Design director.
Creative instigator.
Among other things.
Hi, I’m Jon.
I’m a seasoned design leader focused on product and brand development. I’ve led multidisciplinary design teams to deliver strategic, user-centered, and delightfully designed platform and brand experiences in both web and mobile technologies. Together with product, engineering, and marketing leads, I work across organizations and customer bases to seek out user pain points and drive quick, intuitive solutions that achieve business goals.
For over 18 years, I have been engrossed in digital delivery for B2B and B2C clients of all business verticals and scale. Though the delivery channel may change, the driving force behind my passion remains a constant: Creating purposeful human interaction through digital technology. This drive, along with the development of an acute strategic approach, has fueled my career growth encompassing design-thinking methodologies and principles along the way.
ibble / Principal, Design Consultant
ibble started out at the beginning of 2019 as an early-stage fintech app designed to help novice investors learn about the in and outs of stock market trading. By 2020, the company pivoted off the back of a substantial seed-round raise and lunged into the world of social media. I helped the founders navigate the journey between product visions and supplied the backdrop to build a new brand worthy of its mission.
YouEarnedIt / Director of Product Design
Elevating an already-established design from good to great takes time, patience, and just the right amount of evangelism. As the Director of Product Design at YouEarnedIt, I helped establish a well-rounded product design team, bringing a design-thinking approach to the product and the business. Throughout the process I worked with team leads and executive members to advance design’s perception as a capable and integral part of the business.
Otto / Product Designer
Sometimes you can be inspired in the most unexpected ways. Over the course of a weekend, I designed Otto, an artificial intelligence powering the operating system of an autonomous vehicle. Leveraging gestural and voice recognition, Otto serves as a virtual “travel companion” while you venture out onto the open road. This project concept explores key visuals and interactions that help navigate the in-car experience.
Klink Life / Principal, Design Consultant
Startup mobile application Klink Life was a social media product in search of an interface. Getting the product MVP off the ground required a distillation of core product features that would set the foundation for user growth. I worked with KL’s leadership team to define and design the scope of the MVP, create a compelling user interface, and form a lively brand identity to anchor the experience.
Rithmio Edge / Principal, Design Consultant
Chicago-based Rithmio, a technology company that creates motion-based wearables and connected clothing, needed to craft a dynamic brand experience around their flagship mobile and wearable application. I worked with their executive team to explore naming and identity visualizations to help bring their product to life.
YouTube Kids / Creative Director
While serving as Creative Director at Chaotic Moon, my team crafted a brand and UX tablet concept around YouTube's upcoming mobile app, YouTube Kids. A 2-week turnaround meant rapid discovery and ideation, leaving the remaining time to bring our concept to life. We focused in 3 critical areas: user research, brand design, and key user interfaces, leveraging the world's most renowned expert on child development, Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development to create our guiding principles.
All work and no play makes Jon a dull boy.
I have a creative mind and a playful heart. I love to travel, watch movies, read, debate, and create with my hands. If I’m not dreaming up an idea, then I’m working on my house. I appreciate the beauty of all things, as well as the opportunities that arise from pain and discomfort. My wife keeps me on my toes. My kids spark my imagination. My dog… ok, I don’t have a dog, but if I did it would have a say in this. My personality is rooted in dry humor and witty sarcasm. I enjoy a proper adult beverage paired with the smooth vocal stylings of Steve Perry (don’t judge).
Resume
ExperienceUmbrage / Design Principal
February 2024 – Present
Prophet / Experience Director
July 2022 – February 2024
Cratejoy / Vice President of Design
May 2021 – July 2022
Mediumjon.com / Principal
January 2019 – May 2021
YouEarnedIt / Director of Product Design
October 2016 – January 2019
Mediumjon.com / Principal
May 2014 – October 2016
Chaotic Moon / Creative Director
June 2013 – May 2014
Dedo Interactive/ Creative Director
April 2012 – June 2013
Somnio Solutions / Creative Director
September 2011 – April 2012
The Cimarron Group / Creative Director
March 2011 – September 2011
Dedo Interactive / Creative Director
October 2009 – March 2011
Blockdot / Senior Art Director
April 2007 – October 2009
Insite Interactive / Senior Art Director
September 2005 – April 2007
Mosaic Creative / Art Director
October 2002 – September 2005
EducationCollin College / Applied Graphic Design Technology
2002
ClientsBNSF Railway
Caesars Entertainment
CataBoom
Center for Brain Health (UT Dallas)
Cisco
Cratejoy
Deloitte
DFW International Airport
Disney Pixar
Fannie Mae
Frito Lay
General Motors
Hewlett-Packard
HPS Partners
ITW Automotive
Keller Williams
KFC
LEGO®
MGM Resorts International
Microsoft
Mineral
NBC Universal
National Instruments
NEC
Neiman Marcus
Northrup Grumman
Paramount Pictures
PENN Entertainment
Procter & Gamble
PwC
Rithmio
The Dallas Morning News
Unilever
U.S. Air Force
Village Roadshow Pictures
Vodafone