It’s All About ME
Seasoned digital creative, born in Mexico, raised by the 90s, and based in Seattle: For hire
I’m a passionate creative leader in pursuit of the perfect design and technology blend to enhance storytelling and experience. As a self-proclaimed collaborative junky—I firmly believe collaboration is key in taking good ideas or problems through the creative process and into great final products, especially when working with multi-disciplinary teams. My leadership focus is to nurturing my teams with a culture of passion, insight, and a deep understanding of our ever-changing digital world.
I've lived the “ad-life” for over ten years and the love is yet to wear out. In that time I've partaken in the creation of digital experiences for world-renowned brands such as HoloLens, Target, Xbox, Nintendo, MasterCard, Windows Mixed Reality, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to name a few.
MacGyver Skills
I won’t bore you with all the tools I can use, you already know I’ve been around the block a few times, instead, Here’s a list of things I enjoy and excel at on a scale of yaaas to hard pass.
YAAAS
Team shape & Leadership
Creative and art direction
Photo and videography direction
Concepting
Storytelling, messaging, and tone
Tacos with Mexican Coke
Mood boarding, and storyboarding
Interaction design
Accessibility
MMHUM
Video and Audio Editing
Information architecture
Wireframing and Content stacking
User flows and journey mapping
Content strategy direction
Site navigation
Burrito Cheesecake
Display campaigns
Prototyping
Templates and CMS
A/B testing and optimization
MMKAY
Print (love book/magazine work tho)
Design specifications & redlines
Functionality spec documents
Web framework specifications
IPA Beer
Deckbuilding
HARD PASS
Sexism and homophobia
Police brutality and racism
Bigotry and the republican establishment
Adobe Illustrator
Some May Say
Jj has the eye. For a designer, this is key. Eye supersedes ego. Eye combines the impossible request with the often restrictive bounds of guideline creating unexpected and surprising goodness. When unleashed, the eye transforms the norm into the fantastic – the assumed into the breathtaking. Jj’s future is bright, and his eye will lead him and those he works with to greatness. I would jump at the opportunity to work with him again.
-Keith McMahon
Jj is an excellent leader and an extremely talented designer. He really brings out the best in his team and helps to draw out talent, creativity and skill in the people around him. He's great at managing multiple workloads and projects and charming clients, and he is extremely dedicated to his work. He's an excellent leader, mentor, and co-worker, and he will certainly bring superior quality to any team he joins.
Jj is a joy to work with. He brings fresh ideas, a flair that clients love and creates pure design magic. He not only brought our creative team together with his leadership but also in how much he cares for each and every person. He goes above and beyond to create a product that will impress and get results. His high expectations and willingness to find new ways to do things have brought our creative team to a new level.
The Trenches
Sr. Art Director
Wunderman Thompson Seattle. Jan 2019 – Present
Creative lead. Everyday tasks include, but are not limited to, design directing, design critics, concepting, prototyping, video editing, helping designers elevate the work across a variety of projects, ensure good user experience, work closely with developers, and provide creative support to the other teams/departments in the company.
Sr. Art Director
POSSIBLE Seattle. Sep 2014 – Jan 2019
Creative lead on the Microsoft account. Everyday tasks include, but are not limited to, design directing, design critics, concepting, prototyping, video editing, helping designers keep a high level of design on every project, ensure good user experience, work closely with Microsoft developer partners, and provide creative support to the other teams/departments in the company.
Art Director
Portent, Inc. Seattle. Sep 2013 – Oct 2014
My responsibilities included: Concepting, prototyping, creating pitch work presentations, helping designers keep a high level of design on every project, ensure good user experience, work closely with developers, and provide creative support to the other departments in the company.
Sr. Designer
POP Seattle. Nov 2012 – Oct 2013
My responsibilities included: Concepting, prototyping, creating pitch work presentations, helping designers keep a high level of design on every project, ensure good user experience, work closely with developers, and provide creative support to the other departments in the company.
Interactive Visual Designer
T-Mobile Bellevue. Nov 2011 – Dec 2012
Creative lead for fast-pace campaigns. Drove ad campaigns for particular product’s landing page. Worked on the brand redesign, provided concepts, feedback and direction to the team. Helped reached up to 40% of total daily sales on campaigns such as Mother’s Day, Back to School, Black Friday, Etc.
Interactive UI Designer
Ascentium Bellevue. June 2008 – Oct 2011
Started as a designer and worked my way up to lead designer on projects such as, Windows.com, Windows 7, Windows Shop, Explore Windows, and other Microsoft websites. Conceptualize and deliver design and production work. Work well with cross-functional delivery/implementation teams.
Here are some brands I’ve touched with my bare hands:
Adidas
AT&T
Band
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
BMGF Goalkeepers
Body Glide
CES
Coca-Cola
Disney
EventPoint
HoloLens
Kari Gran
Kate Spade
Koalakin
MasterCard
Microsoft
Minecraft
Mixer
Nike
Nintendo
OneDrive
Princess Cruises
Rapport 365
Surface
Target
T-Mobile
Uber
Xbox
Westmark Hotel
Windows
Windows Mixed Reality
Silverware.
Gold and Silver—ADDY Awards x10
Judges Choice—ADDY Awards x2
Site of the Day—Awwwards x3
Best Home—Webby Awards x2
Super Bowl Campaign x0 but I made you look.