It's about the journey...
Start Here Designs is as much about my personal journey as it is about my career goals. The name came about through some deep soul-searching I did for a self-branding project and symbolizes my devotion to optimism, positive social change and personal growth.
I specialize in design, branding and development for the web, however I also offer design for print. In addition to challenging myself with creative problems and doing good work for my clients, I also hope to promote productive ideas with my work and help people start their own journeys.
Design
I specialize in web design, including layout, graphics, user experience and consideration for the coder down the line (my copywriting skills are pretty rad too). I can adopt any web design system for print, and vice versa.
Branding
I offer brand consulting and design from the bottom up, including solidifying your story, market strategy, voice, naming, logo and advertising design.
Web Development
That coding has been my hobby since 8th grade is proof of my love for it. My skills in HTML and CSS will provide all basic layout and functionality for your site with attention to SEO, semantic markup, W3C standards and accessibility.
topResume
Download/ Print:
Work Experience
See my client list for groups I've contracted with in the short term.
Ameritocracy, Inc | Seattle, WA
April 2008 to Present
Creative Director
I began helping to ideate this product in 2007, and in 2008 cofounded Ameritocracy. Since we have such a small team, my responsibilities have included product development, branding, design, front end development, copy, marketing and advertising design. Trying to get a Seattle start-up off the ground has been an invaluable experience for me and I'm incredibly proud to be part of a venture that seeks to improve people's lives.
Delve Networks | Seattle, WA
January 2008 to March 2008
Branding and User Interface Design
My short stint at Delve Networks was nonetheless a great opportunity to reinforce my skills in UI design for complex (in this case Adobe Flex) applications.
3Guppies | Seattle, WA
September 2006 to December 2009
Front End Web Development
Working at 3Guppies was a massive learning experience in web 2.0 philosophy, semantic markup and website rebranding. I provided the majority of HTML and CSS, and made meaningful contributions to product development, brand direction, design, and copy.
Education
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY | May 2006 | 3.8 GPA
BFA in Graphic Design
Concentrations in Japanese and Sociology
SUNY New Paltz
New Paltz, NY | 2002
Graphic Design
Kapi'olani Community College
Honolulu, HI | 2003
New Media
Toolbox
Write: HTML/XHTML + CSS2
Read: Smarty, Ruby on Rails, JavaScript
!important: Accessibility, Semantic Markup, XHTML Standards, Browser Compatibility, SEO
Software: Code in jEdit, visualise in Photoshop/ Illustrator. Primarily a PC/Win user with Ubuntu and Mac experience.
Honors
RIT/HUMBER Design Charrette 2006
3rd Place
This was a four-day intensive flash project with a group of three other students. I took the initiative to steer our rushed ideation process and took care of our digital imaging, html and css.
National Paperbox Association Student Competition 2006
2nd Place
I designed and built by hand a high-end collectible sports card package with a 19th-century sumo theme.
Ambitions
Socially Conscious Design
Design is by nature a one-way social exchange and has the power to deeply affect people with a given message. The idea behind "socially conscious design" is that because most people can't exactly opt out of this experience, designers and their clients need to take some responsibility for this power and consider the effects of their actions. I know I'm a party crumb for even bringing it up, but I'm of the mind that limitations are a boon to design.
What this means to me is not just taking some responsibility for the message you're sending, but also refusing to settle for time-honored yet too-simple solutions to design problems (putting an attractive woman in a beer commercial might be one example). I think these conceptual crutches hinder our creativity and social progress, and my goal as a designer is to seek out brilliant solutions to design problems that also happen to be healthier for society.
Social Software
Internet technology has been a game-changer. The introduction of user-generated and open source systems on the internet has shown that not only do regular people have something to offer, but we can really deliver. Citizens of the world are no longer passive consumers but passionate creators. People want to be heard and they want to contribute, and this kind of participation is absolutely key to a truly democratic society.
I think we're in the middle of a historical milestone, made even more exciting by the current push in government to be more transparent, participatory, and responsive. New social and civic technologies are showing us the tangible benefits of living in a hyperconnected world and the enormous potential for people to improve society by working together in new ways. I'm humbled to be one of the many builders of this new era.
