Before I joined PartsTech, the company had just introduced a new logo. My role was to keep the logo but refresh and expand the surrounding elements—updating the color palette, typography, photography and supporting patterns. These changes helped create a more dynamic and cohesive brand that could grow with the company.

Additionally, I brought all design work in-house, which saved the company a substantial amount of money. This move also provided greater creative control and flexibility, allowing us to quickly adapt designs to meet the evolving needs of our brand and customers.

After / 2024

For SEMA, we created unique, collectible merch to engage attendees. I worked with an illustrator to design five custom, gearhead-inspired patches that could be swapped on Velcro hats. The patches were placed at key spots—our SEMA booth, AAPEX booth, a sponsored car exhibit, and partner locations. This encouraged visitors to explore and collect all five.

The previous homepage design lacked a clear focus on the customer journey. It was heavily product-oriented, missing relatable visuals and messaging that connected with the needs and experiences of auto shop owners. The layout was cluttered, and the flow didn’t guide users to key actions effectively. Without strong testimonials or human-centered imagery, it failed to convey trust and engagement, resulting in a static and less compelling user experience.

To build trust with PartsTech’s core audience—practical, often family-run auto shops—we prioritized authenticity. We featured real shop owners, technicians, and workspaces to reflect the reality of their industry. In a specialized industry where relationships and credibility matter, inauthentic imagery is easily spotted and called out. By working closely with shop owners, earning their trust, and capturing their daily reality, we reinforced PartsTech as a true partner in their success.

Key responsibilities and outcomes include:

Photographer Selection & Negotiation: Identified and hired the right photographer, negotiated rates, and secured usage rights.

Art Direction: Directed photographer to capture real, authentic moments that reflected shop owners’ day-to-day experiences and pain points.

Collaboration & Trust Building: Offered owners access to the final images to ensure value for their participation. Guaranteed a non-intrusive process, minimizing disruptions to their workflow.

Strategic Branding Impact: The resulting imagery became a cornerstone of our customer-first brand strategy, differentiating PartsTech from cold, impersonal tech firms and reinforcing our message that “we understand because we’ve been there.”

These efforts deepened our relationship with customers, making the PartsTech brand more relatable and trustworthy in an industry driven by relationships and reliability.

PartsTech’s limited color palette led to redundancy across social media, marketing, and design materials. I expanded the brand’s visual system to create fresh, distinctive content that improved visibility and approachability.

Key initiatives included:

Expanded Color Palette: Introduced vibrant colors to make designs pop, enhancing engagement across event booths, social media, and other channels.

Iconography & Patterns: Created a custom icon library and a pattern inspired by automotive blueprints, applied in various colorways to reinforce brand identity.

Customer-Centric Focus: Shifted the brand’s design approach to highlight how PartsTech improves the customer experience, addressing real-world pain points of auto shops.

These updates improved brand consistency while allowing greater flexibility for new campaigns and initiatives.

I spearheaded the design execution of this 45-page industry report, handling layout, visual style, and art direction for photography. Collaborating with stakeholders, I developed visuals that transformed complex data into accessible, engaging content. This project reflects my ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on execution, crucial in fast-growing companies with limited resources.

Key accomplishments include:

Developed a cohesive design strategy aligned with PartsTech’s brand identity.

Designed visual hierarchy to enhance data readability and user engagement.

Directed and produced all photography to support the report’s storytelling.

Collaborated cross-functionally with content and marketing teams for seamless delivery.

Led the creation and design of multi-channel marketing assets, including one-pagers, postcards, and other print/digital materials, to support strategic campaigns. Recognizing the importance of connection and approachability, I strategically introduced humor into key pieces to ensure the brand came across as personable and relatable, rather than cold or corporate. These efforts strengthened our customer relationships, making PartsTech more relatable and trustworthy in an industry built on reliability.