Tam was raised in the Bay Area, where he learned to love tacos, and design that is cool and effortless. Attending The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, gave him an appreciation for conceptual art and forward thinking ideas.
Today, he’s a highly experienced NYC based creative, art director and design strategist working with major national brands and publishers.
Market-leading brands like Ad Age, Harper's Bazaar, OK!, Us Weekly, Star Magazine, Latina Magazine, Random House Inc., Showtime, ESPN, The New York Yankees, and others, have entrusted Tam to be creative and lead their editorial design, branding, and ad campaigns.
He can manage staff and is able to work on all aspects of design including: illustration, typography, logos and branding, social media marketing, motion videos, photoshoots, catalogs, merchandise, and advertising. He has experience with online editorial Drupal based CMS systems, Woodwing, K4, Ceros, HTML, CSS and Adobe Creative suite.
Whether a client wants to start anew or is focused on rebranding, redesign or refresh of their content, he is prepared to move their projects forward with proven contemporary conceptual ideas and results.
Tam’s leadership can be felt in his ability to manage staff, schedules, and branding across multiple platforms. He can drive art and photo direction and coordinate content; fostering flawless design resolutions. His love of efficient work environments makes him able to spot areas for improvement without sacrificing innovation.
Above all, Tam is the person that cares most deeply about your content and that’s true of anything he’s ever worked on. His journalistic approach to design works perfectly with editors, marketers, and advertisers to better craft engaging content that not only is visually compelling but also gets to the root of the story by presenting information in a way that audiences can easily digest. Creating purposeful, engaging and actionable work is what he does best.
When Tam is not working toward his vision for great design, he can be found across the river in NJ with his wife, award-winning art director Maria Elias, their daughter Xochi and their two Wheaten Terrier dogs Bodhi and Ashoka. Or he may be nourishing his other passions; creating complex meals of his own invention, and cycling around Jersey City, Hoboken and Union City on his way to find a new rare culinary experience.
Tam was formerly the Senior Art Director of Advertising Age and over-seed editorial art and design for both the print magazine and Ad Age online. During his tenure at Ad Age, the magazine won a Jesse H. Neal award for Best Overall Art Direction.
PAST CLIENTS INCLUDE: Harper's Bazaar, OK!, Star Magazine, Us Weekly, Latina Magazine, Random House Inc., Showtime, ESPN, New York Yankees, YES Network, The Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, Popular Mechanics, Creative Mobile Technologies, KPMG, Norma Kamali, Cadeau Maternity, Madelaine Chocolate Company, The Actor's Fund, Jorge Posada Foundation, and many more!