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About
Natalie Zilka
Graphic Designer
Portland, OR
Hi, I'm Natalie. I'm a trained and tested graphic designer. From print material for community causes, to successful corporate branding, to massive web designs for engineering firms. With a finely honed eye and carefully crafted skill set I bring precision and expertise to every project. I have gained my experience from some great places, including UX/UI Designer for Limelight Department, and an internship for Bell + Funk in Eugene, Oregon. I also worked as a Graphic Designer / Educator for the non-profit Coder Dojo as well as a Design Assistant for the Student Ambassador Program at Lane Community College.
I have a love for games and community, which lead to volunteering for Bit Forest, a community run organization which helps to bring together Game Designers in Eugene, OR. I would make posters for our events and had such a great time doing it that I decided I wanted to do that for a living!
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Experience
Game Director
Free Pizza Games
02/23 – Present • Portland, OR
Co-founded Free Pizza Games in 2023, leading the development of Wizards of Mu, a tactical, dimensional trading card game. Directed the creative, graphical, and mechanical design aspects of the game, ensuring an engaging and cohesive player experience. Oversaw branding and marketing strategies to for eventual promotional launch.
Graphic Designer
Freelance
02/14 – Present • Portland, OR
Provided a wide range of design services for various clients, including corporate branding, textbook redesigns, product design, and artistic portraitures. Collaborated with clients to deliver creative and functional solutions tailored to their needs, ensuring high-quality results across diverse projects.
Lead Designer
Limelight Department
2017 – 2019 • Eugene, OR
Worked closely with a team of designers and developers to create websites and software for our clients as well as internal projects. A strong focus on sales funnels, UX/UI design and trustworthy corporate design.
Educator / Graphic Designer
Coder Dojo
2016 – 2017 • Eugene, OR
Crafted and taught courses on game design with classes of 5-20 students. Designed courses for Game Maker Studio. My favorite being a course using the original Super Mario Bros. as a basis to teach students the fundamentals of coding platformers.
Designed promotional materials for courses and events, flyers, posters, newsletters etc.
Graphic Designer
Lane Community College, Ambassador Program
2015 – 2016 • Eugene, OR
Worked with the Student Ambassador program to create educational and promotional materials as well as design maintenance on specific webpages for the college. Partnered occasionally with other student designers to complete projects for various departments at the college.
Intern
Bell + Funk
2014 – 2014 • Eugene, OR
Spent a Summer interning at Bell+Funk. There I worked closely with Design Lead, Jordan Anderson to complete a rebrand from the ground up. During my time there I took part in community and company meetings discussing the rebrand, as well as intensive design critiques where I was expected to bring designs which met the standards of the company.
Education
Portland State University
Bachelors of Fine Arts
09/24 – Present • Portland, OR
Currently enrolled at Portland State University with the intent to graduate in 2027 with a Bachelors in Graphic Design
Lane Community College
Associates of Arts and Science in Graphic Design
2015 – 2017 • Eugene, OR
Studied at Lane Community College, earning an associates degree in graphic design.
Clients
Zilka ConstructionCentury West EngineeringTPS HousingLimelight DepartmentCoder DojoLane Community CollegeUniversity of OregonCorner Alchemy LabsUniversity of Oregon
Specialties
Web DesignUX/UI DesignGame DesignBrandingGraphic DesignGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Skills
Graphic DesginGraphic DesignGraphic Design