I’m a multifaceted designer and creative leader, based in the Chicagoland area, with years of experience in thoughtful design, development, and direction. By applying timeless “core principles” of visual communication, I've produced thoughtful designs that translate to any medium, ranging from print to digital, from editing video to crafting animations, to custom illustrations and icons. I'm confident that I can deliver a thoughtful solution for any need, informed by empathetic dialog with a client, and strengthened through a series of productive collaborations with a variety of teammates.At my core, I'm a self-motivated person with an appetite to create things. Outside of the 9-5 workday, I like to stay busy with a variety of side projects, like posters, illustrations, and portraits. I like to challenge myself everyday, to learn something new, or to improve my workflow. I like to read about up-and-coming software, or learn new ways to build things in SASS or CSS. I have a passion for front-end development, I find fulfillment in designing something, and then being capable of building it... but it's not just enough to build it, per say, I want to hold myself to higher standards and build it the way the pros build it, that's kind of a professional compass for me. When it comes to web design, I consider myself a designer, but a designer who can code. I find that being a hybrid (of sorts) serves me and my team well because I'm able to design thoughtful solutions that meet client objectives (and oftentimes, positively surpass their expectations), while doing so in a scope-friendly manner that doesn't blow the budget... I'm able to do this because I have a strong understanding of how long it should take a developer to build something. When it comes to the design > development hand-off, I'm able to save some time in production through the use of simplified prototypes, using InVision or Codepen to best articulate my vision.Successful design is more than just the finished product, though. A successful design is, oftentimes, the end result of lots of research, strategy, planning, and ideation. That up-front effort gets overlooked but it's a necessary step in the entire process.Over the last several years, I've enjoyed sharing my knowledge and insight with newer designers, providing feedback on their work, and challenging them to consider looking at things from a couple different angles. For me, I'm less interested in having them design identical to how I design, but more interested in always considering the "core principles" every step of the way.
Listed skills include Art Direction, Web Design, Graphic Design, User Experience, and 26 others.