About Me

Leaving my thumbprint on the world:
My creative journey in illustration, animation, and interactive design

Introduction

Laura Reilly aka TheThumbprint

I'm a seasoned creative professional known for my work in interactive design and illustration. My moniker "TheThumbprint" originated in college while exploring corporate identity and branding. This journey began with a childhood fascination with technology and design, leading me to explore software and create animations, websites, and music videos. My formal education, including an Associate's degree in Psychology and Liberal Arts, a Bachelor's degree in General Arts, and a BFA in Fine Art with a specialization in Graphic Design and Illustration, provided a solid foundation for my success.

My diverse career path has spanned roles from caricaturist and theater director to interior design, wedding planning, and tattoo illustration. This unique blend of experiences enriched my creative perspective. Notably, my professional journey began with a memorable exchange: I traded a logo design for a haircut!

A pivotal shift came with my transition into the advertising industry. Starting as a website designer, I quickly excelled in mobile and web advertising, collaborating with renowned brands and celebrities. Over the next few years, I climbed the ranks – from designer to lead designer with my own team and ultimately to Creative Director, culminating in my current role as Senior Director of Ad Products.

Throughout my two-decade career, I've leveraged my design expertise to create impactful advertisements for major brands like Disney, Macy's, Honda, HBO, and Sony. To stay ahead of the curve, I actively pursue continuous learning, recently completing a Scrum Master certification and a computer science certificate course at Johns Hopkins University.

Beyond my corporate responsibilities, I remain deeply passionate about creativity. I design and assemble "junk journals" and bullet journals, visit museums, and am always collaborating with other artists.

Next Steps

Ready to Collaborate?

Whether you have an exciting job opportunity, a creative project in mind, or simply want to connect, I'd love to hear from you! Let's discuss how we can bring your vision to life.  Feel free to reach out to me through my contact form or via email at thethumbprint@gmail.com.

Stay Connected

Follow my artistic endeavors on social media on Instagram or Behance. For a more formal professional connection, you can find me on my LinkedIn.

My Other Interests

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Earning SkillShare certificates. I’m always taking online courses and lately I’ve been learning all of the updates and details of Figma and Webflow. I have 50+ projects on my Skillshare profile.

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Learning a foreign language. I love the language learning app Duolingo. They’ve earned praise from Apple for their design and received awards for their engaging method of teaching through gaming. I’m currently an intermediate Spanish reader, practicing every day.

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Achieving my reading goals. I have a never ending list of books on Good Reads. I'm always reading something. Favorite genres are non-fiction, history, psychology, and economics. Suggestions welcome!