Katya Hernández
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Antiguo Cuscatlán, La Libertad Department, El Salvador
Toptal member since March 23, 2026
Katya is a fractional DesignOps director and brand governance architect. She has 13 years of leading design at TELUS Digital (NYSE/TSX). She directed visual strategy for the largest tech IPO in TSX history, governing brand across 30+ countries, and building DesignOps systems that reduced build times 60%. Katya built the infrastructure that makes design scale. Not available for IC production roles.
Experience
- Concepting - 20 years
- Brand Strategy - 20 years
- Creative Direction - 13 years
- DesignOps - 13 years
- Brand Guidelines - 13 years
- Brand Governance - 13 years
- Change Management - 13 years
- Executive Presentations - 13 years
Portfolio
TELUS International IPO: Executive Visual Strategy and Global Launch
Enterprise DesignOps & Change Management: Scaling Global Sales
Global Brand Governance: Enterprise Rollout & Operational Triage
Enterprise Financial Architecture & Data Visualization
B2G Information Architecture: Public Works Procurement Strategy Guide
Work Experience
Editorial Designer for Educational Workbooks
Tutoring Services, Inc.
- Built a multi-layer document automation pipeline for a 400-piece special education workbook series—VBA manuscript normalization, JSX scripting, and InDesign GREP automation—reducing manual formatting intervention to zero across the full collection.
- Designed a 35+ paragraph style taxonomy with nested styles and embedded GREP patterns in InDesign, establishing a scalable editorial system for dyslexia-accommodation phonics workbooks across multiple grade levels.
- Selected and documented the FS Me typeface for dyslexic learners based on cognitive accessibility research, integrating the decision into a complete typographic hierarchy with developer-ready style documentation.
Director of Brand and Design
TELUS Digital
- Directed global brand strategy for TELUS Digital, actively identifying and resolving critical pain points and areas of brand misuse across all touchpoints.
- Served as the global brand prime, bridging TELUS Digital and its parent company, TELUS Corporation, guaranteeing strict visual consistency across both organizations.
- Spearheaded the massive corporate brand evolution from TELUS International to TELUS Digital, authoring technical documentation for new global visual assets.
- Transitioned worldwide teams into adopting the newly refreshed brand identity, ensuring seamless global compliance and operational alignment.
Senior Manager, Brand & Design
TELUS Digital
- Directed the enterprise visual strategy and design execution during TELUS Digital's critical transition to a publicly traded company.
- Drove the development of a refreshed brand identity, strategically balancing TELUS' historical telecom legacy with a future-forward digital tech vision.
- Directed the accurate application of the brand ecosystem across the telusdigital.com website, driving digital consistency and user engagement.
- Educated designers, salespeople, and key stakeholders through comprehensive internal training programs to drive enterprise-wide brand adoption.
Manager, Brand & Design
TELUS Digital
- Built and deployed scalable design systems and comprehensive brand guidelines utilized across over 30 international locations.
- Oversaw brand governance for global creative teams while managing direct reports, ensuring the production of high-converting enterprise sales collateral.
- Delivered high-impact visual storytelling and data visualization for digital products, global campaigns, and critical executive communications.
- Championed internal brand education programs, successfully guiding interdisciplinary global teams to apply the design system accurately and efficiently.
Senior Designer, Brand & Design
TELUS Digital
- Supported the director of global customer marketing in the creation of marketing and sales decks.
- Contributed to TELUS Digital's reputation as a caring, community-driven brand.
- Supported brand development during TELUS’ early expansion in Latin America.
Editorial Designer
El Gráfico
- Designed editorial pages for El Salvador's largest print newspaper under a grid system developed by an external Mexican editorial team, learning to work within a governed layout structure with zero tolerance for error on a 6-day production cycle.
- Attended 2 AM press approvals at the printing facility, reviewing broadsheet proofs and inspecting CMYK plates alongside the prepress crew before authorizing print runs.
- Conceived and led an experimental fitness supplement publication end-to-end, from layout to press, during the highest-circulation period of the year: the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design
Dr. Jose Matias Delgado University - Antiguo Cuscatlán, El Salvador
Skills
Tools
InDesign CC, Illustrator CC, Photoshop CC, Google Slides, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Workspace, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, AI Tools, Apple Keynote, Microsoft Excel, After Effects CC, Google Docs, Adobe CC, Procreate, Microsoft Office
Platforms
Figma, Webflow, Amazon Kindle
Industry Expertise
Advertising, Marketing
Languages
HTML5, CSS, HTML
Other
Graphic Design, Color Theory, Editorial Design, Branding, Brand Management, Brand Guidelines, Concepting, Logo Design, Brand Stewardship, Brand Strategy, Creative Direction, Corporate Identity, Change Management, Data Visualization, Print Production, Executive Presentations, DesignOps, Sales Enablement, Presentation Design, Design Systems, Brand Governance, Adobe Creative Cloud, Brand Design, Collateral, Visual Design, Visual Brand Guidelines, Marketing Collateral Development, Web Design, Collateral Design, Print Design, Multilingual Design, Marketing Design, Ebook Design, Product Design, UI Design, Storytelling, Visual Storytelling, Financial Data, Digital Design, Layout Design, Magazine Layout Design, Infographics, Design, YouTube Graphic Design, B2B, Brand Logos, Logotype, Color Scheme Design, UX Audits, UX Design, User Experience (UX), Websites, Social Media Design, Brand Marketing, Digital Ad Design, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Email Marketing, Content Design, Print, MVP Design, Brand Books, Style Guides, Microsoft Word Templates, Print Layout, Pitch Decks, PDF Design, PowerPoint Design, Social Media Kits, Social Media, Event Collateral, Brand Identity, Microsoft 365, Project Management, Board Decks, Board Presentations, Presentations, Sales Presentations, PowerPoint Templates, Advertising Design, Visualization Design, Data-driven Design, Pitch Presentations, Brochure Design, Vector Graphics, PDF, Grid Systems, Ad Design, LinkedIn Ads, B2B SaaS Design, Email Design, Ads, Magazines, Digital Magazines, Digital Publication, Publication Design, Banner Ads, Color Schemes, SaaS Design, Art Direction, Key Visuals, Direct Mail, Data-heavy Design, Data-informed Visual Design, Reports, Report Design, Chart Design, Pitch Deck Design, Business to Business (B2B), CRM, Stakeholder Management, Systems Thinking, Product Strategy, Design Leadership, Ecosystem Design, Collaboration, Marketing Materials, Communication, Investor Presentations, Component Libraries, Email, Email Templates, Responsive Email Templates, Email Template Design, Design Thinking, Banner Design, Digital Advertising, Claude Design, Customer Experience (CX) Design, Brochures, Graphics, Flyer Design, Image Design, A/B Testing, Templates, Corporate Design, HubSpot, Annual Reports, Typography, Illustration, User Interface (UI), AI Design, Advertisement Design, Facebook Promotion & Advertisement, Prototyping, Thumbnail Images, Click-through Rates (CTR), Keynote Templates, Landing Page Design, Social Media Strategy, Naming, Meta Ads, Storyboarding, Responsive Web Design (RWD), User Journey Maps, Recruiting, Training Materials, Writing, Interactive Design, Motion Design, Video Editing, AI Agents, Consulting, Gemini, Drawing, Fundamental Design Principles, Technical Drawing, Packaging, Digital Asset Management, UX Branding, Tokenization, UI Components, Brand Voice, Product Launch, Sustainable Supply Chain, Ethical Sourcing, Inclusive Design, Market Research, Brand Standards, Culture, Languages, Website Design, GREP, Reflowable EPUB, Typesettings, Book Cover Design, Creative Writing, Editorial Process, Investor Relations (IR) Design, Prepress, Omnichannel Marketing, Information Design, Internal Communications, Information Architecture (IA), Cross-functional Team Leadership, Process Optimization, Technology Guides, Visual Hierarchy, Investor Relations, Infographs, Digital Campaigns, DataViz, GREP automation, Framer, Copywriting, Nonprofits, Financial Services
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