Design Whisperer
Idea Man
Versatile
CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR:
With years of experience spanning Fortune and Forbes clients as well as smaller businesses across multiple industries and markets, I’ve worked on both sides of the design world — traditional creative and UX. The truth is they’re not rivals. Creative thinking makes experiences memorable, and UX makes them work. Having both perspectives means you’re not solving half the problem.
Tech skills? Got ’em. Experience to get it done right the first time? Definitely. But the real advantage is understanding the goals behind the work, the people who will use it, and how to collaborate with the teams bringing it to life — while staying calm when projects take the occasional scenic route.
The case studies below show how that balance plays out in real projects — where creative thinking and UX strategy work together to solve problems, improve experiences, and produce results that actually move the needle.
• Increased revenue 270% at a global Shell event
• Long-standing translator between business goals and creative execution
• AI-fluent, but realistic about what it can, and can’t replace
• Directed and edited 24 hours of training content in one sprint
• Saved a retail client $12K by recommending the obvious: shoot in-house
• Built 96 storyboards so leadership could finally see the user journey
Graphic DesignWoah! Yes, I was actually designing a year before Photoshop was released. What a benefit to know how the industry has evolved, especially digitally, because I've been there. And still am.
Art DirectorArt direction is definitely a collaborative effort, when done right. Sometimes, too many just take a project over instead of guiding, informing and helping designers. But not me!
Video ProductionThere's a lot to do when making a video. Many processes and many people involved. Over my career, I've produced, written scripts, story boarded, art directed, shot, edited, animated and added motion graphics for many compaines.
UXThe pinnacle of collaboration. I've been able to work within the many processes that makeup what is user experience. But, it's actually the core of good design and has been for centuries if even not actually recognized as "UX"
Adobe Creative SuiteIllustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, PremierPro, InDesign, AcrobatBesides those core that we all know (or should), I also have used XD, Dreamweaver, Audition and dipped into numerous others. I mean, it is the "Suite"..right?
Web Developer-ishI did my first site in 1997 with the help of the one book on the shelves at that time. It's mainly been front-end dev, but I've toyed with databases and tried to compile some stuff once. Drupal wasn't fun, but I get around and Wordpress is the most recent CMS. However, for e-commece sites, Shopify has been the focus lately.
MarketingMarketing is loaded with branding, design, identity, advertising and positioning. How? A product or service with the best designed, efficient and beautiful experience for the user will not generate any revenue if nobody knows about it. Sometimes, the creative teams, developer/engineering teams forget that. Not me!
Humans!What a smack in the face to humans to refer to communication as 'soft skills'. So I don't see them as such. I love collaboration, mentoring, pushing a team forward or clearing that blocker when I can. I'm constantly learning, sharing, teaching. Rinse and repeat.
Lead Full-Stack Software Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover North America
"Professional depth, or the mastery of a skill, is a necessity for any leader. Kelly is a leader who possesses both depth and breadth. From creative strategy to corporate branding to visual design, Kelly is that rare individual who can offer the proof of a portfolio as opposed to the promise of a resumé."
Director and Head of UX Research at New Relic
In the short time that I've worked with Kelly, he's demonstrated great leadership and work ethic. Kelly provided the team with ample UX collateral and animations that drove feature proposals home with stakeholders. He was always willing to take on projects that benefit projects and the team.
Head of Global Technology, Ford Motor Company - VP / CPO - Engineering & Product
Through Kelly's creative and technical acumen, he has contributed to many projects as both a team member and a team lead. He has fostered great relationships between co-workers and vendors and builds on those relationships to help ensure success throughout project completion.
Principal & Creative at Olive + Spark Design Studio
"Kelly is one of the most creative and versatile designers I've ever had pleasure of working under. His common sense and great personality helped make him a strong creative director as well as an amazing hands-on designer. He is a master at seeing the overall picture but never missing the small details in every project."
Agile Coach | Scrum Master | Solutions Architect | Product Manager (PO)
Kelly is an outstanding individual with a vast knowledge in his field. He possesses a great work ethic and morals for his work and fellow co-workers. I see Kelly as a leader amongst his peers with his ability to communicate, share, train, assess a situation, and act upon these qualities being an individual with innate leadership quality. Any organization that has the opportunity to involve Kelly and his abilities will be truly fortunate.
Digital Product Manager at USAA
I had the privilege of working with Kelly at Charles Schwab. He is a unique find in advertising and marketing: flexible, very experienced, driven by creative excellence, and very down to earth. He is one of the best creative thinkers that I have ever worked with, and can quickly digest, distill and communicate even the most complex creative solutions. He can develop highly impactful creative, can execute AND direct campaigns that provide incredible ROI - and THAT keeps the suits happy.
