Resume     Martha Marina Dao - Graphic Design MMD I was born and grew up in Caracas, Venezuela and moved to New York in 1996. Five years ago, I had the honor of taking a design class with Milton Glaser. In our introductory class, we had to explain why we became Graphic Designers. After soul-searching, the first thing that came to mind was my Mother telling me as a little girl that I had "Magic Hands." I loved to see how toys were built and wanted to tear them apart, to see what was inside and then build them back again. Since I can remember, I loved painting using different media. During my years in primary school and high school, I was chosen to design and make all the bulletin boards at school and to create the materials for special events. From an early age I had the opportunity of visiting many countries and had contact with different cultures and traditions. I also played the violin and the piano. I wanted to become an architect until my second year of high school when I discovered Graphic Design. Immediately I knew this was my calling. I was so eager to become a designer that I went to register at a design school one year before graduating from high school! They wouldn't accept my registration and told me to return upon graduation, which of course I did. I have never wavered in my love of the art and today find it as exciting, challenging and fulfilling...the rest is history! In 1990, I graduated from the Caracas Institute of Design and worked for six years in advertising firms in Venezuela. Moved to New York in 1996 to complete a one-year certificate program in Computer Graphics at Pratt Institute of Design and thereafter worked for over six years at Merrill Lynch Headquarters in the Print Graphics Department. In 2003, I established my own firm. Today, I design for U.S. and international clients.