Fast Company
OVERVIEW - I was assigned to create a first-ever digital lander to increase awareness for all events Fast Company produces in order to develop an audience for upcoming events. The lander had to showcase the Fast Company event experience and serve as a single place our audience can go to register for events and consume past event video content. I compiled competitor use cases and produced product research for optimal calendar experiences. The Product Team received a long list of requirements we needed to deliver and I had to figure out how to execute an experience that wasn’t complicated for our users.
After producing multiple versions of wireframes with a mobile-first approach, we were able to narrow it down and I created prototypes for user testing. We learned, as I already assumed, that we had to take a much simpler approach. I designed an experience that simplified the user journey by only keeping the necessary tags visible for the event and video components so we can direct users to take action quicker.
Overall, I’m happy with the experience we launched. It was the first product we produced with AI integration that produces transcripts for video content. We will continue to optimize the experience as we gather data that will help inform our approach for executing a similar experience for Inc. in the future.
MY ROLE - Creative direction, lead product designer, UI/UX, prototyping, product research
INC. + FAST COMPANY
PROJECT OVERVIEW - I’ve integrated my marketing experience into our project workflow and I grew my leadership responsibilities within my team. In addition to my overall design responsibilities, I am the design lead and manage all design requests for RFPs. I work directly with our Pre-sales and Integrated Marketing Teams to mockup concepts that assist in pushing sales forward. Here are some examples of the work I’ve produced.
MY ROLE - Creative direction, lead designer
JOE ZEFF DESIGN, for Time Magazine
PROJECT OVERVIEW - The JZD staff posted up in TIME’s offices for three weeks to develop a new tablet experience. We worked closely with the magazine's editors, designers and producers, using their impactful portraits and interviews of 40 men and women. This project became an award-winning example of how publishers could tell stories in new ways, allowing users to immerse themselves and interact with the content.
MY ROLE - App development, assistant designer, assistant UI/UX designer
AWARDS - (2) 2011 Society of Publication Designers Gold medal in Tablet App
INC.
OVERVIEW - I was tasked to update the Inc. Must Reads newsletter design to match the current site design. You can tell right away from the BEFORE image that the newsletter was not on-brand to begin with, so getting the design on-brand was the first step.
This particular newsletter had a lower CTR than most other newsletters produced, so the primary goal of this redesign was to increase that. We already knew that simply adding “Read More” CTAs and buttons would increase our CTR by 3%, so adding those into the design was paramount. Being more direct and instructional with our audience was the way to go for us.
MY ROLE - Creative direction, lead designer
EXPRESS
PROJECT OVERVIEW - In-store shopping has been steadily declining and it takes new ideas to revive the customer experience. With a new store opening in Denver, we were tasked to create a store experience catered to the Denver customer for holiday shopping. I led the implementation of a front-of-store product customization idea, bringing in local artist group, SO-GNAR, to come into the store on weekends to add their artwork to products purchased by customers. I also brought in local artists Kirileigh Jones and Chris Haven to showcase their work and blend the concept throughout the whole space. Overall, we brought in more sales to the store and customers loved getting custom pieces. See the write up in 303 Magazine here.
MY ROLE - Concept, C-level project presentations, art direction, project management, video direction, photo production, talent management, digital marketing
PHOTOS | Provided by Express.
FROM TOP | So-Gnar’s Pat Milbery and Pat McKinney create one-of-a-kind pieces at the front-of-store EXP DIY table. Locker decal artwork by Chris Haven. Mural by Kirileigh Jones.
EXPRESS
OVERVIEW - With over 3.2 billion social media users, it’s no surprise that retail brands are using it as a major tool in their marketing strategies to engage with their customers. I managed Express’s 4 major social feeds and produced social-specific content for their campaigns that engaged directly with their followers.
MY ROLE - Concepting, social strategy, content mapping, photoshoot art direction, design, photo editing, asset production
EXPRESS
OVERVIEW - I concepted marketing strategies that brought editorial content to the brand with emails and blog posts. Express has traditionally been heavy on promo marketing and this was a way to grow their audience with digital storytelling that would increase CTRs, brand engagement and ultimately lead to increased sales. This strategy was a success, as editorial emails became the most opened emails by their audience in every campaign.
MY ROLE - Concepting, art direction, design, content direction, asset production
RALPH LAUREN
OVERVIEW - I was put on special projects to develop new digital experiences the company hadn’t yet done, to keep up with new technologies. The goal was to grow the audience and update the look/feel of Lauren Ralph Lauren as an elevated and trendy clothing brand. These concepts were presented to C-Level company leadership and were well-received, but were not put into production due to budget restraints.
MY ROLE - Lead designer, UI/UX, wireframes, prototyping user flow, digital marketing, C-Level concept presentations
RALPH LAUREN
OVERVIEW - I was in charge of designing and producing entire seasonal campaigns for Lauren Ralph Lauren from conception to launch. I worked with cross-functional teams to develop marketing strategies that increased sales and overall customer engagement. I produced channel-specific photo and video content, art directing shoots that were aligned with the content strategy of each campaign.
MY ROLE - Lead designer, wireframing, photoshoot art direction, C-Level project presentations
FAST COMPANY
PROJECT OVERVIEW - The pandemic made clear that hosting and producing events had to change and virtual events have become the norm for us at Inc. + Fast Company. We provide unique virtual experiences that allow our audiences to still attend our amazing events when they can’t attend in-person. We continue to receive amazing feedback from our attendees and we will continue producing these experiences for the foreseeable future.
MY ROLE - Creative direction, UI/UX
JOE ZEFF DESIGN, for George Steinmetz
PROJECT OVERVIEW - We worked directly with acclaimed National Geographic contributor, George Steinmetz, to design and develop an iPad app that allowed users to interact with photography in a new way.
MY ROLE - App development, assistant designer, photo editing, project management
AWARDS - 2011 Society of Publication Designers Merit Award for Tablet App (not associated with a print brand)
THE NORMAL BRAND
OVERVIEW - The 2-yr-old company knew who they were as a brand but needed help growing their brand awareness into new markets. I was a one-person team that came up with seasonal marketing strategies to be more thoughtful and strategic to their business goals. I implemented 3/wk email cadences, social media posting and advertising campaigns, weekly blog content, digital lookbooks and updating their site experience to be consistent with all other marketing touchpoints.
MY ROLE - Creative director, marketing strategy, design, asset production, photoshoot production and art direction, project management, content direction
PEOPLE MAGAZINE
OVERVIEW - I was a Sr. Tablet designer, helping manage a team of 4-6 freelancers to redesign the weekly print magazine to a fully interactive tablet experience in 3 days every week. I designed most of the feature well and various front of book articles. I helped research UX best practices for interactive publications and helped improve the overall UI of the app as users became more familiar with the experience. I was also the lead tablet designer for Special Issues outside the weekly publication. I designed entire issues with full interactivity and ran through all QAs before launching the issues in the app store.
MY ROLE - Lead designer, team management, UI/UX design, app QA, Adobe DPS software liaison
JOE ZEFF DESIGN, for Geoff Keighley
PROJECT OVERVIEW - We worked directly with gaming journalist and host of Spike’s GameTrailers TV, Geoff Keighley, to design and develop an iPad app for a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of one of the most anticipated games to launch from Valve Software. We turned his 15,000-word manuscript into an interactive experience.
MY ROLE - App development, assistant designer, project management
AWARDS - 2011 Society of Publication Designers Merit Award for Tablet App (not associated with a print brand)
CIRRUSMD
OVERVIEW - I executed CirrusMD’s first, high-quality product video that was utilized for the company’s first-ever video ad campaign. Within the first week of launching multiple digital awareness campaigns, CirrusMD received over 25k views. I created the overall strategy and goals for the video that led to a focused storyline that hit all the right marks with CirrusMD’s mission/vision and has been well-received both internally and externally. I worked with a production company to create the videos, and I managed the whole project from ideation to campaign launch.
MY ROLE - Strategic planning, project management, art direction, campaign planning
BLKDG, for client
PROJECT OVERVIEW - Prior to this project, I began learning Sketch and this was an opportunity to immerse myself into a new design program. I was hired to design homepage concepts for a client of theirs. Their client needed a site that truly reflected what they do and their company culture, attracting new talent and growing new business. After I was given a site discovery questionnaire filled-out by the client and given to me by BLKDG, I completed research of the client’s visual tastes, its competitors, and their specific needs. I came up with 3 concepts and the ideas that I presented were utilized for the final site that’s live today. You can view the live site here.
MY ROLE - Creative direction, UI/UX, design research, wireframing, concepting