Summary

  • Extensive design, UX and brand management experience

  • Experienced, effective creative team leader, coach, and mentor

  • Articulate, persuasive communicator, and relationship builder

  • Design educator and mentor

Professional Experience

AT&T / Principal, UX Design, Digital Design & User Experience / 06.2014 – present

Launched and managed the first AT&T digital design system; Developed design standards and UX best practices; Directed digital marketing programs by internal and agency partners; Engaged with stakeholders across AT&T to drive design excellence, adoption, and alignment with AT&T digital standards and best practices.

  • Led standards team in defining and developing the AT&T digital design system and content strategy for unifying AT&T digital design standards.

  • 2020 AT&T Management Development Program graduate. This program provides growth and development for high performing, high achieving employees for leadership positions.

  • Led design training programs and developed curricula for the design knowledge center; Directed initiatives for AT&T UX Center of Excellence to establish best practices, training, and raise the level of UX and design expertise across the organization.

  • Creative direction and design for numerous executive events, such as the AT&T Technology Kick-off; deliverables included video, print, and digital as well as event display booth.

AT&T / Creative Director, Creative eXperience Team / 01.2012 – 06.2014

Reporting to the Executive Director, directed creative, strategy, and UX for digital marketing programs; Creative oversight on agency partner digital marketing programs; Collaborated with business partners, Brand, and other internal teams on strategic and marketing initiatives.

  • Led and managed a multi-disciplinary creative team of 30+ designers and writers supporting display advertising, digital & social marketing programs, and new product launches.

  • Built agency oversight team for design review and approval of digital marketing and advertising programs. Developed training, best practices, and documentation to ensure alignment with digital standards, brand and design best practices.

  • Developed AT&T digital brand principles and Global Language for User Experiences (GLUE) documentation to build alignment on design philosophy across all digital experiences.

  • Created campaign strategy playbooks for marketing campaigns documenting creative concept, brand elements, templates and creative examples, and all digital assets.

  • Led audit and assessment of all AT&T digital standards and guidelines to build a unified design system for managing digital assets, patterns, code and documentation.

Kendall Ross Brand Development & Design / Principal and Creative Director / 06.2000 – 12.2011

Led the strategic and creative development of brand design programs for regional, national and international retail clients; Created an award-winning portfolio of brand identity, packaging and advertising for consumer, specialty, and luxury brands.

  • Managed growth and direction of design agency; built, lead, and mentored design team.

  • Established and maintained operational, marketing, creative and strategic benchmarks.

  • Built online digital asset and project management tool allowing clients to review and monitor their projects.

  • Created and led business pitches, developed design concepts and strategy and helped established relationship and rapport with clients; presented agency work and capabilities at industry and design events.

  • Led business development, marketing, and major client relationships; served as key client partner ensuring account growth and client satisfaction.

Adjunct Instructor — Design                                                  1995 – present

Developed class curriculum and taught numerous design courses in various institutions, such as University of Washington, School of Visual Concepts, Cornish College of the Arts, and the Rhode Island School of Design. Courses include design thinking, creative concepting, UX design, professional practices, semiotics and typography, in addition to specialties such as environmental graphic design, portfolio development, and package design. Projects emphasized research, analysis, critical thinking, presentation, and concept development. Frequent panelist, design mentor, and guest critic for student reviews and thesis presentations.

Awards

Recognized by many design and brand organizations such as the American Institute of Graphic Arts, and Design Management Institute, as well as featured in Package Design Magazine, CA, Retail Ad World and Trends.

Notable awards include:

2011    Bronze Pentaward Luxury Packaging — Doubleback Wines

2010    National Retail Hardware Association Gold Award — Wells Lamont packaging and merchandising program

2009    ReBrand 100 Global Award — Innervibe brand design and packaging

2007    Package Design Makeover Challenge Winner

Presentations

2018    Co-director & Workshop Leader, AIGA Seattle Into the Woods Creative Conference

2014    Digital Design & Web Innovation Summit — Enabling Design Pivots

2014    In-house xChange keynote presentation — Establishing Design Culture at AT&T

2008    Global Shop08 — Principals that Connect Products to People

2007    Package Design Annual Conference — The Portlock branding and package design story

2007    Direct Marketing Annual Conference — Avoiding the Magpie Effect

2007    Center for Citizen Initiatives — Connecting with Customers: Market, Tools, and the Customer

2007    Packaging Strategies — Consumer Connectivity

2007    Spokane Advertising Federation — Retail Brand Insights

2005    AIGA Colorado, Reality Check — Design Trends and Cautionary Tales

Tools

  • Design: Adobe Creative Suite, Keynote, MS Office Suite

  • UX: Sketch, InVision, Zeplin, Adobe Xd

  • Project Management: JIRA, Asana, Box

Education

Rhode Island School of Design / Master of Fine Art, summa cum laude / 1996

Thesis studies focused on signs, symbols and mark-making; the influence of the hand and tools on the formation of meaningful marks and how typographic structure influences and affects meaning and communication. Participated in seminars and workshops with Jan Van Toorn, Malcolm Grear and Nancy Skolos; Served as art director for Visible Language, a scholarly design research publication.

University of Washington / 1990

Bachelor of Fine Art, Graphic Design

Studies emphasized visual problem solving, programmatic design, identity systems, visualization, information theory, typography, exhibit and publication design. Participated in design seminars with Nihon College of Design and served as student assistant to the program.

Bachelor of Art, Japanese Language & Literature / 1990

Studies emphasized Japanese proficiency in addition to analyzing and interpreting Japanese literature to understand the history, culture and context of these works.

Nihon Diagaku, School of Art, Tokyo / Fine Art Exchange Program / 1984

Participated in year-long exchange program studying Japanese, art and design.

Professional & Service Affiliations

  • American Institute of Graphic Arts

    • Member, Board Member & Vice-President (1999 – 2003)

    • Co-director, Into the Woods creative conference

  • Design Management Institute

  • Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

    • Committee Member, Climb to Fight Cancer

  • Global Visionaries

    • Board Member (2016-2017)

Additional Skills

  • Conversational Japanese

 

Please feel free to email me or download my resume.