GAWON LEE
VISUAL DESIGNER
703-424-1110
Springfield, Virginia
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Majoring in fine arts with early aspirations of becoming an artist, I built the foundation of my career with a master’s degree in graphic design.
I have 7 years and 9 months of professional experience as a designer. For four years, I worked in the beauty industry, focusing on package design and advertising. I then transitioned into global development, applying and refining my graphic design skills for another three years.
Since 2023, I’ve expanded into UI/UX through internal web projects at DAI. My career has been a steady path of challenges, growth, and practical creativity.
EDUCATION
Master of Arts in Graphic Design (2021)
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Focused on human-centered design with a specialization in UX. The curriculum included coursework in communications, branding, typography, and photography.
Bachelor of Fine Arts in General Fine Arts (2017)
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
Initially accepted into the painting program before transitioning to general fine arts to explore installation art. Studied graphic design alongside fine arts.
CERTIFICATIONS
Google UX Design Professional Certificate (2024)
Coursera, Online
Human-Computer Interaction for UX Design (2024)
MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), Online
Work Experience
Visual Designer
May 2022 – May 2025
DAI Global
Bethesda, MD
Visual Designer
Aug 2022 – June 2025
United States Agency for International Development
Art Instructor
Feb 2019 to May 2024
Feb 2013 to May 2015
McLean Language Academy
McLean, VA
Visual Designer
Nov 2019 – May 2022
Kokie Cosmetics INC.
Beltsville, MD
Visual Designer
Feb 2019 – Nov 2019
Columbia College
Vienna, VA
Junior Designer
Feb 2018 – Nov 2018
Absolute New York
Port Washington, NY
Seasonal Designer
Oct 2017 – Jan 2018
Kiss Products, INC.
Port Washington, NY
Created illustrations, high-level data visualizations, and visual assets for marketing materials such as books, reports, proposals, and annual publications. Designed graphics for internal-use websites and produced large-scale wall graphics for office interiors.
Select Contracted Projects: While employed full-time at DAI, I participated in several USAID-commissioned design projects through a separate application and process. These were freelance-style contracts, paid directly by USAID, and completed in addition to my regular DAI duties.
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Jan 2025: VAT Liberia guidebook
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June 2023: World map project
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Dec 2022: Rollup banners and logo design
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Aug 2022: Motion graphics
Community Youth Art Program Instructor: Taught weekly art classes for children and teens over two 16-week terms, spanning a full academic year. Rather than traditional art instruction, I designed curiosity-driven lessons such as pop art, watercolor, and inventive craft projects. The unique and engaging curriculum gained strong enthusiasm not only from students but also from parents, with each session filling quickly and often exceeding capacity. My core philosophy was to avoid anything typically found in a school classroom, offering something entirely fresh and inspiring instead.
Package & Marketing Designer: Led packaging design and supported the full print production process in close collaboration with manufacturing plants, ensuring design accuracy and high-quality results. As the primary designer, collaborated with vendors by offering design input and tracking the development of product containers throughout the process. Produced marketing assets, catalogs, and web materials, contributing original product photography for 20% of all visual content. Presented design proposals and reports to major retail partners—including Rite Aid, Walmart, Sally Beauty Supply LLC, CVS, and Kroger—while aligning brand visuals across teams and platforms.
Designed marketing and informational materials for a vocational school, supporting the promotion of its programs. Created custom illustrations for educational publications and managed content for the online ESL (English as a Second Language) program. Edited lecture videos and oversaw the Moodle learning platform to ensure a seamless digital learning experience.
Assisted in designing packaging, magazine ads, catalogs, and beauty show brochures while gaining hands-on experience in the industry. Provided website support and collaborated with the team to develop marketing materials, refining design skills in a fast-paced environment.
Supported the design team in creating retail displays and gained foundational experience in the beauty industry. Contributed to packaging design projects while developing an understanding of visual merchandising and branding in a commercial setting.