Biography of R. Dennis Hughett, Jr.

To begin, below is a brief précis about me.

I’m a Trinity believer, husband, father, senior art director in print and web design, musician, guitarist and music enthusiast by way of listening, writing, recording, sound engineering, producing, mixing and arranging, political incorrectness advocate, humor junkie, bowling opportunist, feline befriender, and in those rare moments when I have very little to do, gamer. Want even more information, check the site navigation on the left to learn more about R. Dennis Hughett, Jr.

Now for more in depth info. My name is Dennis Hughett and I’m a creative professional of sorts. I’m a graphic designer by day ( and sometimes late into the night ) and a solo musician under the name zaodust. I’m a Georgia native and one of those few people living in the same state where I was born. I currently live in the north metro area of Atlanta, Georgia with my wife of 13 years, our daughter and 3 white cats, Powder, Puffy and Precious. I am a full time employee of Catalyst Marketing Communications, where I have worked for over 10 years. I spend most of my days working at home in front of my 30" Apple Display, which sits on a large metal and glass desk with music blaring as I use my madd dee-zine mojo. Yep, that’s me. They call me the graphic design sensei, or the design-o-matic guru, or at times the SEO ninja. Then, there are some people that call me Hughman, Juan, or the American Jesus (A. J. for short). Yes, well, that last one is what some close friends call me because of how I look. It appears I resemble the paintings of Jesus Christ that are very common in the United States. I may go by many names, but I know who I am, just plain ol’ Dennis.

I spend most of my free time with my family and friends, writing and recording music, working on my own web sites, or other web-related things. I practically live on the internet, but who doesn’t these days? I’m either designing a web site, updating a website profile or checking out the latest graphic design sites for creative inspiration. I’m inspired by everything and it all leads to something creative for me either in design or in music.

Music is an enormous part of my life and always has been. I’ve played guitar for over 20 years and enjoy it now as much as I did when I first started. Guitar is a passion for me. While I’m a guitarist first, I do enjoy entertaining other instruments as well, when they are available and I have the time.

I’ve spent time in several bands through the years trying to "make it" as many young musicians do, but it never happened for me as much as I tried. It just wasn’t my calling and I’ve accepted that.

When my previous musical effort, Shadow Life, disbanded in early 2007, I decided to move in the direction of music libraries through Taxi, one of the best resources in the industry. Taxi does much more than get people signed up with music libraries, but that is the angle I have decided to move towards for several reasons:

1. I’ve retired the concept of forming or joining yet another band. Over twenty years of that is enough for me.
2. It gives me opportunities to make money with soundtrack placement in movies, TV, video games and a few other avenues.
3. It allows me the time to do what I want to do musically and I can practice, write and record when I feel like it. At least for now, if I get signed up to more libraries, over time, it could prove to fill up my schedule in a big way. I really hope it does. I can’t wait to get my music on more soundtracks!
4. I can write any type or style of music I want. It’s not limited to anything. Though each request or need will be different for each placement, it still gives me lots of opportunities to write and record various styles.

I think it’s safe to say I enjoy being creative. It’s one of the many joys in my life.

I didn’t intend to place a large amount of emphasis on music here, but I will be making revisions to this page over time to fine tune it. Eventually, when I complete my zaodust web site, I will move some of this info to there. In the meantime, have a look around this site and enjoy. :)

Expertise Summary of R. Dennis Hughett, Jr.

To be blunt, I’m an efficient, productive, loyal and trustworthy creative professional.

I’ve been a part of the advertising industry for over 15 years. As a senior art director, I work at a high-level of speed and proficiency. I have a deep understanding of and extensive experience in print and web design. Over the years, I’ve achieved expert knowledge in pre-press production and front-end web design, as well as a bit of knowledge in back-end web development. I’m well-versed in HTML, CSS, Flash and PHP development and I always maintain very high standards in file management, organization, backup. and archiving.

My goal is quite simple: To be valuable to my employers and clients through honesty, high-level design, speed and hard work. I accomplish this by keeping my skill set sharp, my ideas fresh and my production speed competitive.

Knowledge and Proficiency Skills