Before I really even knew what 'design' was, I’ve always liked making things. As a kid, it was drawing Dragonball Z and Yugio characters, and in my high school days it turned into logos and avatars for an online forum called The Tech Game. I was big into gaming at the time, and having a custom avatar meant you were 'one of the cool kids' (not actually, but I really thought so). I downloaded Photoshop, set up my own forum page, and started designing for anyone who left a comment in the thread. It was truly my first look into the digital world of design and I felt as if the possibilities for creativity were endless.

Being able to design for others and see my creations be used by people across the world was what fascinated me the most. These random people wanted a design, and they reached out to me for being their personal brand builder. That made me feel like I had purpose. Something so small in todays world, had felt so large and impactful back then, and the gratification I felt as a youngster being able to create for others was insurmountable.

My love for visual design continued through college, receiving a bachelor's degree of fine arts in graphic communications, where the emphasis was on typography, branding, and layout composition. While I enjoyed the visual side of my projects, I took a big interest in the web design portions and found enjoyment in the way things worked beyond the visuals. I used to write down interaction patterns when my classmates would navigate through the websites I'd put together and figure out ways to optimize the flows for different pages. This way of thinking ended up landing me my first gig right out of college as a UI/UX designer.

Over my professional career, I've worked across a wide variety of industries including gaming, digital media, industrial, enterprise, and more. I've led design initiatives for digital magazine publications, CRM tools, data-heavy supply chain features, and products for military personnel. With all of these industries, and all the companies within, the one thing that remains the same is it always comes back to the users people.

At the end of the day, being a designer is something I live for, and my goal is to ensure that people have an easier and more enjoyable experience with a product with as little friction as possible. That's the kind of impact I care about.

If you've made it this far, I applaud you, and appreciate you taking the time learn more about me. If you'd like to connect with me, I'm always up for a chat, or if you'd like to work together, feel free to shoot me an email: lndnoliver@gmail.com. Laaater!