Meet Brandi Leath, a Nossi College of Art graduate and current UX UI Web Designer at Parachute Media, a local ad agency focused on social media and digital marketing. Brandi graduated with an Interactive Graphic Design degree and is putting her skills and experience to use on a daily basis. Learn a little bit more about Brandi and what she does:UPDATE November 2017! Brandi Leath partnered with current student Cory Harkins on the Adobe Creative Jam and tied for FIRST PLACE JUDGES CHOICE! Stay tuned for updated info and images.
Why did you decide to become a Web Designer?
In the 10 years of my accounting career, I constantly found myself working on UX/UI and graphic design projects within the companies I worked for. This was in addition to my accounting responsibilities. I would freelance web design projects and work after work just for fun. I know it sounds a bit silly, but this is literally what happened. I turned 30 and was watching the movie The Vow. The one where Rachel McAdams was in law school and decided to quit and go to art school instead. I left the movie feeling extremely overwhelmed by the same feeling. I wanted to make art, all the time, not just for fun. So I quit my job and two weeks later I signed up for art school at Nossi College. I wasn’t even sure if I had any talent; I just knew that’s what I wanted to do.
I’m so glad I listened to my gut feeling, it has worked out better than I ever imagined.
What does a typical day look like for you?
The very first thing I do when I get to work is check my email and our project management system (Basecamp) for upcoming project updates and deadlines. Every Monday I plan my week out for all the projects on my plate, so I have a good idea what each day has in store. After email, I check on our website projects to make sure everything is running smoothly. I make any necessary updates and move on to the project(s) of the day.
I work on all kinds of projects, from graphic design (print/digital/motion) to web design and SEO; my days are always changing. For a person who loves change, this is great! I monitor email and Basecamp for any team and/or client updates. I find that I keep these two programs open at all times so I don’t miss anything.
What are some projects you collaborated on?
Of all the projects that I’ve worked on since I’ve been at Parachute Media, the Edley’s Bar-B-Que website redesign is by far my most favorite project I’ve completed. Edley’s original website was not mobile friendly and it had been a few years since it was updated. Their main goal was to increase website traffic on mobile by providing a better user experience (UX Design). After pulling analytics to compare year over year data, we have increased mobile traffic by 5,015.25%! Learn more about the Edley’s project here.
Do you have a favorite part of your job?
Man, that’s tough! All of it? Really, in all honesty, I love every aspect of my job. The people I work with are great, our clients are great, the work is great. If I had to pick one thing, it would be the fact that I am constantly being pushed beyond what I ever thought I was capable of. I also really love the fast pace of an agency setting. The work day goes by so fast.