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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
About Me
Case Studies
2026 Projects
Management Style
Hire Me
Author's Note: I'm sorry these don't link. Google Sites has limitations and the actual Table of Contents module houses every header instead the top-most. It's the UX Designer in me that doesn't want you to go through that. Happy scrolling.
About Me
About Me
I’m a Lead Designer & Strategist with over 8 years of experience directing, designing and developing accessible, web-based digital properties, products and applications. Specializing in both web accessibility compliance and digital brand development, I’ve developed a constraint-first design philosophy. I view technical and business limitations not as obstacles, but as a structure from which design choices are informed and tested, allowing us to push the limits of innovation within rigid environments.
My career spans the full spectrum of business culture, from fast-paced, lean startups to large, highly-regulated agencies and corporations. As a team member, I often act as a strategic translator, leveraging my degree in Extension Communication to bridge the gap between creative vision and technical development. As a leader, I lean on my background in education to mentor and guide my team toward self-initiation, efficiency, and collaborative comradery.
Whether you need a manager or contributor, an analyst or a designer – my mission is to help you improve your business efficiency by strengthening your communication, your processes and your systems.
Leadership Through Systems Thinking
Leadership Through Systems Thinking
Whether I am directing a "guided open-world" virtual experience for healthcare providers or maturing a nascent nonprofit into a grant-ready brand, I focus on building accessible, scalable, modular frameworks. I have a proven track record of transforming reactive, fragmented processes into rigorous, embedded UX ecosystems that allow organizations to scale without technical debt.
Core Expertise:
Core Expertise:
Creative Direction & Brand Roadmapping: Unifying brand expression across digital and physical touchpoints, from high-accuracy spatial documentation to professional photoshoots.
0→1 Product and Service Design: Architecture of early-stage software and user interfaces from scratch, balancing deep information density with human-centric behavior to establish trust and drive consistent engagement.
Regulatory & Accessibility Leadership: Expert in WCAG 2.1/2.2 compliance, positioning inclusive design as a foundational element of professional visual design rather than a legal afterthought.
Systems Architecture: Designing atomic design systems and reusable page patterns that empower stakeholders to maintain hands-on ownership of their digital environments.
Cross-Functional Alignment: Facilitating low-ego, high-impact collaboration between technology and art departments to reduce rework and ensure faithful execution of the creative campaign.
Case Studies
Case Studies
Lead Web and Brand Designer at The Philosopher's House
UX Designer at Calcium+Company
UX Strategist at Calcium+Company
UX Strategist at Calcium+Company
2026 Projects in Progress
2026 Projects in Progress
Web Development
Web Development
Jeana Jessie
Brand Development
Brand Development
Becca Burns Art
Brand Development
Brand Development
The Philosopher's House
Educational Product Design
Educational Product Design
FADE Initiative, LLC
Thoughts on Creative Management
Thoughts on Creative Management
How I Manage Creative Friction
How I Manage Creative Friction
I'm what I call a "recovering perfectionist" and I've learned that getting it done is far more important than getting it perfect. I find creative friction happens the most when there isn't clarity about what is expected, so I try to be as clear as possible about my expectations as I can be without being too prescriptive.
As designers, we have a duty to the business. As artists, we have duty to our souls. I believe there is a way to bridge both. It's called iteration; and when we get a chance to iterate, we will do so.
My Review Ritual
My Review Ritual
I believe reviews are supposed to be collaboration sessions where, more often than not, I will review not only a designers work but what and how I communicated my expectations to them.
I like a round of threes, depending on the situation. Typically, we review what was asked and see if the minimum expectations were met. The second review is about confirming changes and then fine-tuning. The third and final round tends to be tightening and finalizing.
The Failure is Mine, The Success is Yours
The Failure is Mine, The Success is Yours
I do my best to abide by servant-leadership philosophies.
"The greatest leader works so that when success occurs, the people will say, ‘We did it all by ourselves.” – Lao Tzu
This is the type of leadership I admire most. It is also the type of leadership I try to embody. I do my best to get into the grind with you and raise you up. Will I make mistakes? Yes. Will I sometimes fail? Yes. Will I blame you? I will do my best to not.
A 2025 Intern Perspective
A 2025 Intern Perspective
Management philosophy is best seen through the eyes of the team. Following his Marketing-focused internship at FADE (July – December 2025), I invited our Business Administration Intern to reflect on his experience. To provide an authentic look at my leadership style, his responses are shared here unaltered.
Alexander A. Aydinoglu
Executive Administrative Intern
How would you describe the creative environment I foster within our team?
"I would describe it as inspiring and motivating. Especially as someone with little prior creative experience, I learned a lot. We delved deeply into every aspect of design, which led me to develop my own ideas."
In what way have you grown as a professional since we started working together?
"I’m not a professional designer or artist myself, but what I’ve learned has allowed me to see things through a different lens than before and shown me that I can expand my skills—and even starting my own business is now a real possibility for me."
Can you think of a time when I cleared a roadblock or advocated for your vision in a way that helped you succeed?
"If you consider a lack of knowledge to be an obstacle, then yes, she helped me overcome it. After working with her, as I said before, I’m more open to the idea of working for myself in marketing than I was before. Thanks to her, I’ve been able to build more confidence in my work."
I believe that feedback is a gift, regardless of direction. During our 1:1s, we spent time discussing not just the his performance, but how I could better clear the path for him. Those conversations helped me refine my asychronous communication and create the project/task boards that I use today to communicate with others. Receiving and providing feedback is a vital part of how I continue to grow as a leader and mentor.
Ways to Hire Me
Ways to Hire Me
I am open for work.
I am open for work.
I work remotely from Jonesborough, TN, in the eastern United States. I am open to contract, contract-to-hire, part-time or full-time job opportunities starting May 2026.
"Laura is a wonderful partner on the team.
"Laura is a wonderful partner on the team.
She is intelligent, thoughtful and curious. She skillfully brings creative ideation, research, and planning to every project. She is a great designer as well. She continues to keep all of us art people on our toes with new technology, user concerns and how people interact with the ever evolving technology and optimized design. I would highly recommend Laura and hope to work with her again in the future."
Kimberly Smith, Assoc. Director of Markting & Communications
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