Brands, digital products, strategy, campaign and creative direction.
Since 2008

Christopher Mena,
35

CREATIVE DIRECTOR / BRAND DESIGNER
US West Coast
Born in San Diego, CA
Bay Area Raised
Based in Reno, NV
+ Mérida, Yucatán
Semi-nomadic
Northern Nevada, So. Cal, MX & Abroad
Creative Direction and Design Leadership Across Digital, Print and Experiential Platforms.
CM2025
What drives me?
I am always seeking the next-level and to support the next-generation. I want to create meaningful, real-world design and live inspired.
"Great design is simple and yet profound. A toolbox to develop visions. A container to engage, participate and create action."

- CM
Tools & Proficiencies:
Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), Figma, Webflow, (Open to Framer), Image Generation, Project Management and AI-powered Workflows.
Industries Served:
Technology
Startups
SaaS
E-commerce
Health & Wellness
Fashion
Finance
Media
Retail Consumer Goods
What I Bring
Professionalism
Heart
Action
Adaptability
Empathy
Authenticity
Composure
Vision
Precision
Conversion
Connection
Culture
Performance
Consistency
Knowledge
Teamwork
Openness
Simplicity
Ethic
Aesthetic
Fun
Flow
My Skillset
Ad Campaign Development
AI Integration in Design
Art Direction
Brand Development
Brand Guidelines
Brand Identity
Brand Messaging & Storytelling
Campaign Development
Client Consultation
Collaborative Team Leadership
Competitor Analysis
Content Creation (Visual and Written)
Copywriting and Branding
Creative Concept Development
Creative Direction
Cross-Functional Team Collaboration
Customer Persona Development
Data-Driven Design Strategy
Design Systems
Digital Marketing Strategy
Event Branding & Marketing
Experiential Design
Figma Prototyping
Graphic Design
Illustration and Iconography
Image Generation
Interactive Design
Large-Format Print
Logo Design
Marketing
Market Research
Naming and Brand Messaging
Presentation Design
Product Packaging Design
Product Design
Product Photography
Product Launch Strategy
Production Oversight
Project Management
Prompting & Automation
Prototyping and Wireframing
Research & Reports
Social Media Content Strategy
Typography
UI/UX Design
User Journey Mapping
Vendor Management
Visual Identity Systems
Web Design
Webflow Development
Core Capabilities

Creative Leadership & Strategic Vision

Creative Leadership & Strategic Vision:
Directing brand design, marketing, communication, and ad campaigns. Crafting comprehensive brand strategies that deliver measurable results in competitive markets. Fostering collaborative environments that balance innovation with strategic direction.

Brand Identity & Stewardship

Creative Leadership & Strategic Vision:
Designing and overseeing every aspect of a brand's visual identity across digital, print, and experiential platforms. Ensuring consistency with brand standards and strategy through high-fidelity style guides that unify and elevate brand presence.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Team Leadership

Creative Leadership & Strategic Vision:
Skilled in presenting concepts, enthusiastic in service and quick to integrate feedback, experienced in working with leadership, product managers, developers, marketers, and external partners—spanning franchises, resorts, consumer retail products, SaaS, DeFi and AI-driven brands.

Expertise in Visual Design, Systems Thinking, & Technical Proficiency

Creative Leadership & Strategic Vision:
Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Webflow, AI-image generation and other tools. Experienced in creating high-quality graphics, interfaces, SVG animations, and interactive product prototypes. Defining standards and assets within pro design systems that are clean, robust and adaptable to different needs.

Data-Driven Creative Strategy

Creative Leadership & Strategic Vision:
Merging creative thinking with analytical insights to deliver a wide range of branding and product strategies. This includes research, conceptualizing, developing, A/B testing, analysis and iterative design to enhance outcomes, drive engagement and reach (or surpass 🤞) growth objectives.

Production Oversight & Vendor Management

Creative Leadership & Strategic Vision:
I can manage or assist with production workflows, overseeing vendors, ensuring deliverables, brand specifications and timelines are met. I can navigate production challenges, coordinating resources and manage schedules to deliver projects that are on time and within scope.

Independent, Adaptive Work Style & Problem-Solving

Creative Leadership & Strategic Vision:
I thrive in fast-paced, dynamic environments, managing multiple projects and adapting to changing priorities with ease. Trusted for my autonomy and initiative, I work to problem-solve in simple terms. I feel confident in my ability to take shape to the needs of my work, becoming a finely tuned instrument, capable of managing day-to-day builds, delivering mission-critical sprints or spearheading special ops.
Notable Achievements
Commitment
Design
I engage in design and conference news, communicating with designer, developer and business friendships across the map. I am continuously exploring, collecting and sharing resources, working to improve my practices and techniques.
Learning
I am passionate about learning from all types of people. I enjoy working with designers and leaders and the design process overall . I care deeply about continuous improvement and staying ahead of trends and technologies. I am keen on embarking in further education.
Creed
The best things in life are free.
Our time is our greatest value.
Integrity is our truest asset.
Joy is at the heart of it all.
Team Dynamic

I am driven to excellence and a sincere, collaborative, open approach. I thrive in innovative environments where the exchange of ideas and embodiment of brand and shared vision come to life. I approach challenges with design-first thinking: embracing a solutions-based approach, definition, research, ideation, iteration and growth.

I aim to uphold myself to the highest standards, guiding myself, projects and teams through process, best-practices and industry-standards, working to create capable, foundational designs. Delivering fine-tuned creative branding, meeting performance goals and ensuring all materials are coherent.

Trust, respect, and continuous self-improvement. Leading with transparency, communication, empathy and accountability, unifying projects across the diverse perspectives and needs of client, customer and team to elevate everyone’s experience. I balance creative freedom with strategic discipline to foster ideas, lead dialogue and spur collaboration.

Resilience and artistic entrepreneurship help me navigate fast-paced, dynamic environments, while my fine-tuned work-life balance and project workflows allow me to produce consistent work or engage in all-out sprints, producing towards team objectives seamlessly, regardless of environment.

Leveraging the newest technologies and methodologies to push the boundaries of the design process.
Here to support amazing people.
Status
🟢 I’m currently seeking a creative direction or design leadership role in tech. Please feel free to reach out to c@cmenadesigns.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.
View Resume
Updated: Setepmber, 2024
Thank you kindly for visiting.
Have a great day!

Best regards,

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