Kaylin is available for hire
Hire KaylinKaylin Kudla
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Location
San Francisco, CA, United States
Toptal Member Since
March 20, 2016
Kaylin is a senior design professional who specializes in crafting award-winning solutions for global brands and the people who matter to them. She brings a hands-on approach to managing cross-functional teams, collaborating with clients, and bringing creative concepts to life.
Work Experience
Product Design Manager
2017 - PRESENT
WarnerMedia
- Led the product design team responsible for WarnerMedia video streaming services Crunchyroll & VRV on the web, mobile, and TV platforms.
- Worked with product and engineering and other cross-functional partners to drive design vision and strategy. Helped turn business objectives into customer-centered problems and steered team strategy.
- Met regularly with designers, product, and engineering to provide and gather feedback on project progress.
- Translated strategic goals into actionable priorities, resource planning, and execution.
- Conducted user research to validate user insights from stakeholders and subject matter experts as well as uncover additional user needs.
- Cultivated positive relationships with executives and peers across the organization to ensure alignment and delivery of a holistic end-to-end user experience.
- Collaborated with design leadership to evolve our process, tools and systems to ensure we’re creating great, consistent work.
- Coached and mentored designers on both soft and hard skills to help them develop and achieve their career goals.
Technologies: Design Thinking, Product Design, Research, Adobe Creative Suite, Jira, InVision, Zeplin, Sketch
Lead Designer and User Experience Manager
2015 - 2016
Jumpshot, Inc.
- Led design and user experience across multiple large, fast-paced projects for an international big data company.
- Analyzed market trends and competitors, creating value proposals that improve overall design quality.
- Consulted with customers to identify current pain points and future opportunities for product development.
- Hired and managed an international team of designers in their daily responsibilities, mentoring them and providing daily feedback.
- Established identity guide, core messaging, and branding standards for company and product.
- Created high-fidelity interactive prototypes and wireframes.
- Contributed to high-level strategic decisions with the rest of the product team.
Technologies: Scrum, InVision, Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
Product Design Lead
2014 - 2015
Anagram
- Worked directly with the founding team to leverage design to help achieve our ambitious growth and engagement goals.
- Established the design systems and front-end framework for our HIPAA-compliant web app.
- Designed visuals and pitch decks to support our sales and marketing initiatives.
- Conducted user research and testing to support the design and business decisions.
- Identified high-impact opportunities; presented clear design decision rationale to gain consensus across teams and leadership.
Technologies: Sketch, Usability Testing, Responsive Design, InVision, Sublime Text, JavaScript, CSS3, HTML5, Adobe Creative Suite
Creative Strategist and Front-end Developer
2012 - 2014
Ronald McDonald House Charities
- Crafted the entire visual identity and online experience for the 2013 and 2014 Ronald McDonald House Charities balls, including print promotion materials, responsive website, and stage backdrop.
- Illustrated the event's stage backdrop/responsive website background based on the event's theme (Peter Pan, 2013 and Cinderella, 2014).
- Used themed illustration across mailings, social media campaigns, presentations, stage material, and event banners.
- Developed and directed the art for campaign ideas, including traditional advertising and style guides.
- Built final visual designs for website using front-end development technologies including HTML5, CSS3, Sass, JavaScript, jQuery, and Bootstrap Framework.
- Handled all cross-browser development, testing, bug fixing, and maintenance.
- Assisted the video team in creating visual elements and editing footage for use at event presentations.
- Won a Davey Award for the website: Bronze W3 Award in Event Category, Bronze W3 Award in Non-Profit Category, and a MarCom Award for Best Website Design.
Technologies: Responsive Design, Vector Illustration, Sublime Text, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
Senior Designer and Front-end Development Manager
2012 - 2014
Gate6 Digital Agency
- Represented the design team when pitching to new clients as well as developing campaign ideas for existing clients.
- Generated creative concepts while working with copywriters, project managers, engineers, and the creative director.
- Executed campaign concepts using Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Sketch, and additional software at a rapid pace.
- Pitched ideas to the creative director and presented finished campaigns to clients.
- Managed a small team of junior designers and front-end developers to support campaign generation and execution.
- Acted as technical liaison between design and engineering teams.
- Developed visual identities for various brands, events, and products including traditional advertising and style guides.
- Conducted target user and market research.
- Oversaw front-end framework creation for a multitude of projects with collaboration with junior front-end devs and back-end engineers.
Technologies: JavaScript, CSS3, HTML5, Front-end Development, UX Research, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite
Lead Developer and Asset Designer
2012 - 2012
Eric Clapton | Crossroads Guitar Festival 2012
- Developed a website and provided visual assets for a large entertainment event.
- Managed a dedicated server, performed load testing, and developed cache strategies to prepare for large traffic spikes as the event drew closer.
- Tested all code to ensure that the final design displayed appropriately on all supported browsers and devices.
- Handled cross-browser testing, bug fixing, and website maintenance.
- Assisted in creating visual assets for social media campaigns, event promotion, banners, and more.
- Won the Communicator Award of Excellence in Event Category and Communicator Award of Distinction in Entertainment Category.
Technologies: Responsive Design, Vector Illustration, Sublime Text, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
Junior Designer
2008 - 2012
March of Dimes
- Designed a wide range of print assets including booth displays, posters, brochures, newsletters, invitations, editorial layouts, and more.
- Designed digital promotional material such as animated web banners, display advertisements, interactive website content, and social media assets.
- Maintained and protected brand guidelines.
- Conducted target user and market research.
- Generated creative concepts as part of a large creative team.
- Produced creative visuals in response to design briefs.
- Produced pixel-perfect deliverables and assets to ensure consistent visual output.
Technologies: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
Education
2007 - 2011
Bachelor's Degree in Interactive Media Design
Art Institute of Phoenix - Phoenix, Arizona
Experience
Collaboration That Works
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