Portfolio
Crystal A. Stites
Education
University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, Interior Design Class of 2015 ·∙ Participating in the Professional Practice Co-‐op Program, alternating quarters of college study with quarters of work in the field of Interior Design Bowling Green State University ·∙ Earned 84 credits in Bachelor of Arts program
Achievements
·∙ Raised over $6,500 as a donation to Centerpoint Health in November 2011 ·∙ Awarded the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning’s Thomas B. Persons Scholarship for the 2011-‐2012 academic year ·∙ University of Cincinnati’s Dean’s List spring quarter 2011 ·∙ Procured one of three community murals in Lexington for the Southland Corridor ·∙ Secured $400,000 from members of Good Foods for an expansion project in 2007-‐2008 ·∙ Developed the public relations position at Good Foods in 2006 ·∙ Constructed the first Marketing Business Plan for Good Foods Co-‐op in 2004 ·∙ Created company brand for Good Foods Market & Café in 2004 and Good Foods Chapter 2 in 2005 ·∙ Hosted 300 attendees at the national Consumers Cooperative Marketing Association (CCMA) conference as a committee member representing Good Foods in June 2003
Professional Experience
Office Manager, Rise Consulting, June 2011-‐present, part-‐time while continuing education ·∙ Handling accounts receivables and payables in QuickBooks ·∙ Tracking employee job logs and payroll Body Care Buyer, Whole Foods, 2009 –2011, full-‐time while continuing education ·∙ Selected product mix to hit target margin ·∙ Maintained Store-‐Ops invoice paperwork ·∙ Merchandised body care displays and in-‐line sets ·∙ Assisted and educated customers on vitamins, herbs, and body care Marketing Manager, Good Foods Co-‐op, 2004-‐2009 ·∙ Responsible for all aspects of store brand, marketing, merchandising, and public relations ·∙ Planned and executed store events, co-‐op ownership, and community involvement ·∙ Created annual marketing business plan and marketing budget ·∙ Constructed and reviewed all educational and promotional materials; including brochures, print advertising, radio and television ads, website, in-‐store promotions, e-‐newsletters, owner reports, and in-‐store displays ·∙ Oversaw bi-‐annual owner drives and annual owner meeting
Front Office Assistant Manager, Good Foods Co-‐op, 1999-‐2004 ·∙ Oversaw all front-‐end operations, including cashier and customer service personnel ·∙ Scheduled and followed up on all classes and events ·∙ Maintained all co-‐op owner’s paperwork and records ·∙ Coded, entered, and filed invoices using Peachtree software ·∙ Maintained all staff time clock punches through Gold Suite software
Volunteer Experience
Committee Head, Vincinnati: Art Exploration, 2011 ·∙ Conceptualized and organized art fundraiser to raise money for suicide prevention Young Professionals Kitchen Cabinet, City of Cincinnati, 2009 ·∙ Served on the Health and Environmental Committee ·∙ Started the City of Cincinnati pilot program for bar recycling ·∙ Acted as main contact with Northside Tavern to collect data and assist with recycling logistics Board Member, The Southland Association, 2005-‐2009 ·∙ Coordinated press conferences with mayor as a groundbreaking for planting 110 trees on Southland Drive ·∙ Established a weekly bluegrass concert series which ran three seasons during service ·∙ Petitioned for and was granted a city bus route through the Southland Corridor ·∙ Served as committee chair for the LexArts community mural in the Southland Corridor ·∙ Participated on a team with members from CDP Engineers, WolfRun Water Shed, and the Bluegrass Rain Garden Alliance to select locations and install two commercial demonstration rain gardens in Lexington, KY
Interests
·∙ Pledged Member of Social Economic Environmental Design (SEED) Network ·∙ Preparing for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification for Commercial Interiors
Skills
·∙ Experienced with AutoCAD, Revit, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, SketchUp, EcoTect, Maya, Microsoft Office, and Quickbooks
References Available Upon Request
Good Foods As Marketing Manager at Good Foods I worked on an expansion and remodel project of both the market and café. I worked with Denham-Blythe’s Architects to match the store brand I created to the new interior design of the café. Images from the café are to the left. The landlord who owned the Good Foods shopping center asked for my input on the redesign of the shopping center façade. I gave feedback to the architect on the design and chose the colors for the exterior of the entire shopping center. Before is pictured to the left, and after is pictured above.
Residential To the far left is a nursery I designed based off the bedding and furniture selected by the client. I selected colors, picked out accents, refinished the dresser, painted, and provided finish details to the room. Above is a family room project that began as an open, unfinished basement. The basement was partitioned into three rooms and two were finished. Cork floors and eight wall colors were combined to create a vibrate and warm family room. To the left is an iteration of this room in a later apartment.
50% Volume Block This project required the design of a 12” x 12” x 12” cube with half the volume as voids, and two types of hardwood for the mass. Sapele and Red Oak were chosen for their contrasting colors and differences in grain. Push and pull of volumes was the premise for this composition. End grains were bookended to enhance the appearance of the distinct grain of the Red Oak.
100 = 1 Taking 100 of the same item, and no other form of stitch--the objective was to create a single object that looses the original unit. The inherent joint between clothespins proved challenging to create a strong union which holds form. I was able to manipulate two clothespins into a single unit creating a solid connection to create the final form above and near left. A previous iteration is pictured far left.
Emblematic Object Using balsa wood to create an object that captured the essence of a building was the objective for this project. Dieterle Vocal Arts Center on the University of Cincinnati’s campus was the study for this object. Capturing the focal point of the theatre and the wrapping hallways and classrooms was my goal for this emblematic object.
Wall Construct & Plaster Casting Many layers went into this group project. First, measuring and hand drafting the designated space from the grand stair in DAAP. Working as an individual team while verifying and matching to the adjoining teams measurements and resulting drafts. Two chipboard models at 1/8� = 1’ scale were constructed. One model was used to create a plaster casting of the void that defined the space. Then, a layered corrugate wall was designed to reflect the space. A MDF pedestal was constructed to display the plaster mold and incorporate into the wall. Finally, the wall had to additionally display the split chip board model of the space.
Taqueria Mercado Model In this exercise an interior space was selected to survey. This information was used to produce a floor plan, elevations, and a reflected ceiling plan in AutoCAD. From the AutoCAD plots a model was constructed using museum board, balsa wood, and acetate. To allow the viewer a better view of the ceiling detail in this space the ceiling lifted off the model. The beams, exterior walls, and central column were slotted together to create this feature. Interior lighting and color studies were then performed using the finished model.
Building Unit Constructions This was a section project involving 20 individuals. I served as Construction Manager on this project. These 5’ x 4’ x 3’ units were constructed using six varying rectangular boxes. Each box was built from a frame of pine with a combination joint that incorporated lap, mortise and tenon, and butt joints. Interior frames supported the recessed burlap interior faces which gave the unit transparency. The final unit was assembled by glueing the six boxes together. Ten units were constructed and multiple formations were constructed creating space that individuals could interact with. Joint detail pictured far bottom left, and individual unit is pictured above.
Hand Sketches
Ludlow Literary Center The Ludlow Literary Center was a quarter long project. It began with a small group case study of a local library. From this a site analysis for the literary center was performed. The site selected is the parking lot situated between Dewey’s Pizza and Skyline Chili on Ludlow Avenue near the University of Cincinnati. Each group then created a program based off some predetermined criteria. After a charrette we began individual design work.
Ludlow Literary Center Throughout the process floor plans were created by hand or in Revit; bouncing back and forth as needed to further the design development. Final drawings were a combination of Revit, hand drafting, hand rendering, and computer rendering in Photoshop; utilizing Illustrator and InDesign for layout. The design pattern to the left was derived from floor plans, section cuts, and elevations. It was used for apertures throughout the building and a push pull brick decorative detail that defined spaces by drawing attention to a focal point or point of gathering.
Finding ways to pull natural light into interior spaces pushed the design of the Ludlow Literary Center. Using planes in section and lines in plan defined the parameters for how light entered and how different spatial areas were defined. These lines developed into the decorative detail pictured on the previous page.
Ludlow Literary Center The building is constructed of structural brick exterior walls. Structural walls are left as exposed brick on the interior. Warm colors cover the walls, neural in most locations; but in areas of high activity accent walls of bold, deep colors are present. Furniture has a color combination of nude and turquoise, features contemporary design, and is covered in soft cozy materials to encourage community gathering.
The final model is pictured above, top right, and left. A center split and removable floors allow the viewer inside the space. Three previous iterations are pictured bottom right.
Ludlow Literary Center