About Me

I’m Christian, an experienced Senior UX and UI Designer from Germany based in San Francisco Bay Area.

With 18+ years experience in the creative industry and shaping visually appealing solutions, I am extremely passionate about how an interface can make the user feel, and the experiences they have in their journey to complete a desired end goal. I love the challenge of turning complex processes into simple and intuitive tasks.

Growing up in Germany, I studied in Munich, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic and Communication Design. I have since worked in Dublin, Barcelona, Munich, Berlin and now San Francisco.

EXPERIENCE

  • Product-, interaction design and design system integration
  • Brand identity, web and print design expert
  • Excellent knowledge of color theory, typography, print, illustration, and photography
  • In-depth knowledge of video animation, digital media and prevailing design software programs
  • Strong in establishing, maintaining and reviewing UI/ UX standards and best practices for a team environment
  • Ability to present ideas in an effective manner, to meet deadlines and work under pressure
  • Fluent in 5 languages, verbal and written (English, German, Spanish, Romanian and Hungarian)

SKILLS

Figma

Sketch

Adobe CC

InVision, Zeplin

UX – UI – CiXD

Web Portal Design

JIRA

Coda

iOS – Android

Prototyping

Usability Testing

Design Systems

Design Standards

Component Library

Brand Identity

Iconography

Print Publishing

HTML, CSS, JS

Microsoft Office

CAREER HISTORY

Senior Product Designer

Zoom  • San Jose, CA (2021-2023)
https://zoom.us/

  • Lead the design and technical direction of the Zoom Contact Center (ZCC) design system
  • Designed and maintained the ZCC component library, user interface patterns and provided documentation guidelines, in a systematic, detail-oriented way.
  • Conductive role in designing and shipping Zoom Contact Center application features
  • Partnered closely with PM’s and engineers to implement pixel perfect designs, based on provided guidelines
  • Lead reviews and evaluated designs and project activities for ZCC with development guidelines and standards
  • Mentored junior designers and provided guidance

Senior Product Designer

Wells Fargo • San Francisco, CA (2019-2021)
www.wellsfargo.com

Senior UI/UX Designer

Vonage · San Francisco, CA (2019)
www.vonage.com

  • Responsible for UI/UX best practices, creating high fidelity mock-ups and prototypes or highly detailed wireframes for complex web & desktop applications, following Vonage’s brand guidelines
  • Ownership of the CIXD for the VBC Admin (SaaS) app feature
  • Supporting Vonage’s design language system in collaboration with engineering
  • Developing user personas and performing extensive user research, while working closely with product management to design award winning experiences

(Joined Vonage’s design team following NewVoiceMedia’s acquisition in 2018)

Lead UI Designer

NewVoiceMedia · San Francisco, CA (2017-2019)
www.newvoicemedia.com

  • Conducted NewVoiceMedia’s design system, backed by Salesforce, improving the change of pace of creation and innovation among designers and engineers
  • Conceived company’s styleguide and design pattern of “atomic” elements, components,
    layouts, interaction flows, and high-res visual styles, helping teams to build products coherently
  • Owned the end-to-end redesign for NVM Dashboard and Contact Pad, including discovery, strategy, interaction design, prototyping and user testing
  • Introduced the design process improving the timezone workflow between design and development in US and EU.
  • Traveled to Europe to oversee the UI/UX implementation while working hand-in-hand with product management and development team, contributing to front-end code.

Senior UI/UX Designer

NORCAL Mutual Insurance · San Francisco, CA (2011 – 2017)
www.norcalmutual.com

I worked as a leading member of the NORCAL Mutual Creative and Online Services Team by providing innovative and industry-leading strategic direction, guidance and tactical leadership around enhancing the user experience through publication and interactive channels to a national market. Being the primary UX voice, this role was constantly ensuring industry best practices and future trends are being considered and implemented within every NORCAL Mutual interactive channel and publication that provided a significant brand experience for employees, stakeholders, partners or customers.

Duties included:

  • Leading creative strategy and developed UXD for the producer/agents desktop portal and company’s first mobile app
  • Overseeing usability testing and exercises on publication and UX efforts, including User Acceptance Testing
  • Brand development and management, including comprehensive rebranding effort (logo redesign, typography, color scheme, website redesign and relaunch)
  • Prototyping and validating web portal initiatives and UX designs
  • Creating online production guidelines to train new and existing partners on interface and experience standards, increasing productivity by 173%

UI/ UX Designer

Taptera · San Francisco, CA (2011-2012)
www.taptera.com

Taptera makes enterprise framework accessible by providing secure business apps to employees on the go.

Contracted for developing workflows, interaction design and CIXD solutions for responsive applications (desktop & mobile).

Web/ Graphic Designer

Esselte Leitz GmbH · Stuttgart, Germany (2010-2011)
www.esselte.com

Esselte is the leading global office supplies manufacturer with annual sales of approximately $1 billion and subsidiaries in 29 countries, including Pendaflex in the US.

  • Specialized in print design of brochures and packaging for newly released products
  • Executed web projects from conceptualization to production, including sustaining the company website, creating animated web banners and landing pages
  • Communicated directly with clients in 5 languages, spearheading collaborations to create vision and conceive designs

Web/ Graphic Designer

Star Cooperation · Böblingen, Germany (2008 – 2010)
www.star-cooperation.com

Star Cooperation supplies development, engineering and consulting services to support customers throughout the world, focusing on working with the automotive industry.

  • Managed the redesign and maintenance of company website
  • Developed wireframes & mock-ups, re-designed user interface and associated graphical elements
  • Produced outdoor advertising, annual reports and collateral, PowerPoint and PDF presentations from concept to delivery

Web/ Graphic Designer

Suntrek Inc. (now Intrepid Travel) · Santa Rosa, CA (2006 – 2008)
www.intrepidtravel.com

Responsibilities of Art Director, including: brand development, coordination of all print and digital projects, creation of the new corporate website and the yearly travel catalog in various languages.

FURTHER CAREER HISTORY

Graphic Designer

SMACK Communications · Berlin, Germany (2005-2006)
www.smack-communications.com

Graphic Designer

Jamba GmbH · Berlin, Germany (2004 – 2005)
www.jamba.de

Corporate Credit Card Administrator, language specialist

Citibank · Barcelona, Spain (2003 – 2004)
www.citi.com/spain

Graphic / Web Designer

Design Tactics · Dublin, Ireland (2002 – 2003)
www.designtactics.net

Graphic Design Administrator

Snapprinting · Dublin, Ireland (2002 – 2003)
www.snap.ie

Web Designer

I-D Media AG · Berlin, Germany (2000 – 2002)
www.idmedia.de/en/

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design

Blocherer Schule – Munich, Germany
(1995 – 1999)
www.blochererschule.de

CERTIFICATES

Drupal, AcademyX, San Francisco, CA (2014) 

HTML5, CSS3, AcademyX, San Francisco, CA (2013)

Certificate in CMS “Typo3” and “Flash CS5” Alfatraining, Stuttgart, Germany (2010)

Certificate of Proficiency in Spanish, Speakeasy Barcelona, Spain (2003)

Advanced Certificate of Work Experience, Cambridge International Exams, Dublin, Ireland (2002)

AWARDS

Magazine 2016 – Gold | Hermes Creative Awards

NORCAL’s agents newsletter ‘The Current’ is named a Gold winner in the HERMES creative awards – Magazine category.

Award of Excellence 2016 | Insurance Marketing Communications Association (IMCA)

“Guide Guard Advocate” advertising campaign

PR Daily’s 2015 Content Marketing Awards – Best Content Series

Award of Excellence 2015 | Insurance Marketing Communications Association (IMCA)

NORCAL Mutual’s Claims Rx monthly publication