Personal Statement
I believe using design knowledge and skills can lead us to do meaningful work that can tackle social issues and contribute to a better life for many.
I have studied and worked in different countries for over 10 years. I am a multidisciplinary designer with a background in Communication Design and enjoy being involved in all areas creative. I am a passionate and focused professional with a particular talent and interest in UX/UI, Service Design and Branding.
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Advertising Design, Veritas University of Art & Design, Costa Rica (2005 - 2010)
Thesis Topic: Sea turtle Conservation Campaign Project (Si las Dañas, te dañas) Graduated with Grade: 95
Community Service Project for the Forest Management Department of the National Conservation Areas (SINAC), Costa Rica (2007)
Campaign Project Design. Topic: Reforestation in Costa Rica
Exchange Program in SUNY Cortland University in Cortland, New York, USA (2008)
Achieved President´s List Academic Distinction with a 3.9 GPA
Masters Degree in Integrated Design International, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences Bauhaus, Dessau, Germany (2011-2014)
Master Thesis Topic: Improving Coexistence in Berlin through Early-Childhood Multicultural Learning. Graduated with a Grade: 1,3
Awards & Publications
AD Convivencia: Central American Design Award, Costa Rica 2007
Award for the collective project: "Eliminating Prejudice and Stereotypes" during the second encounter of Latin American Architecture & Design Schools and Faculties for Coexistence.
President's List for Academic Excellency Distinction at SUNY Cortland University in New York, USA, 2008 Received the "President's List Award" for obtaining excellent grades with a 3.9 GPA during exchange program at SUNY University. Only 6% of 7 thousand students obtained this Academic Achievement Award during the fall semester of 2008
Plastic Artpiece: "Jícaro del Cauyure" Exhibit, Costa Rica 2009
Two exhibitions in San José, Costa Rica: at the National Museum of Costa Rica and at EARTH University Gallery.
GLIDE: Global Interaction in Design Journal Conference, USA 2012
Publication Title: "Meet your Food: Empowering the User by Re-designing Nutritional Standards and Guidelines"
Employment History
Studio Art Tutor Assistant / Veritas University, Costa Rica (2007 - 2008)
I worked as a Professor Assistant for Studio Art class and helped students improve their drawing skills by teaching: perspectives, volume, still life observations, shading techniques and more.
Graphic & Web Designer / LUMENUP, Costa Rica (01.08.2007-o1.06.2010)
Web Design: UI, Usability, Ecommerce, HTML, CSS Display Advertising: newsletters, banners
Branding & Editorial: logos, promotional products, catalogs, brochures, flyers, posters
Lumenup turned into Creative Drive, purchased by Accenture:
https://www.accenture.com
User Interface Designer, Front End & Customer Support / ST Agency, Rockville, USA (01.10.2010-o1.02.2014)
Web Design & Front End Development
Marketing Assistant & Customer Support
http://www.travelzoo.com
Graphic Designer in Display Advertising / Trivago GmbH, Dusseldorf, DE (05.05.2014-o4.05.2015)
Advertising: Online Campaigns (concept & implementation)
Online Marketing
Newsletters & Banner Design
Iconography
Entrepreneurship Project / Human Centred Design IDEO, Dusseldorf, DE (09.2015-10.2015)
Social Entrepreneurship Project
Junior Art Director Digital / Deepblue Networks AG, Hamburg, DE (05.2016-12.2016) clients: Unilever, Cebit, Deutsche Messe
Art Direction Digital
Interaction Design
UI / UX Design
Styleguide Development
Graphic Designer Digital / Pilot GmBh, Hamburg, DE (01.2017-11.2018) clients: Chupa Chups, Mentos, BORCO, HanseMerkur, Schleich, Simply V, Nature Addicts, Community Life, Gazelle
Graphic Design Digital
Social Media Advertising
Campaign Concept / Photo-Shooting
Freelancer Visual Design, UX/UI, Branding, Illustration and Social Media Advertising / Marcela Checa-Sauermann, Hamburg, DE (01.2019- today)
Clients: Eyes and More, Appointer.com, Öko-Institut e.V., MylocalWedding.app, Pretty Beautiful Events, Doors Management, QuickCheck Consulting, Miezenhaps, TANIT Jewelry, Pets Ahoi UG
UX/UI Mentor / Thinkful (Chegg) / Designlab / CareerFoundry (03.2019- today)
Role: 1-on-1 mentoring sessions with students, UX/UI advisor, weekly support and feedback on UX/UI projects, guidance on Portfolio, industry advice on job searching and personal branding.
https://www.chegg.com (2019 - 2022)
https://designlab.com (2022 - today)
https://www.careerfoundry.com (2022 - today)
Pets Ahoi UG Founder & CEO, Hamburg, DE (06.2020- today)
Roles & Hats: Founder, CEO, Creative Vision, Company Brand Identity & Branding, User Experience & User Interface Design, Customer Service, Social Media Advertising & Content Strategy
Professional Skills
Soft Skills Visualisation, Communication, Conceptualisation, User Research, Usability Testing, User Experience, User Interface Design, Design Thinking, Human Centred Design, Marketing, Service Design
Hard Skills Photoshop, Ilustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Figma, Sketch, Maze, HMTL, CSS, MS Office, Sketching, hand drawing
Key Strenghts
Team Oriented team spirit, communicative, motivational, curious, inspired, proactive, friendly, sharing knowledge, team culture is everything!
Adaptive I have had the experience of working in different environments, countries, languages and teams. I have worked in inhouse, agency, startup and freelancing. I believe this has made me develop a broader adaptive attitude towards business and the creative field. I love new challenges and understand the deep immerse of working for one brand as well as adapting quickly to different projects from new brands in a limited amount of time. Being trilingual also has made me more sensitive and adaptive in understanding colleagues and the work atmosphere beyond words.