Brian Talbot Email & Phone Number

Bentonville, Arkansas, Us

I lead product research, strategy, and design that has helped transform Font Awesome - the internet’s most popular icon set and toolkit - from an open source project into a full-fledged profitable product that includes robust software, subscriptions, professional services, high quality customer support, and of course a lot more icons.I build and regularly ship products and features with autonomous small teams - taking each project from strategy all the way to style sheets.Along the way, I’ve set the foundation for Font Awesome’s visual brand and tone of voice, developed best design and front-end development practices, and fostered a culture centered around inclusive design.

Lanham, Maryland, Us

As part of MIT's startup focused on expanding education for all, I led the design of edX's educational products that allow millions of students to take MIT-level courses online. Behind the blackboard, I designed authoring tools for professors and supported the open sourcing of edX’s software. I directed the strategy and implementation of edX’s design system, planning its roadmap as well as leading the design and documentation of elements. Mentoring UX team members, I set standards around UX deliverables as well as organized design activities such as studios, reviews, and team skill building exercises.

As the UX lead on ThinkGeek's Customer Experience Team, I oversaw the information architecture and user interface design of the company's e-commerce site. Along with leading the design of strategic projects, improving conversion rates, and supporting ThinkGeek's high level of customer satisfaction online, I built a foundation to the team's design process and strategic collaboration with other departments.

Waltham, Ma, Us

As part of Boston University's CDIA-based curriculum, I've taught several of the courses offered as part of their Web & Graphic Design program ranging from the technical aspects of working on the web (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to the creative and strategic where I've art directed students working on pro-bono client work and their own online portfolios.

Falls Church, Va, Us

At Viget, my primary responsibilities included leading the User Experience phase of projects where I helped clients research, plan online strategies and information architectures, and design pleasurable interactions and useful interfaces. While at the Labs, I worked alongside a range of clients including PUMA, National Geographic, The Sundance Institute, Compassion International, Choice Hotels, and Lafayette College. With each relationship, I contributed a custom-tailored toolkit of skills, clear communication and solutions, and collaboration across disciplines and stakeholders. In addition to working with clients, I helped build and mentor a team of User Experience professionals, educate colleagues about the field of User Experience, and aided the Viget sales team with developing new business.

Washington, Dc, Us

At National Geographic, I directed the strategy, implementation, and team responsible for front-end development of National Geographic's Digital Media properties including nationalgeographic.com reducing overall page load time, increasing search engine optimization, and general accessibility of online content. Alongside those duties, I led the strategy, information architecture, interaction design, and visually designed user interfaces for strategic initiatives such as user community-driven sites, National Geographic Explorer blogs, and multimedia offerings. A capstone of my time at National Geographic was being a core member in the design and development of a suite of (new at the time) foundational sites including photography, science and space, field work, and online video. This work contributed to a 25% increase in unique visitors to these key sites.

Boston, Ma, Us

While at Simmons, I grew into a senior role that led direction, strategy, information architecture and design on key projects. I co-created an award-winning admissions-focused Simmons College web presence that led to a dramatic increase in qualified prospects delivered to admissions via the web, with the College realizing a total 43% increase in enrollments during this same period. Serving on a small in-house design team, I also planned, designed and developed several internal resources to better college life and process for the current staff and student body. Alongside project work, I set standards in how information architecture and front-end development were practiced by the design team, taught web design-centric classes for students and faculty, and led a cross-functional team in setting institution-wide web accessibility standards and guidelines.

B.A., Psychology, Studio Art

M.S., Library And Information Science