Currently Up-To

Design Director — Freelance & Moonlighting

June 2001 - Present | Seattle, New York City & Los Angeles

Assisting startup and enterprise businesses with growth and communication tactics by creating validated design strategies, polished layout solutions and integrated brand stories. Working remotely or on-site alongside customers, founders, key stakeholders, and peer teams.

Previous experience representing work between staff and consulting roles.

TYPE OF SERVICES OFFERED (see details):

Design Thinking Workshops
Qualitative Research
Design Strategy
IA/UX/UI & Service Design
Brand Development
Company Website
Usability Testing

Available for consulting and advising projects on freelance, contract or retainer basis.

CURRENT & PAST CLIENTS: Bixel Exchange, Aaron Brumer & Associates, ReplyToSome, Hotshot Inc., FOX Broadcast, SwitchBlade Entertainment Group, Vidiots Inc., VO|CO drink, Nur Development, Madécasse Chocolate, Faring Capital, Talener Group, Inside Beautiful, and others

PRIOR Experience

Senior Product Designer — Pivotal Labs

July 2015 - November 2016 | Santa Monica, CA

Pivotal Labs is a software engineering consultancy deeply rooted in Silicon Valley and known for their focus on user centered design and extreme programming methodologies in an agile development environment, as well as their unique approach to consulting by teaching processes to client teams for company transformation.

The product designer role at Pivotal reaches unicorn status with full-stack design duties from assistance with sales and scoping, leading to user research and analysis, design strategy and concept development, information architecture, wireframe design and prototyping, usability testing, visual design, and front-end pairing. Product teams are put together around balancing the expertise of engineers, product managers, and designers for lean practices of agile software development.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Drove research and product strategy of CoreLogic’s top mortgage loan tool which yielded 25% growth in sales over the six months following implementation
Led design research and product development for ABC News broadcast company in the build of a greenfield application replacing manual journalistic workflows
Discovered and identified problem space and developed product strategy for workflows of employees for IT division of Boeing aerospace company

Senior UX/UI Lead — Edmunds.com

November 2014 - April 2015 (consultant) | Santa Monica, CA

Edmunds.com is an online resource for automotive information connecting shoppers and the automotive industry through resources and data associated with the car buying process. The platform sees 240 Million page views per month. Founded in 1966 the company has historical impact on customer lives.

Worked alongside product and research teams, and executive stakeholders in unique Accelerator program, aligned with lean startup methods to discover product opportunities through agile practices in a design thinking environment. Focused on rapid implementation and experimentation through usability research with customers and analysis of live site testing. Also collaborated with directors for marketing and brand design duties.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Spearheaded research and recommendations for increasing traffic and usability of video content pages which was later shared to all executives and the strategy adopted
Executed research to develop design strategy and product recommendations for user generated content flows which was later incorporated into the live site
Helped define brand style guides and implemented website live pattern library
See Case Study >

Director of Creative Strategy — AssetAvenue

September 2013 - January 2014 (consultant) | Los Angeles, CA

AssetAvenue offers real estate entrepreneurs an online marketplace for unique investment opportunities. Was hired as first contract employee in 2013 to assist the founder through business development. Worked alongside partners, advisors and executive team.

Led an assortment of business validation and creative strategy activities during initial phases of lean startup. This included facilitating design thinking workshops, executing competitor analysis, resourcing freelance talent, assisting in vendor and team vetting, directing IA/UX for product development, and company naming exercises.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Spearheaded competitive analysis research which attracted initial set of investors
Guided team through naming of the company and wrote name which was chosen

Director of Design — Something Massive

February 2012 - September 2013 | Los Angeles, CA

Something Massive is a boutique agency dedicated to the digital and social space, providing engagement strategy, content and design that inspire loyal consumers to advocate the brands they love. Joined the company during a growth period, rounding the team out with creative leadership and a background in working with consumer packaged goods’.

Duties included managing the design team through daily process and resourcing, and leading client creative relationships from pitch, to design strategy, design reviews, and web development. Worked alongside executives and key stakeholders. Executed designs when needed and aided team by providing feedback, mentorship or guiding layout decisions.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Assisted in developing relationship with Plum Organics team to secure agency of record contract that continues to date
Implemented a process for UX Design as part of client approval with user experience strategy and layout design direction of web portals
Grew design team to include two full-time designers, several design interns and managing freelance talent base of various creative expertise
Developed concept and design strategy for the cross-channel digital marketing of several movie releases from top entertainment studios

CLIENTS: Plum Organics, Universal Studios, Regal Cinemas, Yahoo!, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Häagen-Dazs, Yankee Candle, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Americana Manhassatt, Guthy Renker, United Talent Agency, American Express, Hennessy, The Energy Project, among others

Senior Art Director — POSSIBLE

November 2011 - February 2012 (consultant) | Culver City, CA

POSSIBLE is a global digital agency that offers clients award-winning digital strategy, performance marketing, and creative design.

Led concept and design for Mitsubishi Cars, North America account on the Winter digital marketing package including website development and social strategy. Associated with the broadcast commercial ‘Ride the Storm’ created by client partner agency 180LA.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Assisted in managing relationship with partnering sponsor, Weather Underground
Creative strategy for conceptual website guiding users through the weather experience
See Case Study >

Senior Art Director — Lunchbox

August 2008 - August 2011 | Culver City, CA

Lunchbox (now known as Mirum Shopper) helped define the shopper marketing agency space by developing a partnership with Walmart.com which led to evergreen e-commerce programs for engaging users with top selling brands. Supervised creative team and assisted with training during rapid-growth, while company multiplied from 10 to 120 employees over a year and half.

Oversaw concept ideation and execution for new business presentations and partnership projects. Led design process from concept sketching and wireframes to visual and interaction design while aligning with brand guidelines and user market needs. Collaborated with cross-functional team leads including copy writers, video producers, web developers, social strategists, and executives.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Reached billions of consumers through integrated brand content campaigns on Walmart.com with in-store components
Helped implement process and training while creative team grew from just two people to over 20 designers, art directors, creative directors, copywriters, illustrators, and animators
Collaborated in pitching and driving creative strategy for evergreen platforms and highly trafficked brand-shops on Walmart.com

CLIENTS: Walmart.com, Unilever, Walgreens, CVS, Aveeno, Enfamil, Huggies, Barbie, Dove, Dove GoFresh, Dove Men, Axe, Suave, Neutrogena Naturals, Cottonelle, Degree, Caress, Kleenex, Skittles, OP, Walmart Soundcheck with Black Eyed Peas, Beyoncé, Shakira, Gym Class Heros, and others

Further Career Details

February 1999 - August 2008 | Los Angeles, CA - New York, NY

Senior Art Director — Robb Report Media
Senior Graphic Designer — E! Networks
Senior Graphic Designer — Us Weekly magazine
Graphic Designer — Hearst Magazines
Art Director — Out of the Box Publishing
Design Manager — The Daily Evergreen

To see complete career credentials, please connect with Darcie Fitzpatrick via LinkedIn.

VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP

Co-Chair — Surfrider Foundation

May 2010 - August 2012 (volunteer) | West Los Angeles / Malibu Chapter

Surfrider is a non-profit dedicated to the preservation of oceans, waves and beaches. Leadership supported the Los Angeles volunteer base and program partnerships of the World's largest chapter.

Responsibilities included delegating tasks, maintaining partnerships and event planning, as well as fundraising for chapter expenses. Also led monthly beach cleanup volunteer coordination and onsite guidance for participating members on clean up days.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Coordinated and hosted numerous events raising nearly $70K in funds
Doubled volunteer base in one year’s time through personable communication and engaging recruitment practices - managed database of 800+ volunteers
Represented Rise Above Plastics ‘Plastic the Real Seamonster’ in partnership at the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival in Santo Domingo, DR including a reception with the country's President, Leonel Fernández, honoring Sylvia Earle
See Case Study >

et cetera

Location

Santa Monica, CA

Software

• Mac OS (circa 1990)
• Sketch, InVision, Axure, Zeplin (expert)
• Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat Pro (expert)
• Front-end, HTML, CSS (pro - read/edit)
• Dreamweaver, Flash, iMovie (pro)
• Squarespace, WordPress, Tumblr, (pro / master)
• iWork, Office, Google Apps, Pivotal Tracker, Jira, BaseCamp (pro)
• Proto.io, Figma.com, BoardThing.com, Stickies.io, Appear.in (testing)

Education

• Washington State University - B.A., Advertising Major / Graphic Design Minor
• UCLA Extension - Screenwriting, Film & TV, AfterEffects
• HB Studio + AADA - Improv, Technique & Scene Study
• Studio 4 - Directing the Actor & Camera

Volunteer

• Surfrider Foundation
• Social Media Week
• The Art Institutes
• Cash for College
• CoachArt

Hobbies

Pets, gardening, cooking, home decor, sewing, painting, writing, travel, horseback riding, yoga, skiing, music, poetry, mountains, jewelry making, the ocean, nature