Chris Whalen
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Coeur d'Alene, ID, United States
Toptal member since October 18, 2017
An award-winning visual designer with over a decade of experience, Chris's clients have included LASIK Vision Institute, Xbox, and World Ventures. He has an AA degree in graphic design, is familiar with brand development, website design, mobile app design, and dashboard systems. He is also well-versed in both UX and UI design. Chris's passion lies in the entire UX process and believes you cannot have great UI without a well thought out UX.
Portfolio
AquaBuildr Fish Pairing App
DreamTrips Mobile Merchant Dashboard
CamCare Pet App
ExistSocial Network
Work Experience
Senior Designer
Continuous Composites
- Led the design of a Robot Operating System (ROS) interface using an iPad to help robot technicians execute, monitor, manage and store all 3d print projects. Crafted all user flow, design & prototyping.
- Rebranded the company’s identity and visual language to elevate company image.
- Redesigned company website, print collateral and pitch decks to create a consistent look.
- Coordinated with the marketing manager to create all marketing assets with a consistent tone.
- Managed multiple roles at the start of the company in design, photography, videography, marketing, operations, facilities, HR and executive assistant.
Senior Graphic Designer
Crooz Media
- Designing the highest converting email creatives for LASIK Vision Institute for six years.
- Developed several successful brand development projects for local clients in North Idaho.
- Led multiple website projects from discovery, wireframing, design and launch.
- Developed a passion project called Historik, working through every aspect of the idea and business.
- Won half a dozen awards from the American Advertising Federation for branding, advertising assets, and website design.
Co-founder | Lead UX Designer
Codera
- Created identity and all visual assets for the company as they were needed.
- Led the design of a fish-pairing app for a client that would assist fish buyers to find the best fish and aquarium combination. Was responsible for user flows, wireframes, design and MVP prototype.
- Collaborated with a large MLM client to design merchant and member portal that would work on both their website and mobile app. The project consisted of user research, user flows, UX strategy and prototype designs. Worked with the development team on globalization and onboarding flow.
- Responsible for coming up with user experience and interface design for a pet-video-monitoring service.
- Designed the identity, icons, pitch deck, and a working prototype for the pet-video-monitoring service.
UX Designer
Intuitive Technologies
- Managed and was responsible for web design projects and the mobile app UX/UI redesigns.
- Redesigned a white label social network interface for both desktop and mobile (iOS and Android) experiences.
- Rebranded a social network with a compelling story shaped around their core services.
- Mindmapped and designed an entirely new onboarding experience for new users.
- Designed all the pitch decks, video scripts, and lead pages to help increase membership subscriptions.
Marketing Manager
Aspen Homes
- Rebranded the company to unify their brand presence in a local community in 2014.
- Deployed all new marketing and design assets across print and web.
- Strategized and designed all the advertising assets for all home shows, print ads, and social marketing.
- Designed and strategized all marketing efforts through Crooz Media.
- Won an ADDY award in 2015 for Aspen Homes' website which is still being used.
Chief Operations Officer
AdFlavor
- Managed the affiliate network, built up the company culture, and improved productivity.
- Worked with Safeco Insurance to build lead pages that involved email creatives and email lead deliveries to the call center.
- Consulted with large brands on their marketing approaches and how to improve their call to actions and improve ROI.
- Advised advertising platforms on how to improve UI to create a more effective UX and gain more user adoption.
Education
Associate of Arts Degree in 3D Animation and Graphic Design
Bellevue College - Bellevue, WA, USA
Skills
Tools
Sketch, Illustrator CC, InDesign CC, Adobe Lightroom, InVision, Apple Keynote, Photoshop CC, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe CC, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Dreamweaver, Jira, Lightroom CC, Adobe Premiere Pro
Platforms
iOS, MacOS, Webflow CMS, Webflow, OS X, WordPress
Languages
CSS, HTML
Industry Expertise
Restaurants & Dining, Events
Other
UI Design, UX Design, Visual Design, Branding, Brand Management, User Flows, iPhone, iPad, User Journeys, Office 365, Statistics, Mobile App Design, Dashboard Design, Behavior-driven Design, Pets, Video Streaming, Prototyping, Fish, Digital Kiosks, eCommerce Design, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), iOS UX Design, Activity Feeds, Relationship Management, Adaptive Design, Apps, Social Networks, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Web Design, History, Mobile GPS, Augmented Reality (AR), Disruptive Innovation, Mobile Prototypes, Tablet UI, Tablet UX, Robot Operating System (ROS), Robot, Touchscreens, Dashboards, Databases, Composite Materials, Tablet Design
Experience
- Photoshop CC - 18 years
- Visual Design - 15 years
- UX Design - 11 years
- Branding - 7 years
- UI Design - 5 years
- Sketch - 4 years
- InVision - 3 years
Tools
- Sketch
- InVision
- Photoshop CC
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