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CAVAN BARRY
PORTFOLIO
'the continued effort to be creative by
writing, designing and holding it all in place'
Steve Umculo
art direction, graphic design
chalk creation
business management, creative direction
Automotive Editing
copy, editing
Portfolio Design
graphic design
Website Sample
front-end web development
Branding
corporate identity, logo design
art direction, graphic design
business management, creative direction
copy, editing
graphic design
front-end web development
corporate identity, logo design
Hello and welcome to my online portfolio. My name is Cav, and as I turn 32 I’m approaching a decade of experience writing, designing, and managing. I’ll share a brief work history here, but if you’d like my updated CV for details and references, please email cavan@chalkcreation.co.za.
The story so far
My work experience began as a young man temping in the hospitality industry. I had always enjoyed both writing and drawing as hobbies. After a (lonely but life-affirming) gap year abroad, I returned to attend university and was eager to develop a career in which I could employ my interests.
At Rhodes University I was exposed to the world of media in earnest. I worked as a DJ, hosting two shows weekly for the local radio station, Rhodes Music Radio. I also interned at The Star newspaper as well as OJ Communications. Being exposed to hard news, events and entertainment media gave me a taste of the varied nature of my field.
Choosing a Communications Design journalism speciality, I set about freelancing as a designer/copywriter in 2013. Once I finished my studies, however, I worked as a news journalist at Caxton newspapers. In a leap back towards design, I soon took a role as a graphic designer/copywriter at One Thread advertising agency.
Finally, deciding my varied love of both the written word and the beauty of design didn’t have to conflict, I founded Chalk Creation in 2016. It has been ongoing since. As a young entrepreneur, the challenges were rife, but none so trying as the passing of my father, which saw me appointed as Director of three more companies in 2019. Thankfully, I was able to draw on my experience and my dad’s lessons to keep the ship afloat.
Today I consider my bow to have three strings.
The first; my knack as an editorial pedant with a passion for copy.
The second is my creative/art direction as a long-time designer.
The third is my business management and team management experience, which seeps into all that I do and motivates my logic.
Please explore the selected work in my portfolio, and feel free to contact me if there is a project that we should take on together.
Hello and welcome to my online portfolio. My name is Cav, and as I turn 32 I’m approaching a decade of experience writing, designing, and managing. I’ll share a brief work history here, but if you’d like my updated CV for details and references, please email cavan@chalkcreation.co.za.
The story so far
My work experience began as a young man temping in the hospitality industry. I had always enjoyed both writing and drawing as hobbies. After a (lonely but life-affirming) gap year abroad, I returned to attend university and was eager to develop a career in which I could employ my interests.
At Rhodes University I was exposed to the world of media in earnest. I worked as a DJ, hosting two shows weekly for the local radio station, Rhodes Music Radio. I also interned at The Star newspaper as well as OJ Communications. Being exposed to hard news, events and entertainment media gave me a taste of the varied nature of my field.
Choosing a Communications Design journalism speciality, I set about freelancing as a designer/copywriter in 2013. Once I finished my studies, however, I worked as a news journalist at Caxton newspapers. In a leap back towards design, I soon took a role as a graphic designer/copywriter at One Thread advertising agency.
Finally, deciding my varied love of both the written word and the beauty of design didn’t have to conflict, I founded Chalk Creation in 2016. It has been ongoing since. As a young entrepreneur, the challenges were rife, but none so trying as the passing of my father, which saw me appointed as Director of three more companies in 2019. Thankfully, I was able to draw on my experience and my dad’s lessons to keep the ship afloat.
Today I consider my bow to have three strings.
The first; my knack as an editorial pedant with a passion for copy.
The second is my creative/art direction as a long-time designer.
The third is my business management and team management experience, which seeps into all that I do and motivates my logic.
Please explore the selected work in my portfolio, and feel free to contact me if there is a project that we should take on together.
Creation
My attitude to design is that it should not be defined by software, but by imagination. I work with multiple mediums away from the PC, gaining inspiration from a wide range of sources. When it’s time to zip it all up and package it for delivery, I’m most comfortable using the Adobe Creative suite. Over the better part of a decade I have found myself becoming engrossed in the video editing, animation and even recording tools on offer. Then, of course, I’m also well-versed in the illustration staples like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
Social Media
Social media has been an important part of my work. I’m often working to beautify its front-end, but I’m also familiar with its more imposing back-end. I focus predominantly on CI and effective visuals in social. I’m always striving to achieve a seamless integration with the foundational marketing resources that we spend so much time developing.
Web
Front-End Web
I am certainly no web wiz, but a basic understanding of HTML and CSS allow me to work with independence in the web space. For front-end development I’ve become enamoured with WordPress, assisted by Elementor. I also have commerce experience using Woo.
Writing / Communication
There are many designers who overlook the value of design integration into primary Office software. Naturally I am proficient in using the usual suspects, but also in template design across the board. Software will constantly update and change. It’s important in the field to be able to quickly learn whatever supports the implementation of the vision.
Mobile
Desktop OS
My primary operating systems are Windows and Mac for PC, Android and IOS for mobile.