Alan (Al) Washa
UX/UI Designer | Creative Director | UX Content Designer | Product Designer
A senior UX/UI Designer and Creative Director with years of experience in multi-channel marketing and communication, now focused specifically on the user experience. An extensive background in conceptual design and branding translates into good, solid UX research with captivating design for any number of marketing initiatives. A creative problem solver with a proven track record of success working in agile environments on large, well respected national and global brands.

UX/UI PROJECTS
UX/UI Designer – CareerFoundry UX Certification, June 2023 – July 2024
• Shapey – User research and UX/UI design of app provides easy access to exercises without the time and financial commitment of a gym membership. An app aimed at this demographic can be successfully monetized
• Olive – Competitive analysis and user research determined this is a one of a kind app which meets the needs of a specific health related consumer audience. A medical records portal with health information combined with mental well-being and meditation features
• Vocab-U – User research proved the success of this language app, saving consumers time and money to enter the program at their own current skill level

Hard Skills:
Product Design – Agile Environments – Product Development – User Experience Design (UX) – User Interface Design (UI) – Responsive Design – UX Content Design – Competitive Analysis – Information Architecture – User Stories – User Surveys & Interviews – User Research – Mental Models – User Journeys – User Flows – Site Maps – Usability Testing – A/B & Preference Testing – Wireframing – Low, Medium & High Fidelity Prototyping – Design Thinking – Design Language Systems – Style Guides – Visual Storytelling

Soft Skills:
Empathy – Curiosity – Creative Problem Solving – Teamwork – Collaboration – Communication – Adaptability – Creativity – Strong Work Ethic – Leadership – Time Management – Attention to Detail – Active Listening – Receptive to Feedback

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Freelance UX/UI Designer, Creative Director, Art Director, June 2017 – Present
Clients: Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation
•  Designed the direction for new initiatives, executed complex creative projects and developed individual brands for communities within Montgomery County, Maryland 
Major projects include:
          – Amazon HQ2 Attraction Campaign and Pitch
          – The Cell & Gene Capital Multi-Channel Campaign
          – BuiltForBio Multi-Channel Campaign
•  Designed marketing materials, including innovative trifold business cards and event displays for 2023 Bio Med Conference and Bio Innovations Conference 2023/San Diego
•  Worked collaboratively with Business Development teams in the acquisition of global and national biotech, cyber tech and healthcare companies to establish corporate headquarters and laboratory space in Montgomery County
•  Focused on life sciences and biotechnology sectors related to COVID-19. Worked with county officials in communicating emergency loans, funding, regulatory policies and legal updates to businesses and public during the pandemic

Creative Director – Creative Manager, Consumer & Retail Bank
Capital One, McLean, VA, Jun 2014 – May 2017
•  Led and developed creative teams of marketing and advertising writers, art directors and designers pertaining to traditional and innovation creative assets across the Capital One Bank Enterprise. Inherited one team consisting of a copywriter and art director, and grew the department to five teams of staff and contractors
•  Worked closely with senior leadership teams and stakeholders to market and execute creative assets for six campaigns including: SparkPay for Small Business, Verizon Center sponsorship and CapitalOne UI redesign
•  Enabled marketing partners to keep more work in-house rather than outsourcing to advertising agencies, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars annually
•  Influenced key stakeholders to expand in-house capabilities based on the caliber of creative personnel hires, and ability to deliver consistent work on schedule
•  Supervised and directed workflow of creative teams to deliver ad agency quality
•  Creative leader of Agile Pods for Consumer & Retail Bank. Directed recruiting, hiring and on-boarding of creative staff located in offices along the East Coast

Creative Director, Owner
Washa, LLC, Falls Church, VA, 2006 – 2014
•  Delivered business, strategic and creative services to a diverse roster of clients, agencies and associations in all aspects of branding, advertising, marketing and business operations
•  Provided marketing and advertising leadership consulting, saving clients hundreds of thousands of dollars per year normally spent with larger agencies and firms
•  Rebranded Inova Health System, created multi-channel brand campaigns for Holy Cross Hospital, notably to announce the nation’s first of its kind Senior Emergency Center

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE – Advertising Agencies
Associate Creative Director, Rosenthal Partners, Bethesda, MD
Associate Creative Director, DDB Worldwide, Chicago, IL
Creative Supervisor, The Martin Agency, Richmond, VA
Senior Art Director, Ammirati & Puris, New York, NY

EDUCATION:
UX Design Certification
•  UX Immersion
•  UX Design Specialization
CareerFoundry

Bachelor of Arts
University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI

Associate of Arts
Madison Area Technical College
Madison, WI

AFFILIATIONS:
Senior Fellow, Global Urban Development
International policy organization and professional network of more than seven hundred leaders and experts in 60 countries, aiming to create ethical and sustainable economic development of infrastructure in developing countries around the world.
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