Melissa is available for hire
Hire MelissaMelissa Patenaude
Verified Expert in Design
Creative Director and Designer
Location
Oakland, CA, United States
Toptal Member Since
May 17, 2017
Melissa has over 17 years of experience in design (UI/UX, visual, product, and identity) as well as art direction and strategy. She's worked for Fortune 500 companies and startups in various fields, including B2B, developer tools, retail, food, education, and finance. Melissa's passionate about the relationship between people, technology, and culture and is dedicated to creating experiences that charm people from the digital world to daily life.
Portfolio
Work Experience
Design Strategist | Growth Consultant
2021 - PRESENT
Independant Consultant
- Uncovered gaps and opportunities for a fashion eCommerce company growth. Developed and implemented CRO strategies that increased organic traffic to the site by 9% and increased conversion rate by 0.7%.
- Increased a restaurant chain's customer satisfaction and retention with in-restaurant experience audit, strategy, implementation, and a cohesive and relatable online and social presence.
- Designed and built a new global home decor brand, from business concept to financial modeling, operations, branding and marketing, asset delivery, and Shopify website building.
- Rebranded and built an animé and pop culture apparel Shopify store. Designed and constructed Klaviyo emails and email templates targeting Gen Z.
- Rebranded a Silicon Valley group of CTO consultants and built their WordPress website, marketing, and SEO strategy, targeting venture capitalists, private equity firms, and mid-market enterprise companies.
- Developed a fashion marketplace concept for a startup funding presentation from branding to UX to future web app product concepts. As a result, the client got the funding.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, Figma, Keynote Templates, Shopify, WordPress, Squarespace, Mobile Design, User Interface (UI), Conversion Rate, User Experience (UX), Website Redesign, Illustration, Web Page Mockups, A/B Testing, Conversion, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Mobile, Prototyping, Usability Testing, InVision, Design Thinking, Adobe CC, Communication, Responsive Design, User Research, Brand Identity, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Web UX, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Landing Page Design, Landing Pages, Web Marketing, UX Audits, User Journeys, Landing Page Optimization, Navigation Design, Design Reviews, Navigation, Cross-platform UX, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Visual Identity, Color Palettes, Typography, Mobile Prototypes, MVP Design, Feature Prioritization, User Testing, Design Systems, WordPress Design, WordPress Themes, UI Components, Adobe Experience Design (XD), Mobile First, UI Animation, Best Practices in Design, Marketing, Pitch Decks, Logotype, Agency Websites, Design Strategy, Workshops, Workshop Facilitation, Strategic Design, Gamification, Marketplaces, Web Application Design, Email Design, Email Template Design, Social Media Design, Adobe, Advertising, White Papers, Marketing Collateral Development, Digital Design, Ad Design, Collateral Design, PowerPoint Templates, Document Design, Reports, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Web 3.0, Checkout, User Management, Shopify Customizations, Parallax Design, Shopify Design, Shopify Theme, Apparel & Accessories, Print Design, Responsive UI, Elementor, Tone of Voice, Market Research, Layout Design, Data, Design, Web UI, Merchandise, Storytelling, Content Writing, Visual Storytelling, Content Strategy, Copywriting, Lean Research, Visual Design Language, UX Tools, UX Leadership, Pitch Presentations, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Hands-on Implementation, Executive Presentations, Mobile UI Design, Pixel Perfect, Mobile UX Design, User Interviews, Advertisement Design, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Web UI Design, Minimalism, PDF Design, Infographics, Readability, Interactive Prototypes
Design Director
2017 - 2020
LaunchDarkly
- Led product, marketing, and brand for the company. Established design principles, brand guidelines, design thinking processes, and workflows that ensured ongoing feedback and iteration.
- Built the design team. I was the only designer for a year, then made a centralized design team of six designers, three specialized in the product and three specialized in branding and marketing.
- Built the design systems for LaunchDarkly—one for the product and one for marketing—integrated with code and the engineering team.
- Led the evolution of a SaaS product. Oversaw the redesign of the entire information hierarchy and evolution of the dashboard and designed a new experimentation offering and visual usage dashboards.
- Led branding and marketing for a brand new user conference for a developer and product audience in Oakland, California.
Technologies: Google Slides, Apple Keynote, Adobe, Figma, Sketch, Creative Direction, Product Design, Branding, UI Design, UX Design, UX Research, Information Architecture (IA), Strategy, Leadership, Design Leadership, User Personas, User Flows, User Stories, Web App Design, Agile, UX Strategy, Lean, Visual Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Data Visualization, Dashboards, Brand Design, Responsive Web Apps, Web Design, Websites, Presentation Design, Marketing Design, Brand Guidelines, Presentations, PowerPoint Design, Graphic Design, Consumer Technology, Web App UI, Web App UX, Wireframing, High-fidelity Mockups, System Design, User Roles, Color Theory, Digital Brand Identity, User Experience Strategy, User Experience (UX), Growth, UX Wireframes, Mockups, Remote Team Leadership, Scrum, Dashboard Design, User Interface (UI), Mobile Design, Website Redesign, Illustration, Web Page Mockups, A/B Testing, Conversion, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), SaaS Design, B2B, Mobile, Prototyping, Usability Testing, InVision, Design Thinking, Adobe CC, Communication, Responsive Design, User Research, Enterprise, Brand Identity, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Web UX, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Landing Page Design, Landing Pages, Web Marketing, Complex Application User Interfaces (UI), UX Audits, User Journeys, Landing Page Optimization, Navigation Design, Design Reviews, Navigation, SaaS, Cross-platform UX, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Visual Identity, Color Palettes, Typography, Apps, Mobile Prototypes, MVP Design, Feature Prioritization, User Testing, Design Systems, WordPress Design, WordPress Themes, UI Components, Mobile First, UI Animation, Best Practices in Design, Marketing, Pitch Decks, Design Strategy, Workshops, Workshop Facilitation, Strategic Design, Analytical Dashboards, Web Application Design, Email Design, Email Template Design, Social Media Design, Advertising, White Papers, Marketing Collateral Development, Digital Design, Ad Design, Collateral Design, PowerPoint Templates, Document Design, Reports, Microsoft Word, Asana, User Management, Parallax Design, Print Design, Responsive UI, Tone of Voice, Market Research, Layout Design, Data, Design, Web UI, Merchandise, Storytelling, Content Writing, Visual Storytelling, Content Strategy, Copywriting, Lean Research, Visual Design Language, UX Tools, App UI, UX Leadership, Pitch Presentations, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Hands-on Implementation, Executive Presentations, Mobile UI Design, Pixel Perfect, Mobile UX Design, User Interviews, Advertisement Design, Web UI Design, Zeppelin, Jira, PDF Design, Infographics, Readability, Interactive Prototypes
Chief Experience Officer
2016 - 2020
Fewofmany
- Architected a unique inclusive process to discover value, challenges, risks, and opportunities which I facilitated within companies and individual entrepreneurs.
- Designed the brand identity, website, and growth strategy for a gourmet cannabis pop-up event company.
- Created and built a website and marketing materials for a B2B business continuity company.
- Rebranded a vape cannabis company along with all marketing collaterals and designed and built their website.
- Designed and built our agency website and marketing collaterals.
- Branded and built the website for a mental health group therapy startup.
Technologies: InVision App, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, Creative Direction, Branding, UI Design, UX Design, UX Research, Information Architecture (IA), Product Design, Strategy, Leadership, Design Leadership, User Personas, User Flows, User Stories, Web App Design, Agile, UX Strategy, Lean, Visual Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Brand Design, Web Design, Websites, Presentation Design, Marketing Design, Brand Guidelines, Logo Design, Presentations, PowerPoint Design, Graphic Design, Wireframing, High-fidelity Mockups, eCommerce, System Design, User Roles, Color Theory, Digital Brand Identity, User Experience Strategy, eCommerce UX, User Experience (UX), Growth, eCommerce UI, eCommerce Web Design, UX Wireframes, Mockups, Remote Team Leadership, Scrum, User Interface (UI), Mobile Design, Conversion Rate, Website Redesign, Illustration, Web Page Mockups, Mobile, Prototyping, Usability Testing, InVision, Design Thinking, Adobe CC, Communication, Responsive Design, User Research, Brand Identity, Web UX, Web Marketing, Complex Application User Interfaces (UI), UX Audits, User Journeys, Design Reviews, Cross-platform UX, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Visual Identity, Color Palettes, Typography, Mobile Prototypes, MVP Design, Feature Prioritization, User Testing, WordPress Design, WordPress Themes, UI Components, Mobile First, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), UI Animation, Best Practices in Design, Marketing, Logotype, Agency Websites, Design Strategy, Gamification, Social Media Design, Adobe, Advertising, Marketing Collateral Development, Digital Design, Ad Design, Collateral Design, PowerPoint Templates, Document Design, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Asana, Checkout, Shopify, Shopify Customizations, Shopify Design, Shopify Theme, Apparel & Accessories, Print Design, Responsive UI, Elementor, Tone of Voice, Market Research, Psychology & Mental Health, Layout Design, Booking Systems, Data, Design, Merchandise, Storytelling, Content Writing, Visual Storytelling, Content Strategy, Copywriting, Lean Research, T-shirt Design, Visual Design Language, Clothing, UX Tools, UX Leadership, Pitch Presentations, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Hands-on Implementation, Mobile UI Design, Pixel Perfect, Mobile UX Design, User Interviews, Advertisement Design, Web UI Design, Zeppelin, Minimalism, PDF Design, Infographics, Readability, Interactive Prototypes
Design Manager | Strategy Designer
2013 - 2016
Macy's
- Led the UI/UX and visual design as well as product management for a sister-company testing platform.
- Strategized and built radical consumer-facing features, monitored the data, and conducted user interviews to learn and iterate.
- Led a team of 10 designers who worked across the Macys.com platform.
- Instilled the importance of design guidelines, consistency, and clean and delightful experiences.
- Created sessions and fostered working relationships between departments to merge a siloed old way of working.
- Led design (UI/UX) in a lean and agile team to build a marketplace for Macys.com.
Technologies: InVision, Adobe Creative Suite, Creative Direction, Product Design, Branding, UI Design, UX Design, UX Research, Information Architecture (IA), Strategy, Leadership, Design Leadership, User Personas, User Flows, User Stories, Web App Design, Agile, UX Strategy, Lean, Visual Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Brand Design, Responsive Web Apps, Web Design, Websites, Presentation Design, Marketing Design, Brand Guidelines, Logo Design, Presentations, PowerPoint Design, Graphic Design, Web App UI, Web App UX, Wireframing, High-fidelity Mockups, eCommerce, System Design, User Roles, Color Theory, Digital Brand Identity, User Experience Strategy, eCommerce UX, User Experience (UX), Growth, eCommerce UI, Marketplace Design, eCommerce Web Design, UX Wireframes, Mockups, Remote Team Leadership, Scrum, Dashboard Design, User Interface (UI), Mobile Design, Conversion Rate, Website Redesign, Illustration, Web Page Mockups, A/B Testing, Conversion, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Mobile, Prototyping, Usability Testing, Design Thinking, Adobe CC, Communication, Responsive Design, User Research, Brand Identity, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Web UX, Web Marketing, UX Audits, User Journeys, Landing Page Optimization, Navigation Design, Design Reviews, Navigation, Cross-platform UX, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Visual Identity, Color Palettes, Typography, Apps, Mobile Prototypes, MVP Design, Feature Prioritization, User Testing, Design Systems, UI Components, Mobile First, UI Animation, Best Practices in Design, Marketing, Logotype, Design Strategy, Workshops, Workshop Facilitation, Strategic Design, Gamification, Web Application Design, Email Design, Email Template Design, Adobe, Advertising, Marketing Collateral Development, Digital Design, Ad Design, Collateral Design, PowerPoint Templates, Document Design, Reports, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Checkout, User Management, Parallax Design, Apparel & Accessories, Print Design, Responsive UI, Tone of Voice, Market Research, Layout Design, Data, Design, Web UI, Merchandise, Storytelling, Visual Storytelling, Copywriting, Lean Research, Visual Design Language, UX Tools, App UI, UX Leadership, Pitch Presentations, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Hands-on Implementation, Executive Presentations, Mobile UI Design, Pixel Perfect, Mobile UX Design, User Interviews, Advertisement Design, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Web UI Design, Zeppelin, Jira, Minimalism, PDF Design, Infographics, Readability, Interactive Prototypes
Design Director
2009 - 2016
Studio7
- Designed Walgreen's grand opening books showcasing local culture for each location opening.
- Designed and strategized a gaming app and in-store experience for Walmart and EA Sports.
- Built and strategized on a three-year roadmap marketing plan for Urban Outfitters.
- Designed two new-concept project management and communication web apps.
- Designed a multitude of brand identities, websites, and apps from consumer goods to restaurants, finance, and education companies.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Creative Direction, Branding, UI Design, UX Design, UX Research, Information Architecture (IA), Product Design, Strategy, Leadership, Design Leadership, User Personas, User Flows, User Stories, Web App Design, Agile, UX Strategy, Lean, Visual Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Brand Design, Web Design, Websites, Presentation Design, Marketing Design, Brand Guidelines, Logo Design, Presentations, PowerPoint Design, Graphic Design, Web App UI, Wireframing, High-fidelity Mockups, eCommerce, System Design, User Roles, Color Theory, Digital Brand Identity, User Experience Strategy, eCommerce UX, User Experience (UX), Growth, eCommerce UI, eCommerce Web Design, UX Wireframes, Mockups, Remote Team Leadership, User Interface (UI), Web UX, Design Reviews, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Visual Identity, Color Palettes, Typography, Apps, Mobile Prototypes, MVP Design, WordPress Design, WordPress Themes, Marketing, Logotype, Agency Websites, Design Strategy, Gamification, Adobe, Marketing Collateral Development, Digital Design, Ad Design, Collateral Design, Document Design, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Asana, Apparel & Accessories, Print Design, Responsive UI, Tone of Voice, Market Research, Layout Design, Design, Merchandise, Storytelling, Content Writing, Visual Storytelling, Content Strategy, Copywriting, Lean Research, T-shirt Design, Visual Design Language, Clothing, UX Tools, App UI, Pitch Presentations, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Hands-on Implementation, Mobile UI Design, Pixel Perfect, Mobile UX Design, Web UI Design, Minimalism, PDF Design, Infographics, Readability
Education
2001 - 2004
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion and Art Design
Lasalle College of Montreal - Montreal, QC, Canada
1998 - 2001
Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering
Polytechnique of Montreal - Montreal, QC, Canada
1996 - 1998
Associate of Applied Science in Pure and Applied Sciences
College de Maisonneuve - Montreal, QC, Canada
Certifications
APRIL 2022 - PRESENT
Marketplace Platform Business Sprint
Section4
JUNE 2021 - PRESENT
Strategy Bootcamp
Mark Pollard's Sweathead
SEPTEMBER 2018 - PRESENT
Management Bootcamp
Harrison Metal
MAY 2015 - PRESENT
Design Thinking & Lean Development
Pivotal Labs