I am a non-award-winning (It's all politics and I never submit anyways. I'm not bitter.) designer, leader, and somewhat of a front-end developer.
Right now I work at the convergence of operations, branding, marketing, and systems/operations. That is a few ten-dollar words to just say I help companies build their branding, and organize and operationalize it.
I am a designer with many moons of experience. If I am being honest, I lost count of how many years. Starting with a pirated version of Adobe Photoshop and making materials for various bands I was in during my early 20s, I learned some early on-set soft skills. Some of these skills being client management, and others including learning the hard way about the necessity of a contract in a freelance working relationship.
Throughout my career, I have been fortunate-enough to work for some great companies to help them to grow through design, strategy, and systematic development.
When not plopped down in front of a computer hitting command + k in Figma, or in VSCODE you can typically find me reading, playing guitar, working out, or complaining that my knees are sore (most likely from working out).
I have not hit the "smoking meat" phase of life. Yet. Though... I do have some Aaron Franklin and Matty Matheson cookbooks.
Thanks, Chef.
Work Experience
Alight Solutions
Design System Lead | Brand
2022 — Now
- Branding and Design System
- Build, maintain, and develop reusable UI components that ensure brand consistency across all digital experiences.
- Collaborate with designers and developers to define and implement design system standards for colors, typography, imagery, icons, and other branding elements.
- Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for the design system, including usage guidelines, code snippets, and best practices.
- Conduct regular audits of the design system to identify areas for improvement and ensure continued alignment with brand guidelines.
- Front-End Development
- Develop front-end code for marketing emails and landing pages using the established design system components.
- Ensure code is optimized for performance, accessibility, and responsiveness across different devices.
- Branding Asset & Template Management
- Operationalize branding assets and templates by creating a centralized library with clear version control and usage guidelines.
- Develop processes for requesting and approving new branding assets to maintain brand consistency.
- Partner with marketing and design teams to ensure easy access and utilization of branded assets.
- Communication & Collaboration
- Proactively communicate design system updates, best practices, and resources to designers, developers, and other stakeholders.
- Proactively communicate design system updates, best practices, and resources to designers, developers, and other stakeholders.
- Proactively communicate design system updates, best practices, and resources to designers, developers, and other stakeholders.
Princeton Mortgage
Senior Art Director
2021 — 2022
- Lead a team of 10 to consistent and cohesive branding
- Develop internal and external facing design systems
- Design and develop large scale branding systems
- Develop large scale SASS-based component system
- Structure project management system for a department of 40+ people
- Design and build large scale email campaigns
CrossCountry Mortgage
Senior Art Director
2019 — 2022
- Lead a team of 10 to consistent and cohesive branding
- Develop internal and external facing design systems
- Design and develop large scale branding systems
- Develop large scale SASS-based component system
- Structure project management system for a department of 40+ people
- Design and build large scale email campaigns
©2024 Ryan Underwood