Resume

What I do...

Visual communication and user interface designer with eight years experience across a wide variety of organizations and industries. Strong style focused on clean, usable aesthetics and interaction. Seeking a position demanding my versatility for working across platforms and media to deliver compelling, brand-focused applications and marketing communications.

I Know...

Creative:

• University-level training and extensive work in two-dimensional design across media and platforms.
• Proficiency in industry-standard tools: Photoshop, Fireworks, Flash, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Freehand, PageMaker, QuarkXPress, InDesign, OmniGraffle/Visio.
• Specialty in producing work within brand standards as well as developing brand guidelines and identity materials.
• Experience in working with managing vendors to ensure quality and consistency across print, apparel, signage, etc.

User Experience:

• Solid experience with principles of information architecture, such as wireframing, developing taxonomies and creating taskflows. Know and use Garrett-style diagramming techniques.
• Semantic, standards-based, minimal markup— Emphasizing reusability, real accessibility and unobtrusive scripting.
• Application design using various holistic UX schemes, including Windows Vista user experience guidelines.
• Prototyping for usability studies— on paper, static photoshop comps and HTML.

Geek:

• Expert knowledge of (X)HTML and CSS1/2; intermediate experience in JavaScript/DHTML/Ajax, XML/XSLT, PHP and MySQL
• Familiar with many content management/automation/templating systems such as HTML::Mason, WordPress, Movable Type and Drupal.
• Intermediate work with Apache configuration and administration, including working with modules and installing/configuring server-based packages. Basic knowledge of IIS configuration.
• Some experience with UNIX system administration on Mac OS X and Linux. Proficiency in usual desktop operating systems and their quirks, including Mac OS X, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Linux.

But Wait, There's More!

• Formal training in fine art drawing, painting and photography.
• Professional and amateur work as stagehand, electrician, costume technician. Some training in scenography and lighting design.
• Studio photography and black-and-white darkroom experience.
• Familiar with non-linear video editing and authoring technologies (Final Cut Pro, Premiere, After Effects, QuickTime, Flash Video)

I learned...

• Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, History of Art, Purchase College (May 2002). Focus on Neo-Dada and African art.
• Tutorials on Linux System Administration, Computer Security (taught by Avi Rubin) and PHP (taught by Rasmus Lerdorf) at the USENIX 15th System Administration Conference.

I worked...

May 2008-
Product Designer III, Management & Administration Experience (MAX)
Microsoft (Through Sakson & Taylor), Redmond, WA

Just starting, I will be working on the UX of the next version of System Center Essentials.

March 2007-March 2008
User Interface Designer & Information Architect
WatchGuard, Seattle, WA

Lead visual and interaction design and information architecture for all areas of WatchGuard's website, with special emphasis on pre-sales marketing, e-commerce, web applications and channel partner resources. Focus on streamlining & reducing content, revamping visuals & typography and creating reusable design & interaction patterns. Key accomplishments:

Pre-sales marketing:

• Designed a major overhaul to the visual presentation of all WatchGuard web properties, to emphasize and synchronize with a corporate rebranding
• Twice iterated on information design of product information section to simplify explanation to new potential end users and reduce ongoing maintenance
• Introduced bold "Shouts" to draw traffic from the home page to specific featured content
• Created new information architecture and strong visuals to improve findability for the LiveSecurity Service's editorial content, the "Learning Lab"

E-commerce:

• Redesigned the WatchGuard online store to utilize third-party commerce engine. Completed interaction design of the checkout process and catalog and revamped IA of product catalog
• Developed a system of icons for WatchGuard's non-physical products, such as security subscription services and add-ons

Web applications:

• Participated in a drive to increase product renewal activation through developing a distinct icon, channel partner education and localization
• Developed initial workflows and wireframes for a major second-generation version of a quote generation application, emphasizing a Web 2.0-style interaction
• Participated in revising existing UI to increase site performance

Channel partner resources:

• Designed a web-based Product Specifier to allow Partners and DMR salespeople to quickly compare WatchGuard products and services, with a special emphasis on presenting a thorough competitive analysis.
• Led the design of the "Mail-o-Matic," an application which allows channel partners to create customized e-mail communications based around WatchGuard marketing campaigns

December 2006-February 2007
Product Designer, Education Products Group
Microsoft (through FILTER), Redmond, WA

As lead designer on the Student Experience Client project, I drove the interaction and visual design of a modular, gadget-style project management, time tracking and research tool application for secondary and university students.

In early planning at the time, my work on this project consisted of, among other things

• Determining features and interaction through user-centered design process
• Exploring of issues in creating an experience for both the desktop and web platforms
• Integrating features & modules into existing applications (word processors, web browsers, calendars, etc.), including work on a custom RibbonX tab for Office 12
• Illustrating use-case scenarios for the design and product teams with high-fidelity comps
• Providing visual assets for user research team

July 2006-November 2006
Product Designer, Customer Design Center
Microsoft (through FILTER), Redmond, WA

Working on Windows Live applications, most of my work centered on the Windows Live OneCare product, including

• Visual and interaction design for point and major software releases; from minor tweaks to major new features. Collaborated with feature teams, usability and copywriting experts to present solid user experience solutions to intricate problems
• Redesign of key sections of marketing website and associated graphics production. Emphasized consistency in presentation of key visual elements across media. Tackled and solved localization issues in displaying visual examples of the user interface
• Revamped client application(s) to use new Windows Aero interface style
• Designed visuals and interaction for Sidebar Gadget displaying syndicated security news, OneCare status, etc.

I also worked on OneCare Family Safety, a parental monitoring system, including client UI design and web administration console design. Finally, I assisted with numerous other projects, including Windows Live Spaces themes, Live Drive (Now SkyDrive), and contributing to the Windows Live Human Interface Guidelines.

June 2005-June 2006
Interactive Designer / Web Monkey
Copperfin, Bellevue, WA

As a hybrid designer/front-end developer, I worked on a variety of web projects for local and national clients. Interpreting FreeHand-designed layouts, creating original concepts, production, and webmaster tasks were all my responsibility. In addition, I contributed to the design and was responsible for the implementation of Copperfin's own portfolio website on the occasion of their name change and identity overhaul.

September 2004-March 2005
Web & UI Designer/Developer
Coinstar, Bellevue, WA

My major involvement with Coinstar consisted of presentational coding and graphics production of the user interface for a major software release and localizing Coinstar's website for US Spanish and UK markets. Several other interesting projects grew out of this environment:

• Worked on a prototype for the next generation of their kiosk's consumer UI, using a back-end of XML/XSLT and PHP to output static HTML with dynamic images and automatically-generated localized (US English, Spanish, French) versions
• Created a standalone CD-based demo version of the kiosk UI which uses the same front-end codebase with various DHTML tricks to mimic kiosk behavior closely, allowing the sales groups to show off new software functionality accurately and stylishly
• Maintained the US website and assisted the interactive designer in exploring options for enhancements to style & content of same, including the implementation of automated web traffic analysis software and production work for a Lotus Notes/Domino-driven extranet database of artwork

Fall 2000-Present
Freelance Graphic Designer, Web Designer,
Front-End Web Developer

• Print design and production, including identity packages, logos, advertising, merchandise, signage, etc.
• Web/interactive design and production, including design comps & storyboards, graphics production, photo editing, DHTML/CSS markup, JavaScript coding, Flash animation, information architecture and lower-level backend coding.
  Emphasis on a holistic, user-centered approach focusing on simplicity, utility and accessibility
• Notable clients: FCB Seattle, Peel Interactive, The System Administrators Guild and SAGE Certification

April 2002-Present
Art Director
League of Professional System Administrators

In an informal ongoing relationship, I design and develop brand design pieces and related collateral artwork for a nonprofit system administration group, working closely with volunteers and staff to accomplish goals. Key accomplishments:

• Created new branding system and logo for the organization, including a large library of reusable production art, web buttons/banners and other collateral, and authored an extensive branding guide
• Produced artwork for national print advertising campaign
• Designed collateral materials, including certificates, posters, postcards, brochures, shirts, etc. for marketing communications, giveaways and promotions

I get away from the computer...

Painting

Mixed-media collage exploring themes of history, identity, religion and African diaspora aesthetics: http://www.jdwelch.net/painting/

Writing

Reviews, commentaries and research on contemporary American art and architecture, neo-Dada and African art: http://www.jdwelch.net/writing/

Photography

Subjects from nature and architecture to cameraphone snapshots and an ongoing photo essay on the adventures of a precocious teddy bear: http://www.jdwelch. net/photo/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayd/

References available upon request.