Why hire Pariah S. Burke? What are the differences between training and workflow consulting with him and with others?

No two workflows are identical. Each has its own unique—perhaps even quirky—details, goals, and needs. As such, no pre-written educational plan can be truly effective in improving or streamlining the workflow. The only way to maximize return on training or consulting investment is to receive training or consulting fully customized to the specific objectives of your investment. For that, you need someone with experience and adapability.

Experience

Few trainers or consultants can match my extensive experience. I have a very long resume, so here are just the salient highlights:

• Professional graphic designer, production manager, art director, and illustrator working continuously in the full range of design, advertising, publishing, and pre-press workflows since 1986.
• 3 years as Adobe Technical Support in-house trainer, researcher, and technical lead for InDesign, InCopy, PageMaker, Acrobat, Photoshop, and Illustrator. I was also the in-house “QuarkXPress expert,” “font guru,” and “publishing and pre-press guy.”
• Consulted and taught in a myriad of different creative and publishing workflows all over North America since leaving Adobe in 2004.
• A favorite consultant to U.S. military and government agencies’ creative, publishing, and forensic workflows.
• I understand the business concerns surrounding creative workflows.
• I have directly worked in, managed, and/or performed deep, immersive optimizations of the following types of workflows:

• Magazine publishing
• Newspaper publishing
• Catalog and directory publishing
• Online periodical publishing
• Web design
• Packaging
• Direct mail
• Technical book production
• Advertising
• Brand development
• Identity design
• Model and product photography
• Pre-press
• PDF eForm development and deployment

• A frequently published authority on graphic design, publishing, InDesign, InCopy, QuarkXPress, Illustrator, Photoshop, Adobe Bridge, and Acrobat with articles published in InDesign Magazine, Publish.com, PDFZone.com, InDesignSecrets.com, CreativeLatitude.com, CreativePro.com, Designorati.com, and Quark VS InDesign.com; a speaker at various venues and media, including the InDesign Conference, and; author or co-author of three books focusing on creative tools and their use in modern professional creative and publishing workflows.
• Author or co-author of 4 critically acclaimed creative software books.

While other children dreamed of being fire fighters and astronauts, I only ever wanted to grow up to be a designer. I’ve been a student of design, illustration, and publishing since I was five years old. At age 14 I began freelancing as an illustrator while apprenticing at a screenprinting plant. From there, I moved on to learn pre-PostScript layout and paste-up in publishing and pre-press shops. When the Desktop Publishing Revolution began, I rode the crest with a Mac, Illustrator, and PageMaker. I’ve spent my entire career learning and working in the creative fields.

I understand the processes and tools of creative professions extremely well because I’ve been where you are—managing budgets, clients, deadlines, and personnel—and where your creatives are—struggling to balance creativity with productivity. I’ve been a principal and a grunt, and everyone between. When you tell me your needs and goals, when you explain your workflow, I will understand.

Adaptability

Because of my long and varied experience and my exposure to so many different workflows, I understand the major elements of your workflow already, and our conversations prior to an on-site engagement will fill me in on the unique nuances. As a result of my 20 years of using the tools of the trade in my own creative career, and because of my experiences with Adobe and since, I am intimately familiar with the tools on which your workflow depends.

All that knowledge and experience affords me an unusual agility. I can turn a training class or workflow consultation on a dime, adapting on the fly to new developments, information, and your team’s ideas, all the while ensuring that you see the maximum return on your investment.