Hi, I'm Max!
Once upon a time, in high school, I illegally downloaded photoshop and taught myself to use it. I ended up at Santa Monica College trying to figure out myself and my life, flipping through majors like they were chapters in a book: Photography, Film Studies, English, Psychology... But it was when I discovered interaction design that everything clicked.
My need for discovery means that I'm constantly trying to design for something new but I’m really at my best when I’m eating burgers.
Education
- ArtCenter College of Design | Pasadena, CA
- 2023: Bachelor of Science - Interaction Design (3.93 GPA)
- Sponsored Project — Greenies Dental Treats (Mars, inc.)
- Conducted primary research and research synthesis; found numerous customer pain points, opportunities, and insights
- Produced prototypes and revisions based on feedback and usability testing
- Curated process books, storyboards, digital mock ups, videos, and delivered a proof of concept for multiple products to sponsor’s product managers and heads of design
- Everyday Immersions (introduction to user experience design in XR, AR, and VR using Unity)
- Visual Interaction Design (foundational research to high level design of branding, user scenario, microinteractions, storyboard, promo video, working prototype, and other artifacts)
- Santa Monica College | Santa Monica College
- 2020: Associate of Science - Graphic Design
Core Competencies
- Process
-
User Experience Design User Interface Design Design Thinking Qualitative Research Rapid Prototyping Data Visualization Iterative Design
- Tools
-
Adobe Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, AfterEffects, XD, Lightroom) Figma GitHub Visual Studio Code HTML CSS JS Basic Programming
Work
- ArtCenter College of Design | Pasadena, CA & Remote2023
- Teaching Assistant (Communication Design 2, Interaction Design 2)
- Collaborated with instructors for implementation of lesson plans
- Guided student work with a focus on empathy, workflow advice, and constructive criticism
- Systematic collaboration with students to guide project direction and articulation
- Orientation Leader
- As a team project, delivered presentations and a video abstracting college insights, school culture, personal anecdotes, and other details
- Guided new students during orientation
- BevMo | West Los Angeles, CA2015 - 21
- Head Clerk (Manager on Duty) & Beer Buyer (2018 – 21)
- Collaborated with team to establish daily responsibilities as well as prioritizing tasks
- Tracked sales growth to find areas of opportunity vs. diminishing returns (ROI) Interim Lead & Beer Buyer (2016 – 18)
- Interim Lead & Beer Buyer (2016–18)
- Implemented sales data to inform purchase orders within the beer department and increased sales from -0.4% to +34.9% sales comp
- Trained employees in customer service & management techniques
- Associate (2015 – 16)
- Communicated with customers to streamline discovery of new products
- Freelance | Los Angeles, CA2010 - 19
- Graphic Designer
- Short term contracts with repeat clients for brand/digital design, consumer facing web design, & printed collateral
- Extensive communication with stakeholders to find specific pain points (“needs” not “wants”) for each project
- MadPlusOne (now PlayFull, inc.) | Los Angeles, CA2012 - 14
- Web Designer (initial responsibilities)
- Had to think outside the box for a visual design system which highlighted the programming expertise of the team
- Explain the visual design and layout of the proposed web designs to the programming team and ensure the correct application
- Graphic Designer (added responsibilities)
- Creation of high fidelity assets and artifacts for use in user interfaces and gameplay
- Sketching, wireframing, and high fidelity designs of menus, loading screens, and navigation animations
Honors
- ArtCenter College of Design | Provost's List2022 - 23
- ArtCenter Gallery | on display2022 - 23
- Rapid Product Prototypes (Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired Keyboard & Lamp)
- Milo Baughman Recliner 74 (1/4-scale Physical Model)
- BevMo | Amazing Customer Experience Award2016