Located in Chicago, IL, I’m a senior designer and storyteller who loves community!
I started out as a medical illustrator, spent some time as an animator, then a creative director before starting completely over as a UI/UX designer, and landed in branding and graphic design work. I’m comfortable working in print, including specialty printing, and digital media. I bring a lot to the table, but I like to think of myself as a visual problem solver above all other titles. My experience in educational publishing and community education informs the decisions I make as a designer, by understanding how people learn.
As much as I love solving design problems, I also love weaving stories into my designs through animation and illustration.
My main tools of choice are Adobe Illustrator, the full suite of Adobe apps, my tablet, and most of all, my brain. I’m a big note taker so you’ll see a lot of documentation in my process. I like to be as open as possible throughout a project making sure everyone is on the same page and feels heard, an invaluable skill I picked up as a UI/UX designer working with project managers, developers, stakeholders, and other teams. Knowing when to be flexible and when to be rigid to meet project goals, timelines, and budgets for everyone involved is my strength.
Client Testimonials
“Thanks Jack! I really love where this ended up. Thanks so much for sticking with us through such an arduous project. I’m gonna be really proud to show this off.”
Will Hollingsworth, Buildings and Food
“Your art is a great inspiration to me. I can compose another album with this cover in one night. You’re really impressive.”
Yoann Turpin
“I am just absolutely floored. I will have a couple questions, but for now I just want to keep looking at what you have done. It literally gives me goosebumps! There are so many details I love, like the fine line circle that is offset on the circle pics…that’s a fabulous little detail. This site screams everything I hoped for…professional, slick, creative, and sooooo different from so many other jeweler’s websites. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
David Wilkinson
Creative Community
My unique career has helped me mentor other creatives as an Adobe Community Expert and Adobe Certified Professional. I’ve produced the Adobe Illustrator Creative Challenges, as well as Pro Tips, hosted Adobe Live guests, and other Adobe Live shows. I’ve been a Creative Pro speaker for Accessibility Week. I am a mentor and moderator in the the official Illustrator, Behance, Adobe Live, and Firefly Discords, hosting events, answering a wide range of questions, and providing feedback. I live stream my process every week on Twitch and YouTube.
“Never thought to do this in Illustrator. I’ve done something similar in InDesign, where I’m picking and checking the colors. #timesaver.”
“Definitely going to create something like this and reference it every time I need to design something!”
“Learned a lot as usual. 100% you’re really good and take the time out of your life to share with us. Thank you.”
My Background
My degree is a BFA in Biomedical Art, which means I studied art, design, and animation, as well as things like human biology, microbiology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, genetics, and population biology.
I enjoy experimenting with styles and methods in my work. I’m always pushing the boundaries in Adobe Illustrator with 3D isometric art and my whimsical style illustrations. I also like playing with motion graphics, whether that’s exploring CSS animations using SVGs or creating animations for my Twitch channel.
Above all, I love having the opportunity to connect with and give back to the creative community.