Art Director· Designer · Visual Artist · Illustrator · Photographer
Visual artist and Art Director with 20+ years of experience across art direction, graphic and web design, editorial, branding, illustration and photography. Known for intuitive problem-solving, a highly developed visual eye, and the ability to translate ideas and brand identities into thoughtful, distinctive visual work.
An artist at heart, I approach each project with curiosity, strong conceptual thinking and close attention to composition, typography, imagery, color and detail. I work comfortably across disciplines—from developing a visual identity and directing photography to designing a 56-page magazine, illustrating a book or shaping a digital experience.
Highly productive, organized and collaborative, with the ability to work independently, move quickly and carry projects from initial concept through refinement and final production.
EXPERIENCE
FREELANCE ART DIRECTOR, DESIGNER, PHOTOGRAPHER & ILLUSTRATOR
Los Angeles, CA · 2013–Present
Provide creative direction and design for clients across luxury jewelry, beauty, wellness, arts, entertainment, nonprofit and lifestyle industries.
Develop brand identities, visual systems, websites, editorial publications, print collateral, campaigns and digital experiences from concept through final production
Art direct photography and create original photography, illustration and visual assets
Design editorial publications, including the 56-page In-Room Magazine for Esalen Institute
Develop creative concepts and present customized, multi-option design solutions based on each client’s goals and audience
Collaborate with clients, writers, photographers, developers, marketing teams and other creative partners
Lead projects independently while managing multiple priorities, deadlines and production details
Recent work includes brand identity and website redesign for Elaine Chong Designs, editorial design for Esalen Institute, and photography, print and communications work for Valley Community Healthcare
BROKEN ENGLISH
Designer / Website Manager · Los Angeles, CA · 2023–2024
Led design and visual management across the Shopify website, email marketing and social media for a luxury jewelry retailer.
Redesigned and developed website pages, editorial/press content and digital experiences
Designed email templates and managed the transition to a new email platform
Worked closely with jewelry designers, photographers and marketing teams to optimize imagery and presentation across digital channels
Managed Photoshop production, including color correction, background removal and image preparation
Collaborated with an outside development agency to implement design improvements and best practices
Contributed to significant growth in online sales, including a 170% increase in December 2023 compared with December 2022
OUTLOOK AMUSEMENTS
Designer / Website Manager · Los Angeles, CA · 2006-2013
Led design and visual management across the Shopify website, email marketing and social media for a luxury jewelry retailer.
Redesigned and developed website pages, editorial/press content and digital experiences
Designed email templates and managed the transition to a new email platform
Worked closely with jewelry designers, photographers and marketing teams to optimize imagery and presentation across digital channels
Managed Photoshop production, including color correction, background removal and image preparation
Collaborated with an outside development agency to implement design improvements and best practices
Contributed to significant growth in online sales, including a 170% increase in December 2023 compared with December 2022
EARLIER EXPERIENCE
YAHOO — Designer, User Experience · Sunnyvale, CA · 2000–2002
Designed visual experiences for Yahoo Shopping, including merchant product pages, promotions, advertising and UI prototypes. Worked within established brand systems while developing new visual solutions and hand-coded HTML.
Citysearch — Web Designer · 2005–2006
Mezi Media — Web Designer · 2003–2005
SELECTED EDITORIAL & PRINT WORK
Esalen Institute — In-Room Magazine
56-page editorial publication; art direction, design, typography, imagery and production
Valley Community Healthcare — Annual Report
Editorial design, information hierarchy and print production
Five Self-Published Children's Books
Written, illustrated and designed from concept through final production
CORE EXPERTISE
Art Direction
Creative Direction · Visual Concept Development · Editorial Design · Brand Identity · Art Direction · Visual Storytelling
Design
Graphic Design · Typography · Layout · Print Design · Publication Design · Digital Design · Web Design · Information Graphics
Image Making
Photography · Illustration · Art Direction for Photography · Image Selection · Photo Retouching · Color Correction
Brand & Creative Strategy
Brand Development · Visual Systems · Design Research · Creative Problem-Solving · Concept Development · Client Collaboration
Production
Adobe InDesign · Illustrator · Photoshop · Print Production · Digital Production · HTML/CSS · Shopify · Squarespace
SELECTED CLIENTS
Jewelry
Harwell Godfrey · Broken English Jewelry · Shay Fine Jewelry · K. Brunini · Rahaminov · Stacked x Reservoir · Sarah Hendler · Signet · Sylvie · Neha Dani · David Alan Jewelry · Established Jewelry · and others
Beauty + Wellness
Esalen Institute · Wellbeing with Chelsea · Sarah Swanson Beauty · Sweet Tea Apothecary · Valley Community Healthcare · Jennifer Caryn Brand Nutrition · and others
Arts + Culture / Entertainment
MEL Magazine · Lyn Paolo · Parallax · Capital Arts Entertainment · The Wayne Theatre · Third Law Production · Ava Otto · and others
PR + Marketing / Events
Women's Jewelry Association · Platinum Guild International · JCK Events · MARK'D · Luxury Brand Group · Communique · Blink Creative · and others
Arts + Design
Renee Rizzuto Interior Design · Ray Art Design · Art Dimensions Online · Art Punch
Nonprofit
Valley Community Healthcare · ZEZE Collective · Momma Mosaic · NAMI · Jobs to Grads
EDUCATION
San Francisco State University
B.A., Industrial Arts — Emphasis in Graphic Design
Summa Cum Laude
ONLINE
JuliaGomelsky.com
linkedin.com/in/juliagomelsky
instagram.com/julia_gomelsky
TRAVEL
Russia, Austria, China, England, Ireland, Scotland, Finland, Sweden, Holland, Spain, Italy, Sicily, France, Greece, Australia, Mexico, Canada, Israel, Dominican Republic, Panama, Croatia, Bosnia, Switzerland