December 2016 - AUGUST 2019

UPSIDE BUSINESS TRAVEL

Washington, DC
Creative Director /
August 2017 – August 2019
Director Product Design / December 2016 – August 2017

Upside is a D.C.-based startup from the founders of Priceline.com.

Developed, refined, and continually stewarded Upside’s Brand Guidelines, including a modern functional color palette, mobile-friendly typography, and consistent photo direction. The guidelines covered all brand-related touchpoints, from product design, to television ads, to print, and beyond.

Refined the original Upside.com booking experience for the initial product launch. I worked alongside product managers, engineers, and developers to understand their pre-launch challenges, and responded to user research to remove friction for customers.

Provided design direction and feedback on environmental, print, transit, social, and television campaigns to ensure brand and creative consistency with our digital product.

Created a white-label version of Upside for The Wall Street Journal Business Travel Service. I created a design solution that retained the sprit of Upside’s brand with the tradition of The Wall Street Journal’s aesthetic. In addition to designing the white label product, I adapted the design effort into full-page print WSJ ads, as well as digital display ads.

Partnered with people operations team to create a brand-centric corporate culture. I created branded environmental elements, corporate OKR and values posters, office and conference room signage, promotional items, swag, and other collateral as needed.

Led an extensive rebranding exercise, including design research, generation of 350+ names and dozens of identity design executions.

Worked with the marketing and social media team to design and build a rapid-response display ad framework to meet the team’s real-time content needs.

Supported the client acquisition team by assessing and designing for their needs. This included an animated product explanation video, collateral materials, and more.


May 2014 - December 2016

CustomInk

Fairfax, VA
Product Design Lead
Brand Leadership Team Member

Led design for cross-functional teams to create, iterate, test, and launch new experiences based on extensive user research. 

Worked with C-level executives on creative and engaging ways to evolve the brand as part of the Brand Leadership Team.

Improved user experiences and increased successful customer transactions, while ensuring brand consistency throughout the customer’s buying journey. 

Provided visual design strategies for the following customer initiatives:

• Design Lab redesign, including modular typography scale, specifications and style guide  
• Online product catalog streamlining and modernization
• Multi-item ordering process, research, and design 
• Homepage megamenu design to increase usability and conversion
• College licensing experience featuring school search, and school approved art
• Online chat support interface


December 2009 - May 2014    

Marriott International

Bethesda, MD
Senior Design Manager, eCommerce User Experience

Creative Director and Manager of an eight-person team responsible for the production of promotional communications for Marriott’s portfolio of 15 hotel brands. 

Design Lead for the adaptation and implementation of a new digital design system for the Marriott Hotel Websites platform. This design effort helped drive brand and design consistency across 4,000+ individual hotel property sites.

Led the design and UX for key projects and initiatives including:

• Marriott.com homepage
• On-property WiFi sign-in process for all brands
• Autograph Collection, JW Marriott and AC Hotels brand sites
• Marriott Food & Beverage Group promotional site 
• Marriott International Corporate Facebook presence

Additional responsibilities included creative process improvement, maintaining working relationships with external creative agencies, and providing creative mentorship and career guidance to my team.


September 2012 – December 2012

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA
Adjunct Professor, Introduction to Web Design

Provided in-class instruction to students on web design and UX best practices.


May 2009 - December 2009

Emagination

Baltimore, MD
Creative Director

Led a team of four designers in the development of websites, applications and brand identities. Responsibilities included an on-site client engagement with ITT to oversee user interface and icon design for a web-based DoD application. 

Collaborated with the Director of User Experience on persona development, information architecture and wireframes for a range of clients.


October 2008 - Present

Hoby Albright Creative Services

Arlington, VA
Principal

Identity development, design services, and photography for a variety of clients.


January 2006 - December 2008

idfive

Baltimore, MD
Founding Partner, Design Director

idfive was formed in 2006 by the merging of Albright, Cohen & Partners, Smartank Group, and Design by Five.

Developed scalable creative processes to streamline agency operations. Created user interfaces, online advertising, corporate identities, print advertising and collateral materials for higher education, healthcare, and financial services clients.


September 2001 - December 2005

Albright, Cohen & Partners

Baltimore, MD
Partner, Design Director

Albright, Cohen & Partners provided creative, interactive, and print communications services. As an owner and business partner, I built and maintained lasting client relationships. 

Led design activities, provided creative direction to designers and developers, provided project management and activities necessary to the business operation.


1996 - 2001

TBC ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

Baltimore, MD
Associate Creative Director


1989

virginia commonwealth university

Richmond, VA
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Communication Arts & Design