Work: If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.
Chapter 1
Hi, I'm Zack
This article is not written with any assistance of AI, but rather instead with genuine earnest — daresay, "from the heart"[?]
"I think. I make. Will work for work."
Chapter 2
The Impetus
Circa, 2007–2008
How it started.
Bootstrap start with a bootstrap startup.
How it's going:
...to working with some well-to-do agencies working with a diverse client array.
Chapter 3
Art School "Stop Out"
Pratt Institute of Art, Brooklyn | Circa, 2002–03; 2004–05
I didn't graduate from college. I couldn't afford it. Pratt Institute of Art was expensive, and loans or financial aid were simply out of reach {though not as simple as it may seem}. At nineteen years old, there wasn't much that I could afford, so I worked in construction and demolition, at the bowling alley, the hardware store, the grocery store, and at the gas station. At this point, I was already in my twenties, without a degree and with zero applicable skills beyond what I could ["bull"-expletive] with my so-called 'talent'.
{Attended Pratt: 2002–03; 2004–2005}
Chapter 4
Doings of an Autodidact
Pennsylvania suburbia | Circa, 2002–03; 2004–05
I built my first computer {circa 2005–'06}. I immediately installed pirated copies of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. While I didn't study at university, I studied what I saw. Whatever piqued my interest, I looked at, intensely.
So, without a college degree, or any equivalent experience, I started from absolute scratch. I studied typography {reading books, examining magazines, and generally observing what I saw wherever I were}. I studied color theory and sought online tutorials that taught me how to master the tools I had at my disposal {my clandestinely acquired Adobe products}.
I began to create faux website concepts to gain an understanding of designing for that medium — as the screenshot above may suggest, I had lots to learn.
All this culminated with an interview and subsequent job offer from Xoxide Incorporated {later turned Turn5 Inc.} which was the parent company to a number of niche e-commerce businesses operating in a variety of verticals {Beauty, Automotive, Tech}. I found their company through a Craigslist post in the web / design category. I can still pull up my original cover letter {which I just looked at and am considering reusing in my current job search endeavors}.
Chapter 5
Found On Road Designing
Omni-channel, Multi-vertical E-commerce Startup | Circa, 2008–11
Alright. Now, where to begin? {circa 2007 through 2011}
Okay, so I've just been brought into the fold with a budding home-grown startup. The company had set up its new HQ at a warehouse office facility in Great Valley, PA {~20 miles outside of Philly}, and was owned and operated by two brothers; one of which wasn't even old enough to drink at the company holiday party. I had been provided a brand new PC replete with a dual-screen monitor setup and a Canon Rebel DSLR with a kit lens. I think it's easier to list all my roles and functions via bulleted list:
Graphic designer for all print related initiatives; including package design, catalogue design, and large-format printing needs.
Product Photographer & Image Manipulation specialist; covering all manner of product photography; specializing in lighting, establishing systematic product photography protocols {for visual uniformity at scale}, photo-retouching, as well as requiring technical product knowledge and scrutinizing attention to detail.
Graphic designer for all web properties; including 'reskin' efforts, banner and display ads, and email marketing.
Graphic Designer turned Web Designer; responsible for feature development with a specific focus on user experience through wireframe prototyping, user testing, and data-backed solutioning [sic].
In many respects, Turn5 Inc. served as my formal education.
I learned first and foremost how to work within a team environment, where everyone's role was crucial towards the company's success. There, I learned the ins-and-outs and nuance to graphic design, product photography and related production processes, email and display ad marketing, printed packaging and catalogs, and in the latter half of my nearly four years there, served as a web designer focused on user experience — by the books — as applied to a {then} forty-million per year ecommerce giant born from a garage somewhere in the suburbs of southeastern Pennsylvania.
Chapter 6
Design by Data
Lead Generation Startup | Circa, 2011–14
Okay, so Leadnomics was shifty. 👀 Paradigm shifty, we'll say.
It was a great place to work though. I have lasting friendships with folks I worked with there {heck, two of them now work at Google}. But our work fed upon the uneducated and disenfranchised, in some respects. As the name may suggest, our focus was in lead generation. Our cash cow was in facilitating easy access to high-interest short-term loans {otherwise known as payday loans}.
But, we had free lunches, regular bonuses, company outings, free snacks, and solid benefits; each with our own super thin Apple laptops and the ability to WFH occasionally {circa 2011, fyi}.
In short, my job was to make it intuitive and stress free {daresay pleasant} for one {user} to make catastrophic financial decisions {under clandestine duress} at a scale in tens of thousands per month.
Chapter 7
Enter #AgencyLife
One Sixty Over Ninety, an Advertising & Branding Agency | Circa, 2014–2016
One Sixty Over Ninety — my heart rate when I was offered a full-time gig as an "Interaction Designer" {circa 2014} working at a leading design agency at the literal epicenter of Center City, Philadelphia.
Granted, I accepted the job at approximately $12K less than I was at my previous start-up, but I was one of two interactive designers hired to fulfill the needs of the newly minted Interactive Department at the 160/90 HQ.
I was there to learn. Day. Night. Lots of nights.
....weekends too.
We made high-fidelity wireframes. We completely bypassed any user research, data, or analytics.
We were charged with being edgy and innovative {within budget, and within WordPress' capabilities}
Responsibly 'Responsive', of course.
Chapter 8
Gaining XP in UX
O3 World, a digital product shop in Fishtown, Philly | Circa, 2017–18
An elevating experience with O3 World, a digital product shop based in Fishtown, Philadelphia
Wireframes at 160over90 fit the workflow at 160over90. Wireframing at O3 World was a different beast, which required throwing everything I thought I knew out of the window, and reverting to the basics. Here, it was less about impressing our clients. Here, it was all about working with our clients. Without the pizazz of beautiful grayscale renders of your soon-to-be colored in homepage, we focused on asking the right questions and getting the right 'feel' with our clients. We were agile in nature and scrum led; we had daily scrums and weekly sprint schedules. We dealt with client feedback organically, and responsively, as opposed to reactively.
#team vibes
In it to win it.
"Office-friendly"
Chapter 9
Life at Workarea
SaaS E-commerce Platform based in Olde City, PHI | Circa, 2017–18
I had mentioned Agile and Scrum. Well, say hello to Gidget, our adjunct project manager and scrum master at Workarea {a proprietary SaaS e-commerce platform}.
Here, I served as a Senior Visual and UX Designer. Here, we did wireframes differently. Here, we worked in direct partnership with our ever-ready-to-help developers. Napkin sketches, low-fi mockups, or just a few messages on Slack were all that was needed.
The work was building out our proprietary SaaS E-commerce Platform which we marketed out in typical agency-style to a number of A-list brands, using all insights and analytics towards optimizing our platform and expanding functionality to meet demand.
I don't have any work to show from here. I didn't save any of my napkins.
Chapter 11
Cards Against Bad UX
PFSweb, LiveArea {Pre Merkle Acquisition} | Circa, 2020–21
Cards against bad UX? What?
What do you do when you're working with a sophisticated client, who has a tremendously complex product line and deep inventory, who are accustomed to B2B and B2E operations and dealings, and whom while fluent with their industry acumen, were completely unfamiliar with "the design process"[?]
What do you do when jargon-laden spreadsheets and single-sided meetings net nothing but frustration with the client to the point where they're considering abandoning the contract?
Enter "Cards Against Bad UX"
All I did was 'simplify what we asked'; to shift the conversation away from technical jargon and towards user-centric thinking. By providing different perspectives such as "As a shopper" "As a content manager" or "As a guest user", and pairing it with a simple visual {a card}, I was able to help our stakeholders empathize with their end-users and focus on their needs and experiences.
This approach not only catalyzed communication but also encouraged collaboration and problem-solving from both sides of the table. It allowed our client to see the project from various angles and find common ground, ultimately leading to more effective solutions and preventing frustration or contract abandonment.
Chapter 12
Small cog, HUGE Wheel
Freelance with HUGE Inc. | Circa, 2021
At LiveArea, I was the UX Manager assigned to contracts exceeding $1m in value {$1.2m, actually}. My hourly billable rate to the client was something like $235/hr. Everything I did had a direct impact on the final deliverable.
I managed multiple projects and pitches as well as junior designers while being the primary client-facing resource. I presented findings. I course-corrected when needed. I moved the machine forward.
At Huge, I couldn't tell you what my billable rate was, but I could say this was the first time I had seen a project with at least 20 different people involved {on just the agency side}.
At Huge, I was responsible for exploring a single user flow. There were other designers responsible for exploring other individual user flows. At no point during my time with Huge did I even know there were other designers on that project. To say we were siloed would be a gross understatement.
Being completely candid, I get it. This was a mere contract position. Huge hired numerous UX contractors to sign on few weeks or months. It was simply about a little bit of work done without any long-term commitments.
I would be thrilled to take on a more robust contract, but hopefully with a different {and more vested manager this time around}. Or, may I be the manager? ;)
Chapter 13
This is the Whey
Boutique West Coast Design Agency specializing in Shopify builds | Circa, 2021
Heavy Lift. Big Gains. This is the Whey.
Enter, Elva Design Group {now just "Elva"}; a boutique design agency based in San Francisco specializing in Shopify e-commerce builds, and I was just resourced to their newest client, General Nutrition Centers {GNC}.
Notes. Lots of notes.
Hypothesis
Setting up for success
Roadmap to success
Iteration
"Innovation"
Optimization
Refinement
Gains
Reward
Chapter 14
Long Way to the Top
62nd Floor of the World One Trade Center Tower | Circa, 2021
It's a long way to the top, if you want to rock and roll
In this chapter, I won't delve into the specifics of the project at Code & Theory, but rather focus on the broader context and my experiences during my time there.
I interviewed for an 'ACD, Interactive' position and was immediately hired on a freelance basis as a Senior Designer, with the intention of fulfilling the ACD responsibilities. As part of the team working on a project for a top social media brand, I quickly proved my worth and was transitioned to full-time employment.
The project was led by a Directly Responsible Individual (DRI), but whom accepted a Director-level position {elsewhere} three months into the project. There were also the departure of several key team members {including senior strategists and technologists}, which placed additional responsibilities on my shoulders, requiring me to provide guidance in UX, Strategy, and Development, while also serving as a people manager myself with a junior-level associate under my purview.
Besides resourcing hurdles, there were issues spanning practicality and pragmatism, suffice to say.
Despite offering to improve internal education initiatives and providing proactive feedback {submitting a 'post mortem', as requested}, I was let go from Code & Theory without explanation. It was a challenging experience, but one that taught me valuable lessons about the realities of working in a large agency environment.
Chapter 15
#SeizeTheSpace #BonCourage
375 Hudson Street, along "Agency Row" | Circa, 2022–2023
Enter Publicis Sapient, "a Digital Transformation Company".
I can tell you that I spent a full year here working in the Financial Services sector serving BNY Mellon — Pershing X Advisory Experience Platform.
Publicis Sapient wasn't without its imperfections either. Suffice to say there were some organizational and operational aspects that could be improved upon, dialogue and communication not withstanding.
I became the de facto Team Lead and Product Owner. I led research and discovery efforts. I led client workshops; I led design and prototype development and testing; I collaborated across multiple concurrent tracks, while providing mentorship and guidance to junior and associate designers; also serving as team lead amongst peers at the senior level.
{I successfully negotiated on numerous occasion company paid lunches for my in-office workshops}
I set my team up for success daily, conducting exhaustive research and socializing of knowledge.
My contract stated I was a full-time remote employee, yet I still opted to be a consistent presence in the office.
I listened and learned from leadership.
Also, lots of design systems work and data refactorization for a suite of Financial Advisor applications.
Chapter 16
Do the Twist!
"Independent Contractor" | Circa, 2023–Present
"Come on, baby. Let's do the twist!"
In case the headline doesn't make sense, in the world of Low Voltage Data Installation, some terminations require a very specific twist parity, lest you run risk of signal impedance/interference. Got it? Good.
Suffice to say, I've been networking {pun intended}. I've taken on sub-contractor gigs and learned new hands-on skills. I can now terminate an RJ45 in 30–45 seconds per. I can run cables and install security systems and setup indoor/outdoor digital displays. No problem.
My passion for creative output is unrelenting, though I'm using different parts of my brain to make due. I still have my eyes set on elevating my career in a paradigm changing way.
Maybe someone out there sees potential.
Meanwhile, got mouths to feed.
As an aside, I've been keeping up with the latest happenings in the world of "Artificial Intelligence". I am absolutely unequivocally NOT worried about the 'thinking machines' taking over jobs, or the world for that matter. AI will never have the patience required (nor physical dexterity) to run and terminate physical ethernet cables or fiber optic lines. Never. {If it isn't clear, this is written in jest}
Chapter 17
Reason & Resolution
Setting up for success today | Changing paradigms tomorrow
TL;DR:
I have my reasons. I have my resolution.
"Zack has a deep connection to emotions, imagination, and sensitivity—the quintessential idealist. His greatest strength is his depth of sensitivity and empathy, which allows him to give voice to human connections in a way that works with people on a profound level. Zack brings fresh perspective to things when I felt in a rut—a great person to work with."
— Christopher Bayle | ACD UX, Publicis Sapient
"Zack is one of the most talented, hard-working, and knowledgeable individuals I have had the pleasure of working with. He fosters communication not only between us but also with the whole team, setting them up for success. He always gives his best and more. I really enjoy working with him, and I feel he should be recognized for his tremendous effort and for being such a great team player."
— Andrés Moros, MPS | Sr. UX Designer, Publicis Sapient
