Spearheaded creative vision and user experience for gocomics.com and puzzlesociety.com, the company’s largest consumer-facing web products, by leading a cross-functional team of UX designers and content strategists functioning as an internal digital creative agency.Provided strategic leadership and hands-on coaching to a team of UX designers and content strategists, fostering collaboration and driving innovation in product design.Excelled as the lead product designer, delivering end-to-end UX and UI design solutions for consumer-facing subscription sites, ensuring seamless and engaging user experiences.Collaborated with cross-functional teams to prioritize and scope scheduled releases, ensuring timely and effective product delivery while aligning with business objectives.Partnered with third-party game developers and a pool of freelance designers, providing creative direction and overseeing game design, branding, and marketing material development.Designed and launched over 6 original puzzle games/year, developing intuitive interfaces, captivating brands, immersive designs, and supporting marketing collateral.Demonstrated exceptional communication and presentation skills, effectively articulating design concepts and strategies to cross-functional stakeholders.

Conceptualized and pitched a visionary plan for an official TheFarSide.com to legendary cartoonist Gary Larson, successfully convincing him of its brand value and appeal to his fan base.Designed the award-winning TheFarSide.com, which earned the prestigious Audience Choice Webby in 2019, exemplifying exceptional user experience and creative execution.Pioneered the UX process for an emerging digital business, providing strategic leadership in defining and communicating user-centric design principles and methodologies.Cultivated and maintained strong professional relationships with high-profile clients, colleagues, and external partners, including renowned award-winning comics and cartoonists featured on GoComics.com.Spearheaded the comprehensive redesign and relaunch of Uexpress.com, Andrews McMeel Universal’s iconic op-ed content platform, overseeing the revamp of user experience for legendary columnists like Dear Abby.

Following the successful GoComics.com rebrand and relaunch, promoted to Lead Product Designer, spearheading strategy and execution for the highly anticipated TheFarSide.com.Collaborated closely with a trusted team to bring legendary cartoonist Gary Larson’s vision to life for his inaugural official Far Side web experience, overseeing design, UX, site architecture, and content acquisition through regular visits with Larson.Strategically built and led the digital creative team while orchestrating a comprehensive rebrand, including website revamp, logo updates, and brand asset development across Andrews McMeel Universal’s corporate identity.

Hand-picked after a mere 6 months to spearhead design initiatives as the sole resource for Andrews McMeel Universal’s newly formed Digital Department, exemplifying exceptional talent and leadership potential.Rapidly acquired and mastered UX and UI design disciplines, applying advanced skills to deliver high-caliber designs that elevated the company’s digital presence and propelled growth.Served as the principal design force behind the transformative rebrand and relaunch of GoComics.com, AMU’s flagship comic platform, driving a substantial portion of the creative vision and execution.

Was hired as the first marketing designer dedicated to publishing efforts.After demonstrating high caliber client-relationship skills, was often brought in to meet with a variety of authors to work on marketing materials.Concepted, designed and pitched a stand-alone site for poet, Rupi Kaur’s #1 New York Times Bestseller, MilkAndHoney.com, which aided in the promotion and overall success of the book, which has sold over 3 million copies.

Children’s Book Illustrator: This Is A TacoWill Eisner Comic Industry Awards 2019 Nominee for Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8) in 2019.

I'm constantly freelancing a variety of graphic design projects with multiple clients and timelines.

Was the single design resource for entire nonprofit, responsible for brand, strategy andexecution of all consumer and public-facing materials, print and digital.Successfully rebranded the organization with updated logo, color palette, brandguidelines and website.Produced award winning work, recognized in nonprofit circles, for branding, printpublication, annual reports and mailers.

Studied 3D Character animation primarily. Worked heavily in video editing and animation software, such as Autodesk Maya, Adobe Premiere, Adobe AfterEffects, and Z-Brush. Coursework included traditional animation classes, nude and clothed figure drawing, storyboarding and preproduction work, as well as character design and illustration.

Selected for competitive summer design internship. Upon internship completion, I was the only intern offered a position as a fulltime designer and consultant. Tasked with helping them clean up their publications and creating a uniform look and branding system, I created projects spanning a variety of media including: facebook application design, e-card library, direct mailing appeals, and website design.

Selected for a highly competitive internship program with Kansas City’s third largest advertising agency. As the only designer in a 14 person intern team I developed a variety of visual communication solutions for client projects. Responsibilities included: brainstorming ideas, meeting fast-paced deadlines, creating visually effective and stimulating advertisements, designing elements of a group presentation to a new business client, and using interpersonal skills to successfully represent the company.