# Nic H. > Senior UX/UI Designer @ Balsam Brands πŸŽ„ / Creative πŸ¦„ / USAF Veteran πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/nich πŸ‘‹πŸΌ Hello, I’m Nic [nihk]. I am a UX/UI designer passionate about building connections between brands and their customers through human-centered and intentional design. πŸ’« Seasoned designer with a background in front-end web development πŸ§‘πŸ»β€πŸ’» and marketing πŸ“ˆ & communication. My background in front-end web development equips me with a unique skillset that enables me to bridge the gap between user experience, feasibility, and implementation and my background in marketing & communication enables me to craft user experiences that not only captivate, but also effectively utilize customer insights, data, and analytics in order to make data-driven design decisions. 🎨 When not designing, you might find me experimenting in other creative activities like solving a no-less-than one thousand piece puzzle 🧩, trying a new fitness gym or studio πŸ‹πŸ», dabbling in photography πŸ“·, reading πŸ“š, journaling ✍🏼, curating playlists on Spotify 🎧, vibing to music 🎢, or spending quality time with good company πŸ‘¨β€πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§β€πŸ‘¦, or my two Golden Retrievers πŸ•πŸ•, Ella and Monty. πŸ€“ With the constant desire to learn, I am always up for a challenge and willing to don new hats as needed. I value meaningful relationships, connections, and community and I enjoy helping and giving back to the community 🀲🏼 in any way that I can. Let’s connect! πŸ«±πŸΌβ€πŸ«²πŸ½ ## Work Experience ### Senior UX/UI Designer @ Balsam Brands Jan 2024 – Present | Redwood City, California, United States ### Senior UX/UI Designer @ Rares Jan 2021 – Jan 2023 | Los Angeles, California, United States 🟠 Oversaw the end-to-end experience of the Rares platform by conducting usability studies, uncover problems and opportunities, and generate recommendations 🟠 Collaborated with cross-functional teams to define and implement design strategies that aligned with business goals and user needs 🟠 Created wireframes and prototypes using Figma to visualize and communicate concepts and interactions effectively 🟠 Implemented responsive design principles, considering various device types and screen sizes 🟠 Established and maintained a comprehensive design system, improving efficiency and consistency while ensuring a cohesive experience across products ### Interactive Art Director @ Rares Jan 2021 – Jan 2021 | Fremont, California, United States 🟠 Led the creative direction and visual design strategy for the company’s interactive products and digital experiences 🟠 Developed and maintained design standards and guidelines to facilitate efficient design workflows and cohesive experience across all touchpoints 🟠 Orchestrated user research and usability testing to inform design decisions, leading to data-driven improvements and experiences 🟠 Worked closely with product managers and engineers to oversee the implementation of interactive design solutions 🟠 Conceptualized and executed marketing campaigns, effectively leveraging design to communicate Rares and drive customer acquisition ### Founding Designer @ Rares Jan 2021 – Jan 2021 | Fremont, California, United States 🟠 Worked in tandem with the co-founding team and actively contributed to the product strategy, business development, and innovation 🟠 Spearheaded the development of the brand and collaborated extensively with Chief Creative Officer to help shape and evolve the Rares identity 🟠 Conducted comprehensive market research and user testing to uncover problems and opportunities and generate design recommendations 🟠 Implemented design thinking methodologies to iterate on product features, refine user journeys, and enhance the platform functionality and usability 🟠 Played a critical role in fundraising efforts by creating compelling pitch materials and prototypes to attract investor interest and funding ### UX/UI Designer @ MineralWare Jan 2019 – Jan 2021 | Fort Worth, Texas, United States 🟠 Collaborated with product and engineering to provide creative direction and design expertise to enhance the MineralWare platform user experience 🟠 Played a pivotal role in the design and development of creating a mobile user experience 🟠 Gathered and analyzed insights and feedback from the product and client success team to inform design and functionality decisions 🟠 Designed wireframes and interactive prototypes to communicate design concepts to key stakeholders, to ensure a clear understanding of UI and interactions 🟠 Worked on the design of new features and enhancements, to ensure that they aligned with user needs, business goals, and brand ### Graphic Designer @ GDC Technics, LLC Jan 2019 – Jan 2019 | Fort Worth, Texas, United States 🟠 Managed design projects from conception to completion, meeting tight deadlines and maintaining a high standard of design quality 🟠 Assisted with facilitating a comprehensive brand development workshop with executive and management level team members 🟠 Collaborated on the creation of a new and enhanced set of brand guidelines that articulated the company’s core values, identity, and messaging 🟠 Ensured a unified and consistent brand representation across all touchpoints, for internal and external communications 🟠 Translated marketing goals and objectives into compelling visual concepts and designs, aligning them with the target audience and campaign objectives ### Bioenvironmental Engineer @ U.S. Air Force Reserve Jan 2013 – Jan 2019 | Fairfield, California, United States ### UI Designer @ Inspirus (a Pluxee company) Jan 2019 – Jan 2019 | Fort Worth, Texas, United States 🟠 Collaborated with cross-functional teams to design user interfaces that met project requirements and user needs for the Inspirus platform 🟠 Designed wireframes and prototypes and updated global user interface components using Sketch 🟠 Implemented responsive design principles to optimize the user experience across various devices and screen sizes 🟠 Actively participated in design critiques and brainstorming sessions with product, engineering and customer success to refine concepts 🟠 Stayed up-to-date with industry trends and best practices, integrating them into projects ### Marketing Communications Designer @ Sacramento Better Business Bureau Jan 2017 – Jan 2019 🟠 Assisted with conducting workshops and surveys for accredited members to improve the accredited member experience 🟠 Served as the point of contact to assist accredited members with updating their website with marketing materials 🟠 Collaborated on the brand identity and development of a coworking space and presented concepts to the board of directors 🟠 Maintained relationships with vendors for required print materials and collaborated on final designs for proof, review, and payments 🟠 Attended outreach events in local communities to serve as a resource for local businesses and the general public ### Multimedia Designer @ Sacramento Better Business Bureau Jan 2016 – Jan 2017 🟠 Promoted trust in the marketplace in light of businesses and consumers through strategic and creative communication design 🟠 Redesigned and developed the end-to-end experience of the accredited member benefits portal to improve the user experience 🟠 Designed and developed landing pages and email campaigns to support business development and customer success initiatives 🟠 Designed content and ads and tracked impressions, engagements, and followings on all social media accounts 🟠 Designed and developed a new marketing kit for onboarding accredited members that included a certificate, resource booklet, stickers, and more ## Education ### UX Research & Analysis University of California, Santa Cruz ### UX Research & Strategy Designlab ### Bachelor of Fine Arts - BFA in Graphic Design Liberty University ### Certificate of Achievement in Computer Science, Front-End Web Development Sacramento City College ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nichuerta --- Source: https://flows.cv/nich JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/nich/resume.json Last updated: 2026-03-25