Steven Gagne
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Freetown, MA, United States
Toptal member since May 12, 2026
Steve began his graphic design journey thirty years ago. Whether in a volunteer role, a side hustle, or a full-time job, he brings experience in both the corporate and nonprofit worlds. Some of his experiences include working as a media director for an HR services company, a marketing director for an international nonprofit, and a production designer for a television series. Steve launched his own design studio and currently teaches graphic design to high school students.
Portfolio
Experience
- Photoshop CC - 20 years
- Illustrator CC - 20 years
- Nonprofits - 20 years
- Color Palettes - 18 years
- Typography - 15 years
- Brochure Design - 15 years
- Logo Design - 15 years
- Brand Design - 5 years
Tools
- Photoshop CC
- Illustrator CC
Work Experience
Digital Media Teacher
King's Academy
- Taught Intro to Graphic Design to high school students, emphasizing basics like typography, color palettes, layout, research, design inspiration, and deadlines.
- Taught Intro Web Design, Intro to Podcasting, and Intro to Journalism/Video Production to middle school students, making them design landing pages and online stores, produce school news videos, and learn how to write and produce a podcast.
- Collaborated with the school administration to create content for school events throughout the year, with my students contributing by designing items like posters, and producing relevant news reports as a form of school announcements to all students.
- Focused on providing students with life skills to help build confidence and open opportunities to earn income in different digital design and media forms.
Owner, Lead Designer
Crown Design Studio
- Delivered many brand, web, and marketing solutions in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors.
- Created the branding and designed the marketing materials for a now successful child and adolescent psychological services practice in the southern United States.
- Created branding and a grassroots social media campaign to assist legendary baseball pitcher Curt Schilling to raise over $100,000 in 72 hours to assist with natural disaster relief in Texas and Florida.
Media Producer
Mothers and Fathers Truly Matter, Inc
- Produced and published the Let’s Be Better podcast across major platforms, and managed studio setup, video, audio, editing, and post-production.
- Created short-form social media content and maintained websites.
- Designed print and digital materials. Represented the organization at public events.
Media Director
Payday
- Designed a coupon book that looks like a stack of money, each coupon providing one-time discounts on company services, and had the likeness of the president and vice president of the company mimic the design of real paper money.
- Designed swag, giveaway items, marketing materials, standing banners, and table covers for an industry expo at a large arena. Also designed the slides for our company VP's keynote presentation.
- Grew the organic social media impressions by 8,000% in only 10 months through scheduled posts and account interactions.
- Researched and wrote articles for the company that were then published on the website.
Social Media and Marketing Director
Creation Today
- Designed and managed successful Black Friday and Christmas product sales through email marketing campaigns. These campaigns set records for the most products moved in the organization in their respective sales windows.
- Grew the organic social media presence/base by 900%. An example campaign was a multi-year t-shirt design contest. Prizes were awarded, and the winning t-shirt was then sold to supporters.
- Developed the branding for a YouTube TV show that was recorded in a local television studio and ran five seasons. I also operated the main camera. All five seasons are available in digital format and on DVD.
- Produced an hour-long documentary highlighting the journey of the president of the organization. The documentary was pressed on DVD and is still available for purchase today.
Education
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Youth Ministry
University of Valley Forge - Phoenixville, PA, USA
Diploma in Desktop Publishing
Attleboro High School - Attleboro, MA, USA
Skills
Tools
Photoshop CC, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe CC, Illustrator CC, Adobe, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premiere Pro, Microsoft PowerPoint, InDesign CC, Premiere Pro CC, GarageBand, Adobe InDesign, Mailchimp, QuarkXpress, Adobe Audition, Canva
Platforms
WordPress, Web, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Google Sites
Other
Brochure Design, Typography, Nonprofits, Small Business, Business Card Design, Brochures, Printing, Team Leadership, Leadership, Student Engagement, Branding, Typefaces, Layout, Visual Design, Graphic Design, Art Direction, Creative Direction, Design, Print Media, Marketing Design, Print Production, Layout Design, Visual Brand Guidelines, Presentations, Executive Presentations, Design Thinking, Design Systems, PDF Design, Writing, Color Theory, Logo Design, Brand Design, Color Palettes, Event Signage, Corporate Design, Vector Graphics, Poster Design, Brand Logos, Videos, Vector Art, Copy Editing, Logotype, Signage, Websites, Wordmark, Templates, Visual Identity, Icon Design, Vector Illustration, Print Design, Signage Design, Color Schemes, Web Design, B2B, B2C, UI Design, 2D Illustrations, Illustration, PDF, Email Campaigns, PowerPoint Design, Landing Page Design, Website Redesign, Landing Page Optimization, Landing Pages, Brand Identity, Social Media Design, Report Design, UX Design, Spotify, HTML Email, Fundraising, Facebook Pages, Public Speaking, Educational Videos, Teaching, Literature Review, Creative Writing, Management, Google, Swag, Expo Design, B2B Marketing, Copywriting, Coupons, Logo Systems, Brand Guidelines, TestNG, Video Editing
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