Hi! I'm Julian.

Unlike most professionals in my field, my journey started on a path heading straight toward a career in medicine. But despite my admiration for the sciences, my passion for design and creativity moved front and center.

I am a Graphic Designer driven to create memorable digital and visual experiences by telling stories that influence, inspire, and inform.My educational background in both Graphic Design and Integrative Neuroscience has played an important role in my ability to design with empathy and intention. A fruitful 10+ years as a graphic designer in both agency and in-house environments has allowed me to grow into a multidisciplinary problem solver.In my free time, I enjoy traveling, trying out new restaurants and food, and spending time with my loved ones. I am continuously working on my craft, and I'm always eager to tackle any creative challenge.

Work History

Education & Certificates

Pottery

Pottery has truly become a safehaven for me. I easily get lost in the craft—I love getting my hands dirty and trying to make something out of just a ball of clay. It reminds me to let go of perfection, adapt to unpredictability, and appreciate the process... and not just the end result.

Plants

Although I don't have any pets to take care of yet, I do have 25+ plants! My interest in learning about and collecting plants peaked during the pandemic and now it's almost impossible for me to leave IKEA without a new green friend. 😅

Problem

Community service advocates in the company were developing Season of Service and needed a brand identity that could be utilized for its debut campaign and annually afterwards.

Goal

Create a brand package that energizes associates, enables captivating storytelling, and celebrates positive impact for communities in need.

Results

A successful campaign with a positive impact

The campaign for the first year of Season of Service was so successful that the department made volunteer history by the end of the program. Through seamless communications and storytelling, the associate experience was positively influenced so that people not only felt good about volunteering but also were open to sharing their experiences through social channels.

Brand Identity

Awards Program

A refreshed identity for an associate awards program that provides a premium experience.

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Campaign Graphics

Associate Appreciation

A look and feel, for a new initiative, to be applied across all digital communications and printed materials.

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Problem

The current branding didn't properly live up to the "premium-level" experience the new program leaders were hoping to achieve.

Goal

Create a new version of the branding that both enhances the associate perception of the program and matches the premium-level of experience for the off-site event. The stakeholders initially wanted something completely new.

Results

A flexible design system to incorporate new themes each year

The new identity proved to be adaptable enough to include changing visuals that match the theme of the annual event. Below are examples of how the system can be utilized to alter the program storyline each year.

Campaign Graphics

Associate Appreciation

A look and feel, for a new initiative, to be applied across all digital communications and printed materials.

• View Project

UX/UI & VISUAL DESIGN

MVP Concept App

An end-to-end app concept designed to help users document their family history in a more fun, organized, and approachable way.

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Printed notecard

Receiving holiday greeting cards always makes for a festive experience. The card was used to express the leaders' appreciation to all of their associates, and included information on how to access the online shop.

UX/UI & VISUAL DESIGN

MVP Concept App

An end-to-end app concept designed to help users document their family history in a more fun, organized, and approachable way.

• View Project

UX/UI & VISUAL DESIGN

Responsive Website

A responsive e-commerce website created for a Brooklyn-based small business that is ready to expand their online presence beyond an Etsy store.

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Problem

During the span of the pandemic, everyone around the globe realized that personal and emotional human connections are precious and almost essential - especially from family. Are there tools to help create, maintain, or strengthen family bonds?

Goal

Discover how documenting family histories can benefit individuals' emotional well-being; and create an MVP that assists users on their journey to documenting such rich and complex histories—making the process more approachable and fun!

Key Pain Point 1

Existing tools and methods are time-consuming, scattered, and can be disruptive to a conversation / experience

Key Pain Point 2

All participants struggle to initiate conversations with family members—they don’t know where to start and feel unprepared

Key Pain Point 3

All participants believe that the effort is intimidating to do alone, and there must be a collaborative effort to recording their family stories in one secure location

Competitive Analysis

I assessed family-focused apps with features that would benefit users in the process of documenting family stories. My objectives were:

Storyboards

In addition to personas, I visualized two storylines in which Memory Lane would come in handy. I used this as reference points throughout the project to ensure that I was designing for the target range of needsThe tool can be designed to help the user in a variety of situations—providing positive experiences for the individual or their whole family.

Visualizing potential solutions to give users confidence to be proactive

3 main user tasks

PROTOTYPE

Key Solutions

Detailed Family Timeline with intuitive navigation to creating and documenting stories

The Timeline feature was designed to provide the most important information at a quick glance. If users wanted to dive deeper, they could easily do so.

Tagging family members with profiles

Each story entry can be tagged with family members relevant to that story. They would receive notifications upon confirmation. This tagging system supports an important filtering / sorting option for the Timeline. It also promotes an engaging, collaborative environment.

Providing conversation starters with familiar swiping gestures

Utilizing this universal design pattern allows for easy and digestible scanning through many content cards.Categories: The cards are color-coded by the type of conversation topicPre-populated Story Entries: Each conversation starter comes with suggested talking points that are then pre-populated into the writing field for the story

Intuitive Family Tree builder with rich member profiles

Providing a standard family tree chart with intuitive functionality makes it an approachable task that users want to keep returning to.Additional family member facts: Separate from the Family Timeline, these additional facts can give users a more focused lens on learning more about specific family members.

Clearing confusion with more direct language and iconography

Some participants didn't know what to expect when hitting the "View more" button on the timeline. I changed the copy to be more direct.There was also confusion on the difference between the plus icon on the main screen vs. the one in the navigation bar. I changed the icon in the navigation bar to help differentiate it from similar buttons.

User guidance for different functions

Most participants questioned the difference between Conversation Starters and Story Prompts. I added brief descriptions to help guide users to the appropriate experience.

Improving placement and color-contrast of main action buttons & text hierarchy

Some participants showed hesitation on screens where the action buttons were too close to the bottom or against darker backgroundsThe Conversation Starters needed better text hierarchy for easier scanning.

VALIDATION AND NEW INSIGHTS

After usability testing, key features proved to be very successful

The conversation starters received excellent feedback and addresses 2 major pain points

All participants conveyed that the conciseness of using the conversation starter cards would be beneficial for their needs—iniating conversations and having a collaborative experience.

Use the power of familiarity in design

Altering or avoiding familiar gestures and actions can easily disrupt a user’s experience. It’s better to include these gestures at first until testing proves them to be detrimental.

Limited prototype functionality shouldn’t limit test results

The simple question of “What did you expect to happen when you interacted with that element?” is both powerful and effective when conducting usability testing.

Potential next steps

I would continue building out the other parts of the app:

UX/UI & VISUAL DESIGN

Responsive Website

A responsive e-commerce website created for a Brooklyn-based small business that is ready to expand their online presence beyond an Etsy store.

• View Project

UX/UI & VISUAL DESIGN

E-Commerce Website

An e-commerce website for a gender-neutral fashion company with a unique virtual experience.

• View Project

Problem

Existing in competitive marketplaces like Etsy can be difficult to establish a business as a full-fledged shop. It can also force customers to be overwhelmed by the oversaturation of similar handmade products being sold.

Goal

Establish a unique online presence different from their Etsy profile—somewhere their artisans will be proud to sell their goods, as well as share their stories.

Key Pain Point 1

It has become difficult to differentiate which stores are actually small businesses of handmade products and not resellers of mass-produced items.

Key Pain Point 2

The shopping experience can get overwhelming because of the extensive amount of products to look through.

Competitive Analysis

I focused on assessing online stores that sell unique and handmade goods. My objectives were:

Storyboards

In addition to personas, I visualized the present and future states of the customer experience through storyboards. Having these assets to reference throughout the design process helped keep intentions and design priorities on track.Present State: The customer gets frustrated with spending hours on marketplaces only to buy a product that didn't meet her expectationsFuture State: The customer can easily build trust with the shop, giving them more confidence in their purchase.

DEFINE

Constructing the app architecture

With the persona's frustrations and goals in mind, I anticipated user expectations and how they would navigate the BAC website using a flowchart. Users are able to easily flow through the interface in ways that benefit their immediate shopping needs. The pages created to address the lack of trust are easily accessible and are meant to enhance the overall shopping experience.

PROTOTYPE

Key Solutions

Providing in-depth background information about each artisan

When it comes to purchasing unique goods, there is always a story to be told behind the product. My research has shown that most customers benefit from learning more about sellers. Each artisan profile gives customers full access to learn as much as they want.

Showcasing a wealth of video content that gives users an "inside look"

Being a small business owner these days often requires creating content that emotionally connects them with their customers. Giving the artisans a platform to store their content, allows them to provide customers with a more premium shopping experience.Webinar Library: A collection of educational videos that covers the breadth of the artistry and craftsmanship of handmade goods.Instagram Lives Library: An archive of social media engagements giving a peek into the artisans' more personal, "fun" side of the business.

Creating an intuitive and informative event registration flow

The key to successful event registration and engagement is ensuring attendees are well-informed about the event and able to quickly sign up.

Showing even more personality

Participants expressed even more interest in learning about the artisans, so I added sections that highlight their creative values and favorite art pieces.

Variations in types of content

Although participants liked having artisan background information to read, they expressed a preference to watching a video as an alternative to learning more about the artisan.

More touch points to access social media profiles

Test participants wondered where to access the artisans' social media profiles. I added links on each artisan-specific page, and created a share feature for the events.

Making event details more scannable

Some participants felt that the text blocks for the event details were bulky, so I broke it down into bullets and made the information easier to scan.

VALIDATION AND NEW INSIGHTS

After testing high-fidelity prototypes, key areas of focus had positive feedback with minimal changes

The design, branding, and content of the website created a warm, welcoming environment

Test participants expressed delight when navigating throughout the prototypes—exploring with confidence and ease. The main flow of navigating from the homepage to event registration had a 100% success rate.

The video library and event engagement offerings boosted customer confidence

All participants conveyed that these opportunities to learn and connect with artisans would encourage them to frequently return to the website.

Utilize defined task flow or flowcharts as a project's North Star

Remaining on track is vital to progressing a project in a timely manner. It can be easy to get lost designing screens that may not be used for testing. Looking back at a defined flowchart can help prioritize what needs to be done.

Users prefer more information, but in bite-size chunks

In places where I felt more information was better, my test participants conveyed interest in having the information be presented in a different format (e.g. instead of just a 4-paragraph long description, include a video to watch as an alternative to learning more).

Potential next steps

I would continue building out the other parts of the website:

UX/UI & VISUAL DESIGN

E-Commerce Website

An e-commerce website for a gender-neutral fashion company with a unique virtual experience.

• View Project

BRAND IDENTITY

Volunteer Program

A logo and brand identity design for a new internal community service initiative.

• View Project

Problem

BLUR has a limited online presence and all of their products are uniquely catered to everyone, regardless of body shape.

Goal

Study current trends and aspects of successful e-commerce experiences and learn what online shoppers truly need beyond the basics.

THE RESEARCH

Determining what shoppers value most and discovering common pain points across all online shopping experiences

User Interviews

Through user interviews, we were able to explore and discuss major goals for online shoppers. We learned meaningful objectives and discovered what truly mattered when it came to an enjoyable online shopping experience.

DEFINE

Constructing the app architecture

With the persona's frustrations and goals in mind, I proceeded to understand user expectations and how they would navigate BLUR with a user flow and task flows.

User Flow

IDEATE

Designing wireframes and visualizing the information architecture

I followed a traditional e-commerce navigation experience for customers to easily purchase clothes or explore peripheral content / business offerings like a virtual fitting room.

PROTOTYPE

Key Solutions

Seamless transition from desktop to mobile experience

Scanning QR codes has become a familiar action to many users. This seemed to be the best option to lead users into the mobile Virtual Fitting Room feature.

Showcasing a wealth of information to gain customer confidence

I've added plenty of opportunities for customers to explore more information about BLUR's mission and how its Virtual Fitting Room technology works.Since the mission and technology is very niche and new, I wanted customers to feel empowered to learn more.

Creating an intuitive e-commerce flow with relevant imagery

I made sure that all product photos show details up close and is shown on different body types. My research results emphasized this importance when it comes to online shopping.

Consideration for users' sensitivity around body measurements

Some participants expressed that height and weight are measurements that they would feel more comfortable inputting themselves. I developed a new screen for these user inputs.

Emphasizing security and data privacy

Most participants expressed concern about the data being taken since it has to do with images of their body. I included even more areas of opportunities to reinforce a sense of security for the customers.

VALIDATION AND NEW INSIGHTS

Using high fidelity prototypes to discover new insights that come with innovative features

Among several positive validations of the overall navigation and impressions of the UI, a new area of focus was discovered after conducting usability testing. This area revolved around data privacy and sensitivity when it comes to data on their body measurements.

DESIGN IDENTITY AND STYLE GUIDE

Reinforcing BLUR's mission with a thoughtful brand identity

Blurring the lines of fashion is no easy task—that's why the branding needed to be uniquely crafted in a way that catches people's attention. It's simple, yet edgy. It makes you stop and stare. It piques your interest and ultimately draws you in.

Familiarity is key to building trust

My usability test participants found the overall shopping experience familiar, which allowed them to fully enjoy BLUR's unique fashion concept and the website's experience.

Innovation takes some getting used to

Although research participants expressed strong interest in a virtual experience, new concerns about data security and technology arose. Newer experiences come with unfamiliarity, which then comes with hesitation.

Explore the integration of the Virtual Fitting Room Experience

Users loved the idea of being able to guarantee a perfect fit. I need to further test and explore new key areas:

Brand Identity

Volunteer Program

A logo and brand identity design for a new internal community service initiative.

• View Project

BRAND IDENTITY

Awards Program

A refreshed identity for an associate awards program that provides a premium experience.

• View Project