Nine years ago, I was hired out of college to work as a graphic designer at a boutique branding studio. That agency, Robin Easter Design, produced and continues to produce beautiful work, but the web design process was rather dysfunctional. Robin Easter was big on design talent, but lacked any formal development staff. Having very little knowledge of code outside of HTML and CSS, I was left to hack WordPress themes to try to make them look like the Adobe Illustrator mockups we presented to our clients. What an inefficient mess! What I would have done for a visual web design tool that empowers designers to do what they do best...
Fast-forward to today– I've spent six years growing a new digital agency, Status Forward, as a brand designer and creative director. Thanks to Webflow, which we've used since 2016, we are able to present high fidelity, clickable designs to clients. Some of these clients are now opting out of WordPress build-outs for the Webflow CMS (which has come a long way).
I love Webflow. More than anything, I admire the way it elevates creativity on the web. I would be elated to help grow the Webflow brand as a Production Designer.
This ain't my first Zoom/Slack rodeo. I've been working remotely for over six years and find that I get more done when I don't have to dedicate two hours of my day to ironing my shirt and commuting across town. I'm used to working through project management software (Trello, Teamwork, Redbooth, Wrike, to name a few... What's yours?).
I can gush about Webflow all day as a design tool, but I have tons of experience with Adobe products too. I like to think of myself as an expert in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and XD. Heck, the whole reason I pursued design as a career was because I fell in love with making cool stuff in Photoshop at the tender age of 14 (I'm 31 now).
You want someone who can shift gears? After working in an agency setting for the better part of a decade, my gears are well-greased. I'm used to jumping around– but I try to create processes to minimize the delays and backtracking associated with doing so. I always look for ways to automate or template tasks so long as it doesn't harm the creative needs of the project. When you're working on lots of deliverables for a single brand, it makes a ton of sense to invest in design systems.
As an Enneagram 6, I am loyal through and through. When I feel supported, I remain curious, driven, and persistent. I am NOT a reclusive creative who hides behind a curtain, waiting to get high off the "ta-da" presentation. As a member of the Webflow team, I pledge to work diligently and collaboratively, unless called upon to "just fix it" and not bog down others. While it's in my nature to look at things from many angles, I realize my perspective is not infallible. I am always open to constructive feedback.
I look forward to hearing your feedback on this unconventional cover letter when we discuss this position further.
-Nick