Ced Funches
Designer
Location
San Diego, United States
Toptal Member Since
October 2, 2019
Since 2007, Ced has been leading mobile, web, and product design for clients, including Vox Media, Conde Nast, Sony, Nintendo, the NBA, Goalcast, Smith.ai, Forbes, several tech startups, and more. He specializes in product design, user experience, user interface, and visual design to create and market meaningful products. An experienced design leader with a proven track record of successfully building, managing, and optimizing products and brands.
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Work Experience
2020 - PRESENT
Senior UI/UX Product Designer
TEG Travel
- Designed an app that gives insider recommendations for hotels, restaurants, and events when users visit selected cities.
- Built an extensive design system to assist in scaling the locations, reviews, and photos.
- Created User Stories to reimagine how travelers communicate, discover, and book.
Technologies: Adobe Experience Design (XD), Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Zeplin, Coda, Asana, Webflow, Early-stage Startups, Mobile UI, User Interviews, Instagram Ads, Design Thinking, Design Strategy, Mobile UI Design, Game Design, Travel Design, Sales Presentations, Pitch Decks, PowerPoint Design, iOS UX Design, UX Mentoring, Mentorship & Coaching, Mentorship, Miro
2022 - 2022
Creative Director
SLAYMASTERS INC.
- Designed an app that allows women to style their hair at home via live appointments and personalized hair treatments.
- Built a brand identity direction for logos, colors, and typography.
- Created user stories and Maze UX tests based on real customer surveys with P&G.
Technologies: Management, Creative Direction, Branding, Landing Page Design, Strategy, Mobile App Design, UI Design, UX Design, Educational Platform Design, Marketing Design, Email Design, Art Direction, Product Design, Web Design
2022 - 2022
Visual Designer
Deel Inc
- Designed a new UX flow for the company's site navigation.
- Created several landing page systems to help split-test new creative.
- Created three user stories based on the gathered research that allowed improvements to the mobile demo request.
Technologies: Visual Design, UI Design, Information Architecture (IA), Branding, Design Systems, UI Animation, Art Direction, Web Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), B2B, Landing Page Design, Product Design
2021 - 2022
Senior UX/UI Product Designer
Forbes Media - Q.ai - Main
- Designed the complete system of components for the commercial app on iPhone and Android.
- Built a brand identity guide, including colors and typography, language and tone, logos, and other assets.
- Created dev guidelines and standards. Devs can now complete projects in half the time required previously, new developers and designers join the company with very clear guidelines, and designers are empowered to put prototypes together much faster.
- Worked with the marketing department to design the IQ newsletter and integrate it into the Forbes eco-system of outbound emails.
- Designed and built the company website on Webflow. In addition, I created several landing pages to help increase the top funnel.
- Worked with internal stakeholders to improve the UX, which led to a 120% increase in DAU.
- Created key illustrations for individual product offerings in-app.
- Built and executed several GTM strategies for the product, overseeing several freelancers, artists, and copywriters.
Technologies: Content Strategy, Information Architecture (IA), Writing & Editing, Marketing Design, Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Webflow, Complex Application User Interfaces (UI), SaaS Design, Early-stage Startups, Mobile UI, User Interviews, Digital Marketing Design, Instagram Ads, Illustration, Leadership, Design Thinking, Design Strategy, Mobile UI Design, Game Design, Sales Presentations, Pitch Decks, PowerPoint Design, iOS UX Design, UX Mentoring, Mentorship & Coaching, Mentorship, Miro
2020 - 2021
Sr. Design Director
Smith.ai Inc
- Created the current website, architecture, and design system for landing pages, lead gen ads, and external marketing efforts.
- Built a brand identity guide, including colors and typography, language and tone, logos, and other assets.
- Created user stories and refined the customer journey with UX research via Maze.
- Built the design system that informed the direction for the internal product dashboard, mobile interface, and CX principles.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Webflow, Webflow CMS, Mailchimp, Annotated Wireframes, Data Visualization, Early-stage Startups, CRM Design, User Interviews, Digital Marketing Design, Banner Ads, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Instagram Ads, Design Thinking, Design Strategy, Sales Presentations, Pitch Decks, PowerPoint Design, Mentorship, UX Research
2018 - 2019
VP of Creative, Brand Partnerships
Jamiak, LLC
- Oversaw strategy, performance marketing, consumer research, media planning, and creative development across programmatic mobile and desktop offerings.
- Created processes for digital teams, copywriters and support staff.
- Managed website redesigns and BI tracking to increase the volume of registered leads and improve the overall customer experience.
- Ran point on priority brand/consumer partnerships.
- Recruited and managed a global team of marketers focused on maximizing awareness and driving revenue for the company.
- Led the design strategy for Klaviyo as we worked to create consistently qualified leads for repeat business.
Technologies: Facebook, Adobe Creative Suite, Google Analytics, Shopify, Marketing, Strategy, Creative Strategy, Digital Brand Identity, B2C, Design Principles, Email Design, eCommerce, Concept Art, Landing Pages, Marketplaces, Leadership, Pitch Decks, PowerPoint Design, UX Mentoring, Mentorship & Coaching, Mentorship, UX Research
2015 - 2017
Executive Design Director
Vox Media
- Provided executive leadership to the revenue and marketing design and brand identity teams.
- Used a creative mix of branding and storytelling to spread Vox Media's narrative across a broad mix of media including emails, creative strategy, environments, brand, and advertising touchpoints.
- Successfully led the branding redesign, strategy, and execution of key brands: SB Nation and the Verge.
- Created and tracked email campaigns and implemented changes based on data to spur growth.
- Oversaw the strategy, performance marketing, consumer research, media planning and creative development across mobile and desktop offerings.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Advertising Campaigns, News Media, Enterprise Startups, Shopify, Marketing, Strategy, Creative Strategy, Digital Brand Identity, B2C, Design Principles, Email Design, Branding, Sports Websites, TV App Design, User Interface Engineering (UIE), Set Design, Concept Art, Mailchimp, Dashboards, Leadership, Mobile UI Design, Pitch Decks, PowerPoint Design, iOS UX Design, Mentorship & Coaching, Mentorship, UX Research
2011 - 2013
Co-founder | Chief Technical Officer
Pixlwise
- Provided a comprehensive vision for the Pixlwise brand and the first wave of digital products.
- Ensured a consistent look and feel across all channels with the creative ability to transform fresh ideas into real products.
- Oversaw the strategy, performance marketing, consumer research, media planning and creative development across mobile and desktop offerings.
- Developed the marketing strategy and managed the implementation to create brand awareness, drive distribution and maximize ad network revenue.
- Led performance marketing campaigns to monetize and expand customer base.
Technologies: Ruby on Rails (RoR), Java, GitHub, Shopify, Marketing, Strategy, Creative Strategy, Education Technology (Edtech), Concept Art, Leadership, Game Design, Mentorship & Coaching, Mentorship
2010 - 2012
Director of Web Marketing
University of San Diego
- Served as the director of web marketing for university relations.
- Oversaw all web and branded visual design within the university's on-campus schools.
- Oversaw the brand and marketing materials including the website, email newsletters, marketing ads, and more.
- Worked in an elite university environment in close collaboration with deans, provosts, VPs, and marketing professionals.
- Negotiated contracts with suppliers to ensure competitive pricing and quality control.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Marketing, Strategy, Creative Strategy, B2C, Email Design, Education Technology (Edtech), Mailchimp, Leadership, PowerPoint Design
2006 - 2010
Director of Creative Marketing
Destineer Studios
- Led creative marketing for a first and third-party video game publisher.
- Worked directly with Nintendo®, Microsoft, Sony PS4, and Xbox One.
- Managed worldwide game release strategy and implementation.
- Created pitches and go-to-market strategies based on new game initiatives.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Marketing, Strategy, Creative Strategy, B2C, Leadership
2000 - 2006
Art Director | Graphic Designer
Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx
- Developed and managed the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx brands.
- Created dozens of logos, banners, billboards, signage, season tickets, corporate sponsorship presentations, inside ticket sales, and collateral material.
- Worked with professional players, team management, and ownership to create a consistent brand experience for fans.
Technologies: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Advertising Campaigns, Enterprise Systems, Marketing, Strategy, Sports Websites, Creative Strategy, Digital Brand Identity, B2C, Leadership
Education
1997 - 1999
Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Graphic Design
The Arts Institute - Minneapolis, MN, USA
