Surviving and thriving in the in-house culture—that is a concept that is easier said than done. Are you interested in learning how to navigate these waters from experienced industry professionals? ...Intrigued? Read on!

Are you someone who is:

• Seeking advice on how to transition from working as a freelancer or at an agency, to starting a career in-house?

• Looking to gain insight about how other companies successfully function and operate internally?

• Pursuing new business for your company or agency? Wondering what it takes to be selected and how to maintain that relationship?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then this event is meant for you! We’ve hand-picked an expert panel of in-house professionals, ranging from various backgrounds in the creative industry. Join us for coffee and donuts at CENTRL Office’s east-side location on Friday, November 17, 8–9:30 AM. Make sure to snag your ticket (they will go fast!) for the last Career Tools of 2017!

Meet the panelists

Kristin Lasita is a designer who solves problems. She is currently a senior product designer at Simple – remaking how you think about banking. Kristin works side-by-side with product managers, engineers, and user research on the Simple iOS, Android, and web app.

Hafiz Huda is the Brand Creative Director for Amazon Publishing, the full-service publishing arm of Amazon focused on empowering authors to tell great stories for readers across any medium. Prior to his current role, he led the design team at Amazon Creative Services, the internal retail design team focused on major marketing initiatives for programs such as Amazon’s Holiday Gift Guides, Prime Music, Prime Pantry, and Kindle Unlimited. Working in his first in-house role these past five years, he’s often at the hub of multiple product launches and campaigns across Amazon, where he’s an advocate for connecting brand stories at every point of the customer experience.

Jaime Barrett leads a talented team of designers at Cambia Health Solutions creative studio. Her team manages over 10 brands, from UX/UI to environment to campaign to social media to brand stewardship all within the health care / tech industry. She specializes in good design (layout, typography, composition), conceptual development, brand strategy, human-centered design and design process as a way to improve creativity on every project.

Dan Richards is a Global Creative Director at Columbia Sportswear. He has a reputation for being a passionate, creative professional who excels at being a swell guy. He is capable, in equal parts, of designing a project from start to finish or directing a team of designers to realize his vision. Dan leads with enthusiasm and thoughtfulness, creating solutions that are bold and playful. He is also an expert diplomat. Able to broker solutions that satisfy business needs without compromising the intangibles that make design powerful.

Our moderator

Salvador Orara is a Media Designer with a career spanning boutique agencies, academia, and in-house teams. With a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, his east coast roots start in the agency domain as a Senior Designer at The Map Office, in New York City focusing on branding and interactive design. Followed by an MFA in Media Design from Art Center College of Design, where he was a Faculty of Interaction Design and concurrently led his own successful design agency working with west coast startups. Currently, Salvador is the Lead User Researcher at the Oregon Software Technology Center at Jaguar Land Rover, where he practices design ethnography in developing future technologies and experiences for the automobility industry. Lastly, Salvador is the Content Director and President-elect of AIGA Portland.

What is Career Tools?

Career Tools is a breakfast series presented every quarter. It provides the Portland design community with practical and truly helpful information like developing client relationships, public speaking and presentation skills, managing your studio or freelancing business, and adopting new practices and process to deliver projects across any channel, including print, digital, interactive and video. Career Tools provides information you can take away and implement immediately to improve your company, career, and community.

AIGA’s in-house INitiative

Click here to learn more about AIGA National’s in-house INitiative, a robust program developed to enable in-house designers make a greater impact at work, evolve professionally, and connect with a wide network of their peers.

Be sure to check out our blog posts for an event recap as we’ll be highlighting key takeaways from this event!

Sponsors:

52 Limited is a digital resource company connecting creative + technology talent with leading brands, marketing and engineering departments, start-ups, design firms, advertising and interactive agencies. 52 Limited began as Portland's only locally-owned creative staffing agency and now serves some of the world's most recognizable and forward-thinking companies in Portland, Seattle and San Francisco.

CENTRL Office is a collaborative, co-working space in Portland, OR. They provide flexible, full-service office space for some of Portland's leading entrepreneurs, free agents, start ups, and work groups. Located on both sides of the river, in the Pearl district’s historic GE Supply Co. building, and in the Slate at the Burnside bridgehead at Couch and MLK, in the Central Eastside.