Marketing Manager
 • Designed the labeling and packaging for the entire Passion Parties product line.
 • Collaborated with executives, printer vendors and graphic designers.
 • Projects included order forms, product manuals, 12-page monthly magazine, conference collateral and branding guidelines.


Fatbrain

A Barnes & Noble.com Company
Online bookstore
Santa Clara, CA
1999–2001
Lead Creative Producer, UI
 • Responsible for designing and maintaining unified look and feel of entire web site using templates, storyboards, style guide and software training.
 • Worked as part of the User Interface Team to define end-user and product feature requirements.
 • Created flow charts, screenshots and interactive prototypes of products/features for use in usability testing, marketing and web production training.
 • Finalized design and HTML to resolve identified usability defects and to engender customer satisfaction.
 • Launched new web sites: Mightywords and Accenture Information Exchange.
 • Collaborated with departments including Production, Writing, Product Marketing, Program Management, Engineering and QA to evaluate, plan and execute company needs.

Senior Web Producer
 • Contributed to the creation and regular maintenance of HTML pages.
 • Created customized bookstores for partners including: Adobe, Cisco, Clarify, Lucent, Microsoft, Nortel Networks and Sun Microsystems.
 • Met schedules for both long-term development and multiple, daily deadlines.


Williams Learning Network

Multimedia Training Company  
Rockville, MD
1996–1999
Computer Graphic Artist
 • Designed interfaces for corporate web sites and training products.
 • Created 2D and 3D graphics for Web, CD-ROM, video and satellite broadcast.
 • Developed procedures to save the Production Department significant time and money.
 • Prioritized multiple projects and team assignments, never missing a deadline.
 • Participated in all stages of production process.
 • Received praise for eagerness to learn and attention to detail.


Imaging Research Center

Animation Research & Production Facility 
Baltimore, MD 
1994–1995 
Intern
 • Produced 3D animated graphic packages for clients using high-end equipment.
 • Gained knowledge of production house and team environment.
 • Trained on Wavefront with certified instructor.

   
Education

University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
Baltimore, MD
B.A. in Visual and Performing Arts, December 1994
Areas of Emphasis: Graphic Design & Computer Art

   
Details
 • Currently working independently through Cirquel Design.
 • View online portfolio: www.cirquel.com
 • References available upon request.

 

Cirquel Design & Development LLC  ::  Linda C. Schenk
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