I started in branding and visual storytelling, then followed my curiosity into UX and product design. With 15+ years of experience, I now blend creative direction, strategy, and user-centered thinking to craft experiences that are both intuitive and impactful. Below is my resume or you can download a PDF here:
What have I been doing?
So glad you asked ;)
I am a multidisciplinary creative leader with 15+ years of experience spanning product design, brand development, and campaign execution. Known for a meticulous eye for detail—whether it's a misaligned pixel, inconsistent tone, or an overlooked user journey—I sweat the small stuff so the big picture shines. Equal parts art director and strategist, I blend user-centered design with high-impact storytelling to craft experiences that build trust, drive growth, and push creative boundaries. Proven success leading teams, scaling design systems, and delivering standout creative across B2B and consumer brands of all shapes and sizes.
Product Designer
Tradier, Inc. Remote (NC)
Jun 2023 – Present
At Tradier, I design with trust in mind—creating intuitive, compliant platforms for traders navigating a high-stakes world.
Mobile App Redesign
I led a full redesign of Tradier’s mobile app from the ground up. Using feedback from clients, stakeholders, and internal teams, I created a more intuitive, responsive experience that reflects the real needs of active traders. I delivered fully interactive Figma prototypes and presented design decisions to product leaders and execs throughout the project—balancing business goals, user expectations, and technical feasibility under tight timelines.
Live Education Platform
Next, I turned my attention to our Live Education platform—a core tool for client engagement. I reimagined the entire UX to improve clarity, navigation, and usability. I worked side-by-side with the development team to ensure that the designs were scalable and structured for future iterations. The new experience makes it easier for customers to access, filter, and interact with real-time trading education.
Knowledge Base & Onboarding
Seeing a gap in product adoption and customer enablement, I proactively researched and implemented a robust onboarding and knowledge system. From zero to launch, I built the entire ecosystem: a searchable knowledge base, in-app guided tours, and walkthroughs tailored to our more complex tools. This helped improve product confidence, reduced support ticket volume, and provided marketing and ops with new educational assets to use across channels.
Creative & Marketing Leadership
Beyond product design, I actively contribute to brand and marketing efforts—planning and executing campaigns across social, email, trade shows, and product launches. I support the creative team with copywriting, concepting, and visual QA, and I provide feedback that keeps our brand expression consistent and compliant across every touchpoint.
Compliance-First Design
In everything I touch—from UI layout to microcopy—I uphold the standards of regulatory compliance while keeping the user experience smooth, human, and easy to trust. Design for high-trust systems doesn’t have to feel sterile. I bring warmth and clarity to even the most complex interfaces.
Art Director
Simpler Trading — Austin (TX)
Apr 2021 – May 2023
After building the brand as the Senior Graphic Designer at Simpler (more info below), I took the reins to evolve it—scaling creative systems, leading high-impact campaigns, and mentoring the next wave of designers.
Brand Evolution & Creative Leadership
Stepping into the Art Director role, I took everything I had built and leveled it up—guiding the brand’s evolution across digital, video, and print. I ensured visual cohesion across every touchpoint while pushing into new formats and creative territories that aligned with Simpler’s growing ambitions.
Campaign Strategy & Execution
I led the design and execution of high-performing, multi-channel campaigns—each tailored to the language and logic of a trader-centric audience. These included product launches, promotions, educational series, and event marketing. Every campaign balanced clarity, urgency, and brand voice with the kind of polish that builds trust over time.
User Journey Mapping & UX Refinement
I worked closely with the product and marketing teams to map user journeys and optimize critical flows—especially for onboarding, conversion, and retention. From cold-traffic landing pages to webinar registration flows, I looked for every opportunity to simplify and improve the path forward.
Mentorship & Team Management
As the team grew, I stepped into a mentorship role—guiding junior designers, helping shape project scopes, and improving our internal processes. I made it a priority to maintain creative quality while increasing velocity, even as we scaled campaign output and complexity.
Senior Graphic Designer
Simpler Trading — Austin (TX)
Nov 2015 – Apr 2023
When I joined Simpler Trading, there was no brand system—just a growing company with a strong point of view and no visual language to express it. So I built one.
Brand Identity Development
From the ground up, I created Simpler Trading’s core brand identity—a system designed to be bold, clear, and conversion-oriented. Everything from the logo mark to the typography to the digital color palette was designed with both performance and longevity in mind. That system still defines the company’s look and feel across all platforms and touch points today.
Performance-Driven Creative
Once the brand was established, I set about crafting assets that didn’t just look good—they worked. From lifecycle email design and webinar landing pages to social campaigns and promotional funnels, every touchpoint was designed with conversion and clarity in mind.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
I partnered closely with marketers, copywriters, product managers, and executives to ensure our visuals matched the tone and strategic intent of each campaign. I helped shape everything from early brand messaging to complex funnel logic and content hierarchy.
Hands-On Execution
This wasn’t just a leadership role—it was sleeves-rolled-up, hands-on design. I contributed photography, illustration, motion experiments, and digital layout expertise. I knew the work inside and out because I was building it—pixel by pixel.
Graphic Designer
Sport Clips (Georgetown, TX)
Apr 2015 – Nov 2015
Sometimes a project is more than a job. Creating Vent Blotique, a women-focused salon concept built from scratch, was just that. A rare opportunity to design not just visuals—but vision.
Brand Creation from the Ground Up
I led the full development of Vent Blotique—an entirely new brand created to complement the Sport Clips franchise with a modern, women-centered experience. From the name and voice to the visuals and customer journey, every detail was considered with intention and empathy.
I created the full brand identity and visual system, including the logo, color palette, typography, tone, and visual language. Then I brought it to life across digital and physical experiences—designing the website, mobile app, salon interiors, signage, and printed materials.
Integrated Campaign Execution
I collaborated closely with an external PR agency to develop multimedia campaigns that introduced Vent Blotique to the world. Together, we crafted radio spots, social ads, and print campaigns that spoke directly to our audience—balancing bold aesthetics with everyday approachability.
Neighborhood Marketing & Community Launch
To ensure the brand launch felt local—not just corporate—I helped lead a grassroots neighborhood marketing strategy. From custom coupons to in-store events and local partnerships, we created touch points that built real buzz and early loyalty in the community.
Experience-Led, Empathy-Driven Design
This wasn’t just about designing for women—it was about designing with women in mind. From product experience to emotional resonance, I worked to build something that felt authentic, empowering, and fresh.
Graphic Designer
AffiniPay (Austin, TX)
Feb 2012 – Apr 2015
At Affinipay, I wore a lot of hats—and designed most of them too. From high-impact campaigns to back-end systems, I built creative infrastructure that helped the brand grow up gracefully.
Brand Stewardship & Campaign Creative
I managed a wide range of digital and print campaigns—from email marketing to advertising collateral to branded assets for strategic partnerships. Every touchpoint was an opportunity to reinforce trust and consistency across a fintech brand where credibility is currency.
UX & Web Design Leadership
I contributed to the design and ongoing refinement of the company website, shaping a user experience that was clear, credible, and conversion-friendly. I worked closely with senior creatives, developers, and stakeholders to ensure usability aligned with both marketing goals and technical constraints. I learned a lot from this role.
Budget Oversight & Vendor Relationships
Alongside my creative work, I tracked and managed the Creative Services budget, handled purchasing approvals, and worked directly with external vendors to deliver quality design assets on time and on spec.
Onboarding & Product Support Materials
I created branded user manuals, welcome kits, and product packaging that supported new customer onboarding and product education. This was about more than aesthetics—it was about easing people into complex services with clarity and care.
System Building & Operational Design
I implemented scalable inventory systems for both physical and digital assets—ensuring that the creative team could move fast without breaking things. My work here supported not just the present, but future growth.
Graphic Designer
Minuteman Press (Georgetown, TX)
Oct 2010 – Jan 2012
At Minuteman Press, I became fluent in the language of paper stock, Pantone values, and real-world constraints. It was fast, it was hands-on—and it sharpened my instincts for quality, speed, and precision.
High-Volume, High-Stakes Design
I designed everything from business cards and brochures to oversized signage, trade show materials, and full-vehicle wraps. These weren’t just digital mockups—they were physical, high-visibility deliverables that had to hold up under scrutiny… and weather.
Client-Facing Collaboration
This was a client-facing role, through and through. I regularly presented design options to business owners, internal managers, and production teams—refining concepts based on feedback and guiding clients through the design and print process.
Pre-Press & Quality Assurance
I became borderline obsessive about pre-press prep—proofreading every line, checking dimensions, adjusting bleeds, and ensuring color accuracy. From die lines to dot gain, I learned how to make files print-perfect every time.
Production Oversight & Workflow Optimization
Beyond the design files, I monitored the actual print runs—checking for ink consistency, registration, and finish quality. I also helped streamline internal workflows to keep projects on schedule without sacrificing quality.
Graphic Designer
Sharp End Publishing (Boulder, CO)
May 2008 – Nov 2011
This was where it all began. My love for print design. My obsession with craft. My belief that design—real, tactile, story-rich design—could be both a utility and a legacy.
End-to-End Book Design & Layout
At Sharp End, I designed climbing guidebooks from cover to cover—sometimes over 500 pages deep. I built intricate character and paragraph styles to ensure every edition could scale, flex, and stay consistent across years of updates. These books weren’t just information—they were lifelines for people navigating vertical landscapes.
Field-Tested Creative
Designing for the climbing world meant I didn’t just sit behind a screen—I hit the crag. I tested routes, verified map accuracy, and in some cases, found myself in the very photos I curated. This wasn't theory. This was ink-stained, chalk-dusted design in the wild.
Creative Partnership with Authors & Photographers
I worked closely with authors from their first draft to the final press check—editing content, guiding pagination strategy, and proofreading with the eye of someone who knew how high the stakes were. I also managed relationships with photographers and advertisers to ensure each book met both artistic and publishing goals.
The Women of Climbing Calendar
Every year, I curated and designed the globally loved Women of Climbing calendar—sourcing images from photographers around the world and shaping them into something bold, inclusive, and worthy of the athletes it celebrated.
Pre-Press & Production Craftsmanship
Once design was locked, I handled all pre-press setup: pagination checks, color proofs, printer coordination, and final file prep. There’s something deeply satisfying about holding your work in your hands, printed perfectly, built to last.
That was A LOT!
I have enjoyed every position I have held over the many years that I have been a designer. Time flies when you're having fun! I've learned SO much, made life-long friends, and enjoyed truly privileged connections with some of the most creative, passionate, and inspiring entrepreneurs in the world. I'd certainly be remiss if I didn't say a virtual "thank you" to all those who have given me the opportunity to create a career out of my passions.
Also thank you (to whoever you are) for taking the time to look over my resume :) You can check out my Education and Skills below...if you intend to keep reading or you can check out a VERY small portion of my curated work over these years HERE on my site.
Education
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Graphics Design
Minors in Art & English
Technical Skills
I speak fluent software. And when one tool doesn’t do what I need, I don’t complain—I invent workflows.
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Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, XD)
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HTML/CSS, responsive design, prototyping
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Jira, GitHub, Monday, Basecamp
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Remote Work
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AI-assisted design tools, design systems, UX research platforms
Creative Expertise
I combine sharp creative instincts with systems thinking, storytelling, and cross-functional know-how. From scrappy startups to regulated platforms, I’ve built brands, scaled campaigns, designed products, and led teams—all while staying pixel-aware and people-first.
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Brand campaigns (B2B & B2C)
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Go-to-market creative strategy
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Paid media, video, and social ad design
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UX/UI & interaction design (mobile + web)
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Lifecycle, onboarding, and email design
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Design systems & creative operations
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Knowledge base & guided content development
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Accessibility-first & compliance-aligned design (SEC/FINRA)
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Cross-functional collaboration (product, growth, dev, execs)
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Mentoring & leading creative teams
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Vendor management & production oversight
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Print design, pre-press, and large-format execution
[Sarah's] kind personality and compassion for helping others sets her apart. Her creative capacity would undoubtedly benefit any organization looking to add her to its arsenal.
— ANGELA GARZA —