Kris Byers
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Belfast, United Kingdom
Toptal member since May 20, 2022
Kris is an award-winning UI/UX and brand designer with over 25 years of experience across the sports, leisure, food, drink, and financial sectors. His clients include Motorola, Wimbledon, Aer Lingus, and Liberty IT. Kris solves problems fast and uncovers market opportunities by simplifying complex issues to improve digital experiences and specializes in user-centered design, behaviors, research insights, experience maps, information architecture, wireframes, design systems, and MVP prototypes.
Experience
- Graphic Design - 20 years
- Brand Design - 20 years
- UI Design - 20 years
- UX Design - 20 years
- Web Design - 20 years
- Brand Development - 20 years
- User Experience (UX) - 20 years
- User Interface (UI) - 20 years
Portfolio
UX Design for Flight Booking App
UI/UX for a Food and Drink Company
UI/UX for a Communication and Technology Company
UI/UX for a New Whiskey Brand
Packaging Design for Sports Equipment
Work Experience
Director
Self-employed
- Pitched and won a contract to design and develop a digital strategy for Motorola, including user research, testing, design, and implementation of a new digital product.
- Delivered a 25th anniversary brand and digital project for Wimbledon, the oldest and the most prestigious of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments.
- Designed and maintained the Aer Lingus award event website that had technical requirements for entrants to submit entries through a bespoke designed online system.
Creative Director
Harty Design
- Rebranded Ras Al Khaimah. Designed, developed, and delivered a brand identity and website visuals for the sixth-largest city in the United Arab Emirates.
- Created a brand and digital platform for a small Mexican restaurant chain that was eventually franchised and sold for £4.5 million.
- Headed a team of six designers and developers to design and deliver effective digital solutions quickly and within budget.
Freelance Digital Designer
Self-employed
- Freelanced throughout the UK and Ireland in some of the largest and most respected brand and digital agencies, including TBWA, Tequila, and DDP.
- Supplied design and technical assistance to design teams, including user research, user interface design, mockups, prototyping of initial concepts, and user testing.
- Developed and refined a successful agile design framework applied to branding and digital products for research, design, testing, and delivery.
Senior Designer
Elm House Creative
- Worked mainly with fintech clients, such as Danske Bank, to deliver multi-million-pound contracts.
- Developed brands, identities, and websites for some of Ireland's largest retail and housing developments.
- Helped the agency create a new digital service for mobile apps, web design, development, and social media accounts.
Creative Director
Page Setup Design
- Oversaw the studio's design output, working mainly with government and public sector clients.
- Assisted with the business development and direction of the design business, helping it grow and raising the company's profile.
- Created and implemented a digital presence for the company and helped outsource website development services.
Freelance Brand Designer
Aquent
- Freelanced in over 32 different design and technology agencies throughout Sydney, Australia, over a period of two years.
- Helped secure Suncorp-GIO Insurance's $8 million contract, working alongside a team of six to design the presentation tender.
- Participated in designing the brand identity for the tenth anniversary of the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix at Albert Park.
Senior Designer
AV Browne
- Won iDi Brand Award 2002 for Maybin brand identity. Researched, developed, and designed a brand identity for a company that was eventually sold for £4 million.
- Worked in a team of four. Built brands and developed personas for InterTradeIreland and Invest Northern Ireland stakeholder interviews and helped with the rollout of the digital platform.
- Undertook research and development for BT clients to deliver brand assets for both digital and television formats. Participated in a team of four to provide support and keep the consistency of the digital brand.
Education
Diploma in Hypnotherapy
Stranmillis University - Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Bachelor's Degree in Visual Design
Ulster University - Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
BTEC National Diploma (Equivalent to a High School Diploma) in Graphic Design
Belfast Institute - Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Certifications
IDF Certified
Interactive Design Foundation (IDF)
Design and Code
Design+Code
UX Intensive
Adaptive Path
Skills
Tools
Sketch, Adobe CC, InDesign CC, Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, After Effects CC, Adobe Experience Design (XD), BrowserStack, Adobe, Affinity Diagrams, Google Analytics, Hotjar
Platforms
Figma, WordPress, Webflow
Industry Expertise
Psychology & Mental Health, Education, Aircraft & Airlines, Food & Beverage
Other
Adobe UX, UX Design, UI Design, Brand Design, Web Design, Packaging, App Design, Graphic Design, Logo Design, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), Brand Development, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Websites, Audits, Heuristics, Prototyping, Mobile UX, Product Design, Visual Design, Landing Page Design, Landing Page Optimization, Landing Pages, Conversion, Brand Strategy, Active Listening, Legal Counsel, Consulting, Print Design, Adobe Creative Cloud, Bootstrap 4, Branding, eCommerce, Recruitment, Sports & Athletics, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Personas, Card UI, Affinity Mapping, Empathy Mapping, User Flows, Information Architecture (IA), Interaction Design (IxD), Wireframing, Front-end Design, Service Safari, Low-fidelity Mockups, High-fidelity Prototypes, User Personas, Card Sorting, Task Analysis, Paper Prototyping, Desk Research, Semrush, Session Cams, Eye Tracking, PDF Forms, Digital Strategy, Motion Interaction, User Testing, Brand Identity, System Design, Design Systems, Lead Generation, Information & Communications Technology (ICT), Tourism, Travel, App UX, UX Wireframes
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