Education + Training
d.MBA: Online MBA for Designers, October 2019.
Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta, Georgia: Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, March 2008.
Studio Art Centers International, Florence, Italy: Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Graphic Design, April 2005.
Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia: Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Human and Natural Ecology, May 2003.
Experience
Indeed, Remote: UX Operations Manager, 2022 to present.
Helps shape the strategy and vision for the UX Operations team by using data and feedback to identify and advocate for the prioritization of company-wide initiatives that serve UXers and drive business goals. Builds bridges across groups and functions to drive and achieve measurable impact by delivering programs, systems, and norms that enable UXers to deliver great experiences for job seekers and employers. Leads initiatives to improves communications, career growth, data management, AI practices, and events. Practices design methods to understand user journeys and create systems and processes that enable the UX team. Leverages experience working in UX to introduce tools and methods that are meaningful and relevant to UXers. Identifies best practices and creates documentation, templates, and resources to help people deliver a higher quality user experience that helps people get jobs.
Forum One, Arlington, Virginia.: Design Director, 2019 to 2022.
Responsible for the overall voice and direction of design at Forum One. Created visions for the way design was created, sold, and thought about within the company. Drove design quality across the team and organization for the benefit of clients. Led the discovery, user experience design, and visual design processes for a wide range of online and offline deliverables, focusing mainly on large-scale responsive websites. Supported business development and attended sales pitches. Led DesignOps within the design team, streamlining processes and operations across the team. Led hiring and management of design interns. Managed team of six graphic and user experience designers.
Forum One, Arlington, Virginia.: Deputy VP of Design, December 2019 to March 2020 & September 2021 to January 2022.
Developed team vision for upcoming year, advised on company annual planning, consulted with project delivery to effectively resource staff to projects, managed team approvals, led recruiting of multiple designers, developed and approved budgets, attended and presented at executive team meetings. Managed staff of 13, including managers. Continues to serve with other key deputies in advising and guiding the VP team at Forum One.
Taoti Creative, Washington, D.C..: Art Director, 2017 to 2018.
Led the discovery, user experience design, and visual design processes for a wide range of online and offline deliverables, focusing mainly on large-scale responsive websites. Led client-facing meetings, performed interviews and led other discovery activities. Using discovery findings, designed highly-effective user experiences and subsequent visual designs. Worked directly with development and project management teams to perform thorough QA of final deliverables and solve associated design challenges. Provided internal support for business development and marketing teams.
Forum One, Arlington, Virginia.: Senior Designer, 2015 to 2017.
Led the visual design for a wide range of online and offline deliverables, focusing mainly on large-scale responsive websites. Assisted in developing and improving team processes. Led creative concept meetings and worked cooperatively with project teams and clients to solve associated design challenges. Produced designs that reflect clients’ brands and that maintain high usability standards, while helping educate clients on design approaches. Provided internal support for business development and marketing teams.
Blue State Digital, Washington, D.C.: Senior Designer, 2012 to 2015.
Led the visual design of a wide range of online and offline deliverables including: large-scale responsive websites, graphics supporting communications and social media campaigns, rapid response/rebuttal designs and other time-sensitive deliverables, identity design, online advertising campaigns, and new business pitches. Acted as a Group Leader and manager for a small team of designers by providing mentorship, design oversight/direction, and strategic guidance for all the design deliverables coming out of that group through critiques of the work in order to maintain consistent creative quality and foster professional development.
National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington, D.C.: Graphic Designer, 2009 to 2012.
Assisted Design Director in maintaining and developing branding standards. Designed print and digital materials for the organization, including the quarterly Forum Journal, Preservation Books series, marketing emails, conference materials, and advertising.
AIGA, Salem, Oregon: Election Design Fellow, 2008 to 2009.
Awarded Fellowship to assist the Oregon Elections Division in improving election accuracy and citizen experience. Designed public materials including ballots, forms, websites, registration cards, and voters’ pamphlets. Advised on design for voters with disabilities, including large-print ballots and accessibility standards. Worked with four additional Secretary of State divisions to improve communication design of printed and digital materials. Read more about the Election Fellow Program at aiga.org.
Sol Design Co., Atlanta, Georgia: Designer, Project Manager, 2006 to 2008.
Assisted design team with project management, brand design, HTML and CSS web design, research, publication design, advertising design, identity design, and production.
Speaking Engagements, Interviews, and Publications
"Design Systems Insights from Forum One: Courtney Clark & Amy Vainieri", Studio by UXPin, 2017.
“Design systems: Accounting for quantity and scalability”, O’Reilly Design Conference (2017), DrupalCon Baltimore (2017), Big Design Dallas (2017), UX at Scale: Virtual Summit (2017).
“What We’re Talking About”, weekly series on Forum One's blog.
“Beauty & Experience: How to Have Your UX Cake and Design It, Too”, Forum One’s Creative + Series, 2016.
“Corporate Branding Techniques and Principles of Neutrality in the 2008 United States Presidential Election”, Savannah College of Art and Design, Master of Fine Arts Thesis, 2008.
“In the Bush of South Africa”, The Women’s Spirituality Newsletter, Volume 3, No. 9, September 2003, a publication from the Women’s Spirituality Departments of New College of California and California Institute of Integral Studies.
“Reasons for purchasing environmental license plates in the United States”, Emory University, Honors research with Dr. Tracy Yandle, Professor of Environmental Science, 2003.
Select Clients
Be The Match, Cornell University, Doctors Without Borders, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatrics AIDS Foundation, Farm Credit Council, Ford Motor Company, Georgetown University, George Washington University Milk Institute of Public Health, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, Grange Insurance, High Museum of Art, InterContinental Hotel Groups, Packers Everywhere, Peace Corps, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Shatterproof, Sierra Club, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, The Body Shop, The Washington Center, Trout Unlimited, United Nations Foundation, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United Way Worldwide, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Vilcek Foundation, YMCA of Metro Los Angeles.
Skills + Technical Expertise
User Interface Design, User Experience Design, HTML, CSS, Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, InVision, Apple iWork, Microsoft Office
Awards + Exhibitions
Communicator Award for Distinction, General Digital - Art (Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, arkmfa.org), 2022.
Davey Awards, Arts for Websites, Silver (Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, arkmfa.org), 2021.
Hermes Creative Awards, Gold (The Washington Center, twc.edu), 2018.
WebAward for Government Standard of Excellence (PeaceCorps.gov), 2017.
W³ Award, Silver (PeaceCorps.gov), 2017.
28th Annual Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia Road Race Logo Design Contest Winner, 2007.
SCADDY Finalist, 2006.
“Dynamic Relationships”, Orlando, Florida, Terrace Gallery at Orlando City Hall, 2006.
“Cities? What Cities?”, Florence, Italy, La Corte Contemporanea Gallery, 2005.
“20@22”, Florence, Italy, Studio Art Centers International Graduate Center, 2005.
“Design Student Show”, Florence, Italy, Studio Art Centers International Design Center, 2005.
“No. 7”, Florence, Italy, Dolce Zucchero, 2005.
“Digital Dreams”, Florence, Italy, La Corte Contemporanea Gallery, 2004.
“Mixed Media”, Slidell, Louisiana, Slidell Cultural Center, 2003.
“The Emory Chairs Project”, Atlanta, Georgia, Emory University Campus, 2003.