Brett is available for hire
Hire BrettBrett Calzada
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan
Toptal member since January 11, 2023
Bio
Brett is a designer, UI/UX director, and creative director with over 20 years of hands-on and senior leadership experience. He has worked in senior management positions for Fortune 5, 50, 250, and 500 companies. Additionally, Brett maintains state-of-the-industry hands-on skills that give him a unique ability to work directly with leaders, founders, and stakeholders of all levels and parts of an organization.
Portfolio
Experience
- Digital Creative Direction - 20 years
- UI Design - 20 years
- Adobe Creative Suite - 20 years
- UX Design - 18 years
- UX Prototyping - 15 years
- Design Systems - 10 years
- Figma - 6 years
- Figma Prototyping - 5 years
Tools
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Figma Prototyping
Work Experience
Principal
2019 - PRESENT
Simpler Business
- Provided UX strategies and designs for large businesses, including Robinhood, Dun & Bradstreet, and Colgate-Palmolive.
- Created and shipped apps for multiple startup clients, including Bridge Money, Upside Financial, and Obviously AI.
- Designed and taught an advanced UX curriculum for EPAM Systems Asia, onboarding rapidly recent college graduates from Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Hong Kong, within a three-month training program.
Technologies: Figma, Apple Keynote, Adobe Creative Suite, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Infographics, UI Design, UX Design, Figma Prototyping, Storytelling, UX Prototyping, Google Slides, Business, Finance, Mobile Prototypes, Mobile UX, Fintech, Financial Services, Android, Lottie, Product Design, Dashboard Design, Dashboards
Senior UX Design Manager (L7)
2018 - 2019
- Led the NYC-based Google Ad Manager and London-based Google AdSense teams through the transition of Google Material Design for the enterprise.
- Launched major updates to Google AdSense, including auto ads and complex improvements to adhere to GDPR and COPPA.
- Developed a strategy to simplify and evolve the vastly complex Google Ad Manager UI.
Technologies: Figma, Google Slides, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Infographics, UI Design, UX Design, Figma Prototyping, Storytelling, UX Prototyping, Business, Management, Finance, Product Design, Dashboard Design, Dashboards
Assistant Vice President, Global Experience Design
2017 - 2018
MetLife
- Simplified and evolved MetLife's global content management system, supporting 40 international markets.
- Led the design for Asia's mobile health platform, supporting the Japanese and Korean markets.
- Collaborated with the Korean regional team to set global accessibility standards across all MetLife international markets.
Technologies: Figma, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), UX Design, Figma Prototyping, Storytelling, Business, Management, Finance, Mobile UX, Fintech, Financial Services, Product Design, Dashboard Design, Dashboards
Group Director, Experience Design
2016 - 2017
TD Ameritrade
- Managed over 40 associates that designed platforms for millions of TD Ameritrade clients.
- Transformed the UI design process from an individual product focus to an enterprise-wide system.
- Contributed to the company to rank number one on Barron's Best Online Broker Ranking for 2016 and 2017.
Technologies: Figma, Digital Creative Direction, Adobe Creative Suite, Apple Keynote, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Infographics, UI Design, UX Design, Figma Prototyping, Storytelling, Business, Management, Finance, Mobile Prototypes, Mobile UX, Fintech, Financial Services, Android, Brokerage, Product Design, Dashboard Design, Dashboards
Studio Director
2012 - 2016
TD Ameritrade
- Built the TDA Creative Studio, a combined marketing agency and product UI practice that delivered hundreds of projects annually. Creative studio projects ranged from digital products and responsive websites to online and offline advertising.
- Managed over 25 associates delivering hundreds of projects annually, including over 700 in 2015.
- Saved TD Ameritrade millions annually by insourcing major marketing initiatives, such as the 2016 Rio Olympics sponsorship campaign.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Digital Creative Direction, Apple Keynote, Sketch, Visual Design, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Infographics, UI Design, UX Design, Storytelling, Business, Management, Finance, Mobile Prototypes, Mobile UX, Fintech, Financial Services, Android, Brokerage, Dashboard Design, Dashboards
Senior UX Design Manager, Digital Platforms
2010 - 2012
TD Ameritrade
- Built new UI design practices for trading platforms.
- Redesigned TD Ameritrade Mobile for iPhone and iPad.
- Redesigned Veo Mobile, a responsive web app for TD Ameritrade advisors.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Digital Creative Direction, Apple Keynote, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Infographics, UI Design, UX Design, UX Prototyping, Business, Management, Finance, Mobile Prototypes, Mobile UX, Fintech, Financial Services, Android, Brokerage, Product Design, Dashboard Design, Dashboards
Art Director
2006 - 2009
Razorfish
- Led art direction on the redesign of Wired.com, supporting the integration of Reddit, which Wired had recently acquired.
- Designed in-car mobile telematics system for Ford Work Solutions.
- Served as a lead art director on the redesign of the Merrill Lynch client platform.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Digital Creative Direction, Apple Keynote, Visual Design, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Infographics, UI Design, Financial Services, Product Design, Dashboard Design, Dashboards
Education
1994 - 1998
Bachelor's Degree in Marketing
Loyola University New Orleans - New Orleans, USA
Skills
Tools
Apple Keynote, Adobe Creative Suite, Figma Prototyping, Google Slides, Sketch
Platforms
Figma, Apple Watch, iOS, Android
Languages
HTML, CSS
Other
UI Design, UX Design, Digital Creative Direction, Storytelling, UX Prototyping, Mobile Prototypes, Design Systems, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Infographics, Product Design, Dashboard Design, Dashboards, Management, Visual Design, Business, Finance, Accessible Design, Mobile UI, Direction, Mobile UX, Prototyping, Fintech, Financial Services, Brokerage, Lottie, Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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