Ced Funches

Designer in San Diego, CA, United States

Member since August 22, 2019

Since 2007, Ced has been leading mobile, web, and product design for clients, including Vox Media, Conde Nast, Sony, Nintendo, the NBA, Goalcast, Smith.ai, Forbes, several tech startups, and more. He specializes in product design, user experience, user interface, and visual design to create and market meaningful products. An experienced design leader with a proven track record of successfully building, managing, and optimizing products and brands.

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Portfolio

Digital Design

Q.ai | Forbes
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Marketing Design
- App Design
- App UI
- Design Systems
- Branding
- Content Strategy
- Web App UI
- iOS
- Android
- UX Branding
- Prototyping
- Freelance
- Website Redesign
- UI Branding
- Enterprise Startups
- Enterprise Systems
- Visual Design
- Communication Design
- Research
- Storyboarding
- Marketing
- Podcasting
- Marketing Communications (MarCom)
- Strategy
- Mobile Apps
- Creative Strategy
- Dashboard Design
- Fintech
- Web Design
- Web App Design
- UI
- UX
- User Engagement
- Mobile
- Complex Application User Interfaces (UI)
- Annotated Wireframes
- User Journeys
- Landing Pages
- User Stories
- Dashboards
The Verge Brand Refresh
- Creative Direction
- Brand Identity
- Design Systems
- Art Direction
- Brand Development
- Logo Design
- Design
- User Research
- Media
- Social Media Platforms
- Social Media Apps
- Intro Videos
- Planning
- System Design
- Collateral Design
- Marketing
- UX Strategy
- Rebranding
- Messaging
- Mobile UX Design
- User Interface (UI)
- User Experience (UX)
- Surveys
- Responsive Web Design (RWD)
- UX Design
- Marketing Design
- Mobile Design
- Figma
- Brand Positioning
- Enterprise System Design
- UI Design
- App UI
- Design Leadership
- Social Marketing
- Communication
- Graphic Design
- Presentation Design
- Customer Journeys
- Heatmaps
- User Testing
- Environmental Design
- Design Direction
- Usability Testing
- Brand Design
- Interactive Prototypes
- Web App UI
- UX Branding
- Prototyping
- Website Redesign
- UI Branding
- Enterprise Startups
- Enterprise Systems
- Writing & Editing
- Visual Design
- Research
- Budget Management
- Podcasting
- Marketing Communications (MarCom)
- Strategy
- Consumer Branding
- Creative Strategy
- Digital Brand Identity
- Strategic Planning
- Design Principles
- User Personas
- Wireframing
- Brand Management
- Design Guidelines
- Strategic Design
- Email Design
- Branding
- Interface Design
- UX Flows
Recode 100
- Product Design
- User Experience (UX)
- Creative Direction
- Technology
- Media
- News
- Design
- Branding
- UX Branding
- User Interface (UI)
- Experience Strategy
- Content Strategy
- Project Management
- Color Theory
- Art Direction
- Newsletter Design
- HTML Templates
- Swag
- Teamwork
- Meetings
- Freelance
- Hiring
- Reviews
- Graphics
- Events
- Advertising Campaigns
- Mobile App Design
- UX Design
- Marketing Design
- Mobile Design
- Style Guides
- Brand Positioning
- Enterprise System Design
- UI Design
- Brand Development
- Design Leadership
- Social Marketing
- Communication
- Graphic Design
- Presentation Design
- Heatmaps
- Environmental Design
- Design Direction
- Usability Testing
- Brand Design
- Interactive Prototypes
- Web App UI
- Web UI
- Prototyping
- Enterprise Startups
- Visual Design
- Research
- Budget Management
- Podcasting
- Strategy
- Consumer Branding
- Mobile Apps
- Creative Strategy
- Digital Brand Identity
- Strategic Planning
- Design Principles
- User Personas
- Rebranding
- Wireframing
- Brand Management
- Design Guidelines
- Email Design
- Interface Design
- Mobile UX Design
- UX Strategy
- UX Flows
- Landing Pages
Smith.ai Inc.
- Design
- UI Design
- Ads
- Brand Identity
- Facebook
- Gamification
- Responsive Web Design (RWD)
- UX Design
- Marketing Design
- Mobile Design
- Webflow
- Style Guides
- Figma
- Brand Positioning
- Enterprise System Design
- Brand Development
- App UI
- Design Leadership
- Paid Advertising
- Social Marketing
- Communication
- Graphic Design
- Presentation Design
- Social Media Platforms
- Media
- Customer Journeys
- Heatmaps
- User Testing
- Design Direction
- Experience Strategy
- Usability Testing
- Brand Design
- Interactive Prototypes
- Web App UI
- Web UI
- UX Branding
- Prototyping
- Freelance
- Website Redesign
- UI Branding
- Enterprise Startups
- Enterprise Systems
- Writing & Editing
- Visual Design
- Communication Design
- Research
- Storyboarding
- Budget Management
- Marketing
- MacOS
- Podcasting
- Marketing Communications (MarCom)
- Strategy
- Consumer Branding
- Mobile Apps
- Creative Strategy
- Digital Brand Identity
- B2B
- Strategic Planning
- Design Principles
- User Personas
- Wireframing
- Product Design
- User Research
- User Flows
- Brand Management
- Design Guidelines
- Strategic Design
- Email Design
- Branding
- Interface Design
- Mobile UX Design
- UX Strategy
- UX Flows
- Dashboard Design
- Landing Page Design
- Web Design
- Web App Design
- UI
- UX
- Complex Application User Interfaces (UI)
- User Journeys
- Landing Pages
- User Stories
- Dashboards
- CRM Design
TEG: Travel Recommendation App
- Figma
- Digital Brand Identity
- Strategic Planning
- Rebranding
- Wireframing
- User Research
- Brand Management
- Design Guidelines
- Strategic Design
- Branding
- UX Strategy
- UX Flows
- UI
- UX
- Adobe Experience Design (XD)
- User Journeys
Vox.com
- Brand Identity
- Environmental Design
- Creative Direction
- Design
- Website Redesign
- Tech Conferences
- Branding
- UI Branding
- User Experience (UX)
- Management
- Teams
- Social Media Platforms
- Advertising Design
- Wireframing
- Meetings
- Product Management
- Strategic Design
- Event Branding
- UI Patterns
- Newsletter Design
- UI Templates
- Design Guidelines
- Gamification
- Responsive Web Design (RWD)
- UX Design
- Marketing Design
- Mobile Design
- Style Guides
- Brand Positioning
- Enterprise System Design
- UI Design
- Brand Development
- App UI
- Design Leadership
- Paid Advertising
- Social Marketing
- Communication
- Graphic Design
- Presentation Design
- Media
- Heatmaps
- User Testing
- Design Direction
- Experience Strategy
- Usability Testing
- Brand Design
- Interactive Prototypes
- Web App UI
- UX Branding
- Prototyping
- Enterprise Startups
- Enterprise Systems
- Writing & Editing
- Visual Design
- Communication Design
- Research
- Storyboarding
- Budget Management
- MacOS
- Podcasting
- Strategy
- Consumer Branding
- Creative Strategy
- Digital Brand Identity
- B2B
- Strategic Planning
- Design Principles
- User Personas
- Enterprise
- Rebranding
- User Research
- Brand Management
- Email Design
- Interface Design
- Mobile UX Design
- UX Strategy
- UX Flows
- Dashboard Design
- Web Design
- User Interface Engineering (UIE)
- Landing Pages
- User Stories

Employment

Senior UI/UX Product Designer
2020 - PRESENT
TEG Travel
- Designed an app that gives insider recommendations for hotels, restaurants, and events when users visit selected cities.
- Built an extensive design system to assist in scaling the locations, reviews, and photos.
- Created User Stories to reimagine how travelers communicate, discover, and book.
Technologies: Adobe Experience Design (XD), Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Zeplin, Coda, Asana, Webflow, Early-stage Startups, Mobile UI
Senior UX/UI Product Designer
2021 - 2022
Forbes Media - Q.ai - Main
- Designed the complete system of components for the commercial app on iPhone and Android.
- Built a brand identity guide, including colors and typography, language and tone, logos, and other assets.
- Created dev guidelines and standards. Devs can now complete projects in half the time required previously, new developers and designers join the company with very clear guidelines, and designers are empowered to put prototypes together much faster.
- Worked with the marketing department to design the IQ newsletter and integrate it into the Forbes eco-system of outbound emails.
- Designed and built the company website on Webflow. In addition, I created several landing pages to help increase the top funnel.
- Worked with internal stakeholders to improve the UX, which led to a 120% increase in DAU.
- Created key illustrations for individual product offerings in-app.
- Built and executed several GTM strategies for the product, overseeing several freelancers, artists, and copywriters.
Technologies: Content Strategy, Information Architecture (IA), Writing & Editing, Marketing Design, Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Webflow, Complex Application User Interfaces (UI), SaaS Design, Early-stage Startups, Mobile UI
Sr. Design Director
2020 - 2021
Smith.ai Inc
- Created the current website, architecture, and design system for landing pages, lead gen ads, and external marketing efforts.
- Built a brand identity guide, including colors and typography, language and tone, logos, and other assets.
- Created user stories and refined the customer journey with UX research via Maze.
- Built the design system that informed the direction for the internal product dashboard, mobile interface, and CX principles.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Webflow, Webflow CMS, Mailchimp, Annotated Wireframes, Data Visualization, Early-stage Startups, CRM Design
VP of Creative, Brand Partnerships
2018 - 2019
Jamiak, LLC
- Oversaw strategy, performance marketing, consumer research, media planning, and creative development across programmatic mobile and desktop offerings.
- Created processes for digital teams, copywriters and support staff.
- Managed website redesigns and BI tracking to increase the volume of registered leads and improve the overall customer experience.
- Ran point on priority brand/consumer partnerships.
- Recruited and managed a global team of marketers focused on maximizing awareness and driving revenue for the company.
- Led the design strategy for Klaviyo as we worked to create consistently qualified leads for repeat business.
Technologies: Facebook, Adobe Creative Suite, Google Analytics, Shopify, Marketing, Strategy, Creative Strategy, Digital Brand Identity, B2C, Design Principles, Email Design, eCommerce, Concept Art, Landing Pages, Marketplaces
Executive Design Director
2015 - 2017
Vox Media
- Provided executive leadership to the revenue and marketing design and brand identity teams.
- Used a creative mix of branding and storytelling to spread Vox Media's narrative across a broad mix of media including emails, creative strategy, environments, brand, and advertising touchpoints.
- Successfully led the branding redesign, strategy, and execution of key brands: SB Nation and the Verge.
- Created and tracked email campaigns and implemented changes based on data to spur growth.
- Oversaw the strategy, performance marketing, consumer research, media planning and creative development across mobile and desktop offerings.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Advertising Campaigns, News Media, Enterprise Startups, Shopify, Marketing, Strategy, Creative Strategy, Digital Brand Identity, B2C, Design Principles, Email Design, Branding, Sports Websites, TV App Design, User Interface Engineering (UIE), Set Design, Concept Art, Mailchimp, Dashboards
Co-founder | Chief Technical Officer
2011 - 2013
Pixlwise
- Provided a comprehensive vision for the Pixlwise brand and the first wave of digital products.
- Ensured a consistent look and feel across all channels with the creative ability to transform fresh ideas into real products.
- Oversaw the strategy, performance marketing, consumer research, media planning and creative development across mobile and desktop offerings.
- Developed the marketing strategy and managed the implementation to create brand awareness, drive distribution and maximize ad network revenue.
- Led performance marketing campaigns to monetize and expand customer base.
Technologies: Ruby on Rails (RoR), Java, GitHub, Shopify, Marketing, Strategy, Creative Strategy, Education Technology (Edtech), Concept Art
Director of Web Marketing
2010 - 2012
University of San Diego
- Served as the director of web marketing for university relations.
- Oversaw all web and branded visual design within the university's on-campus schools.
- Oversaw the brand and marketing materials including the website, email newsletters, marketing ads, and more.
- Worked in an elite university environment in close collaboration with deans, provosts, VPs, and marketing professionals.
- Negotiated contracts with suppliers to ensure competitive pricing and quality control.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Marketing, Strategy, Creative Strategy, B2C, Email Design, Education Technology (Edtech), Mailchimp
Director of Creative Marketing
2006 - 2010
Destineer Studios
- Led creative marketing for a first and third-party video game publisher.
- Worked directly with Nintendo®, Microsoft, Sony PS4, and Xbox One.
- Managed worldwide game release strategy and implementation.
- Created pitches and go-to-market strategies based on new game initiatives.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Marketing, Strategy, Creative Strategy, B2C
Art Director | Graphic Designer
2000 - 2006
Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx
- Developed and managed the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx brands.
- Created dozens of logos, banners, billboards, signage, season tickets, corporate sponsorship presentations, inside ticket sales, and collateral material.
- Worked with professional players, team management, and ownership to create a consistent brand experience for fans.
Technologies: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Advertising Campaigns, Enterprise Systems, Marketing, Strategy, Sports Websites, Creative Strategy, Digital Brand Identity, B2C

Education

Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Graphic Design
1997 - 1999
The Arts Institute - Minneapolis, MN, USA

Experience

Gamification20 years
UI Design12 years
Brand Development12 years
Product Design10 years
UX Design8 years
Mobile Design7 years
Design Systems6 years
Figma4 years

Tools

Figma

Location

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Designer in San Diego, CA, United States

Portfolio

Employment

Senior UI/UX Product Designer

Senior UX/UI Product Designer

Sr. Design Director

VP of Creative, Brand Partnerships

Executive Design Director

Co-founder | Chief Technical Officer

Director of Web Marketing

Director of Creative Marketing

Art Director | Graphic Designer

Education

Experience

Tools

Location