About
As a UX/UI & Product Designer and Webflow Developer, I help business leaders create user-friendly web experiences that inform, instruct, and inspire.
Skills & Services
My focus is the web, but I'm not limited to online only. I have experience designing for a wide range of traditional media, including browsers, banners, emails, apps, and social media campaigns. So, I am just as comfortable creating pitches, print ads, animations, brochures, billboards, trade shows, t-shirts, and direct mail—whatever the campaign calls for.
User Experience (UX) is more than how a user interacts with a digital screen. It's where they learn about you and where they're inspired to believe in your brand... or not. From a user's first impressions and initial interaction, to when and how they take action and entice them to return, I help product owners strategize, design, and build the specs of how people interact with a brand, site, or product.
User Interface (UI) is more than a website or app's colors, fonts, and pictures. UX is how people physically and mentally engage with your brand, product, and even your people. It's what people use to judge your value against the competition. That's why I take a holistic approach to UI, where the words and phrases used mean as much to me as which colors and buttons go where.
You may not have expected to see Copywriting from a designer, but after writing that last paragraph above, it makes sense to mention it. The old saying about a picture being worth a thousand words... Well, the opposite is just as true sometimes. A few well-crafted words in a headline or on a button can give far more clarity than any photo or icon. I do my fair share of short-form word-smithing, but I also work with some great copywriters who are always happy to help.
Presentations are meant to attract, hold, reveal, and highlight critical information... usually in sync as the presenter speaks. Although I do get the occasional "I just need a template that follows brand standards" PowerPoint request, many are new business pitches that aim to impress and sell. Others are investor decks, where everything is on the line for the presenter, and there's a tiny 3-5-minute window to pitch. In every case, the "deck" is a critical part of the presentation. I help presenters refine their message and present it succinctly.
Illustration has been described as punctuation or even shorthand for storytelling. I agree. Kids are usually amazed, and I'm even surprised sometimes when I tell people I draw for a living. Okay, maybe it's not my full-time gig, but still... I love it when I'm asked to illustrate an icon or infographic.
Photography has always fascinated me. When I first started in design, I hired the best photographers a project's budget could afford and studied everything about their process. Later, with smaller budgets, I started experimenting with my own camera, lights, and eventually a full-blown studio. Those experiments led to a portfolio of passion projects—some paid, all fun.
Development
I'm lucky to have worked with some of the best and brightest programmers, developers, and engineers to build intelligent websites, progressive web apps, and hybrid and native mobile apps. I'm always eager to work with a team of front-end or back-end wizards when the opportunity comes up.
But not every web project needs that kind of heavy lifting. It could be a matter of smaller scope or simply budget constraints. In either case, Webflow is my go-to platform for website development. As a designer, it gives me the freedom and flexibility to design and produce pixel-perfect, responsive websites with powerful database-driven content and hundreds or even thousands of pages without needing a big team of developers. Bonus: They provide a built-in editor that makes it easy for clients to maintain web content without me having to make changes.
Testimonials
All this fuss over little ol’ me? I’m honored.
Background
My career started in traditional advertising, marketing, and PR campaigns. After some time working on the client side and a short stint with a regional agency, I started a small agency of my own based in Nashville. We worked with national brands like Band-Aid, ExxonMobil, MIT, The Washington Post, LEGO, and National Geographic.
Being the founder of an agency was fun... for a while. Still, after a dozen years, I found myself managing insurance policies, negotiating rent, and dealing with HR issues more than the fun side of helping clients. However, after an inspiring period as a mentor with Jumpstart Foundry and the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, I sold the agency and dove head-first into hands-on product design.
Since then, I have worked with teams (mainly as an independent contractor but sometimes as a shareholder) to facilitate strategy, design, and manage web-based SaaS products, apps, and creative campaigns.
Recogition
I have been honored to receive some nice accolades, including 75+ American Advertising Federation Addy awards, 50+ American Graphic Design Awards, 5 AIGA CASE Awards, a Telly, and Communication Arts website of the week.
In addition to winning awards for my work, I have served as a judge in multiple local, district, regional, and national American Advertising Awards competitions across the US.
Speaking of awards... while working with a team of talented tech people, we were awarded three patents for Mobile Content and Metadata Management and Beacon-Implemented System for Mobile Content Management.
Visit my LinkedIn profile to learn more about my professional experience as a Designer, Art Director, Creative Director, Product Designer, CXO, and CEO.
Location (Remote)
Long before the world hopped on Zoom, I have been working remotely with teams across the United States and Europe. Still, most of my work has been in the Nashville market, near home.
Occasionally, I’ll take on a role that requires me to be on location. Sometimes, it’s just a short drive, a quick flight, or a few days stay. But in most cases, with a fast web connection, I’ve proven that I can be far more productive as a remote team member, camped right here in my Bowling Green, Kentucky studio.
Software
Tools aren’t substitutes for creative and critical thinking, but it helps to be proficient in the right tool for the job. I use tools like email, Slack, and Teams for communication - Trello, Monday, or Asana for project management - and Google Analytics and SEMRUSH for analytics and auditsStill, those aren’t the tools I use to make things look good and function like they should.
Here’s a quick list of tools I use for design and production.
★★★★★ - My application of choice for UX/UI design, illustration, and prototyping.
★★★★★ - My platform of choice when building a website.
★★★★★ - Expert user since version 1.0.
★★★★★ - Expert user since version 1.0.
★★★★★ - Expert user since version 1.0.
★★★☆☆ - Comfortable using it daily if needed for UX/UI design and prototyping. It feels like a definite contender if Figma loses it’s footing as king of the hill.
★★★☆☆ - Comfortable using it daily if needed for UX/UI design and prototyping.
★★★★☆ - Comfortable using it daily if needed for animating and prototyping.
★★★☆☆ - Comfortable using it daily if needed for animating and prototyping.
★★☆☆☆ - I love this tool. I just need an excuse to use it for something more than tinkering.
★★☆☆☆ - I don’t use it often enough to claim proficiency, but I love animating when I get the opportunity.
There are many other excellent tools available. I have tried many. While you may not see a particular app on the list, I am comfortable adapting to new tools and processes when needed.
The Webflow community is growing fast and I am constantly finding new and useful enhancements, including Relume, Web Bae's customs, and Finsweet's suite of goodies. By the time you read this, I'm certain there has been a new crop of utilities that will help enhance the experience of building in Webflow.
