About

My background spans three disciplines: digital design, digital marketing, and front-end development. This diverse expertise allows me to create digital experiences that are equal parts visually stunning, strategically savvy, and technically sound. By integrating these disciplines, I ensure that marketing initiatives are visually appealing, user-centric, and effortlessly convert into functional code. This holistic approach allows me to innovate in ways other digital designers cannot while delivering solutions with measurable results. Additionally, my proficient understanding of each discipline enables seamless collaboration across departments. You can be reassured of the quality of my work.

Digital Design
My core discipline is Digital Design, where I craft visually stunning and super functional designs. I aim to make the user experience smooth and enjoyable, using clever usability tricks and solid user research. Please take a look at my Smart Capture Interactive Demo, where I take over a design from the UI/UX team and improve it to communicate more effectively with the customer.

Digital Marketing
As a designer, I was drawn to marketing-oriented projects, particularly the storytelling aspect these afforded. Effective communication with your audience requires a deep understanding of how to engage them, from owning a brand’s visual identity to crafting compelling emails. Key questions like “Who is the target audience?”, “What are the stages of the customer journey?”, and “What are the user’s expectations and motivations?” drive unique opportunities for strategy. You can see how I implemented this in my MyLife.com® WSFY PO Page project. Truly understanding the customer is essential for effective marketing, as it shapes the tactics needed to get and convert leads.

Front-End Development
My career started as a computer science major, and I’ve been honing my skills ever since. Specializing in CMS development, like the Laserfiche Website project, I’m proficient in customizing themes and plugins. My focus is on optimizing sites for fast load times, top-notch SEO, and seamless mobile experiences. Plus, I ensure content management is simple and well-documented so anyone can easily update the site.

Extra Credit
As a senior professional, I take great pleasure in mentoring junior team members, project-managing digital design initiatives, and cross-departmental collaboration. My work on the Empower® 2023 Conference website perfectly exemplifies my capabilities and expertise in this role. I thrive on solving complex challenges and staying ahead of industry trends.

I am extremely proud of two professional achievements: spearheading the 8-month UX/UI redesign project for Laserfiche.com and my promotion to Lead Web Designer at Guthy-Renker.

Laserfiche
My first accomplishment represents a significant personal and professional milestone. Leading the redesign of Laserfiche.com was the largest project of my career to date. This project allowed me to grow as a designer and step into various roles, including Project Manager, Designer, Copywriter, Developer, and QA Tester. I successfully launched the site within the established deadline by collaborating with six different departments. The project’s success was a testament to the exceptional support from the Laserfiche team and my ability to transcend traditional marketing design. The fully responsive redesigned website offers a significantly improved user experience and increased conversion rates.

Guthy-Renker
At Guthy-Renker, I started as a Web Designer on a team of seven. With the Senior Art Director’s support, I focused on improving the design, click-through rates (CTR), and overall conversions through several key initiatives. These included delivering instructional talks on Marketing Design, organizing educational meetings about our user research on products and their demographics to enhance design effectiveness, and introducing new cart templates that dramatically improved conversion rates. The Creative Director recognized my skills as a designer and a leader and promoted me to Lead Web Designer. In this role, I oversaw two direct reports and am responsible for landing pages, emails, banner ads, and other sales-driven designs.

You know the saying, “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life?” Well, I hit the jackpot by finding my passion in web design!

As a teenager, I spent hours mastering MS Paint and exploring the basics of HTML. While the tools have advanced, my love for design (ie. my CinemaNow® Hero Images project,) marketing (ie. my Laserfiche® Landing Page Overhaul project), and coding (ie. my Digital Transformation Assessment project) has only grown stronger. Unlike traditional fine arts, web design is all about communication. This challenge excites me, enabling me to merge my artistic vision with technical skills to craft unique, customized solutions.

Inspiration can strike from any corner of life! From the intuitive interfaces of mobile apps to the seamless user experiences of modern websites, every digital interaction I encounter fuels my creativity and enhances my skills in UI/UX design. The subtle nuances of user behavior, the elegance of clean layouts, and the impact of well-thought-out navigation shape my approach. This constant exposure to diverse digital experiences helps me craft designs that are not only visually appealing but also user-friendly and efficient. This continuous influx of inspiration keeps my work innovative and my passion for UI/UX design ever-growing, allowing me to push the boundaries and redefine what’s possible in the digital landscape.

Websites and Blogs
Staying current in the industry is essential, and websites and blogs are my go-to resources. I regularly visit sites like Web Designer Depot, Awwwards, HubSpot to stay informed and inspired. Design trends can even be found in unexpected places, such as Pinterest boards and trending items on Envato Market. These diverse sources of inspiration help me stay ahead of the curve and continually improve my craft.

My Hobbies
Every so often, stepping away from the computer helps center me. In my downtime, you can find me sewing and cosplaying. I love the tactile nature of it, and working on a three-dimensional project is a marvelous change of pace. This hands-on hobby improved my project management skills, requiring careful planning, attention to detail, and patience. For example, when creating my Beauty and the Beast cosplay, I meticulously planned each step, from selecting fabrics to photography, which mirrors the detailed project timelines I make for my web design projects.

Additionally, I enjoy being a Photoshop composite artist. Creating intricate digital art by blending multiple images allows me to explore my creativity in new ways. I love experimenting with different textures, lighting, and perspectives to create unique, visually stunning pieces. For example, I used my skills to craft this portrait of my Dungeons and Dragons character, Phoenix. This hobby enhances my design skills and provides a fun and fulfilling creative outlet, giving me a fresh perspective when I return to my web design projects.