“…now go, find your team, and get to work.”
Leslie Knope, fictitious character
CREATIVE DIRECTION & DESIGN
I am all about the team; and I’m wildly passionate about the business of brand and design. I strive to build award-winning teams that can experiment in a safe, conceptual atmosphere; teams that can embrace serendipity and uncertainty while pushing boundaries. To succeed in building a healthy brand and healthy team, I take very seriously the growth of creatives, smooth processes and collaboration with our colleagues. Egos are checked at the door, ears are open, sleeves are rolled up and the team gets to work with a service-first attitude.
I love what I do! Gotta recognize the privilege and blessing of loving your job. I was trained traditionally in identity, branding and print; I was surprised when I landed at an agency alongside new media artists, architects, and industrial designers doing graphics for installation, interiors and events. This sparked a fierce love for environmentally immersive design. From there… naturally I said I’d never work in-house for a single brand (especially in high tech). Whelp, never say never – through a trusted mentor, I had the opportunity for a freelance contract with Aruba Networks. My opinions of in-house design and Silicon Valley high-tech were forever challenged and changed.
Working in-house means knowing your brand, customers, products and competition intimately. Clients are your colleagues. You have your hands in everything from concept through completion – and I mean EVERYTHING. A functional in-house team is a force made of incredibly sharp, versatile humans capable of high-level execution. A team responsible for conceptual development, campaigns, collateral, web design, event branding, environmental design (woot woot!), packaging, multimedia, interactive media, industrial design, etc.
In 2012 I entered the world of high tech for a trial six-month contract. I said I’d stay as long as I was on a great team, creating work that makes us proud. Over 15 years later, I’m still in this industry, serving as Creative Director. I even have a subscription to Wired (that I read for fun… what?!). I’m so glad that I was willing to listen to my mentors, be open and try something scary and uncomfortable — it was a career-defining move that exposed me to brilliant people and changed my life.
Info
LOCATION
Los Angeles, California
EDUCATION
BFA, Graphic Design
Academy of Art University, 2005
SKILLS
Business: Branding • Conceptual Execution • Identity Systems • Style and Branding Guidelines
Cross Discipline Design Specialities:
Web • Digital Platforms • Print • Identity • Environmental Graphics • Typography • Color Theory
Software: Adobe Creative Cloud Suite • Figma • Project Management Software • MS Suite
Soft Skills: Servant-first Leadership • Bridge-builder • Diplomacy • Empathy
NOTABLE
Named a 2022 “Creative to Watch” by GDUSA Magazine. Read the article here