Nicholas Olmsted
Hi there!
I'm a senior visual designer with over ten years of experience, I have a passion for storytelling and solving problems through design. I have worked for creative agencies, start-ups, and technology companies, honing my skills in brand strategy, illustration, web design, event design, and in-product UI/UX. I am driven by the process of research and ideation, to create designs that are engaging and user-friendly. My portfolio showcases my love for creating impactful brand campaigns, illustrations, and web pages.
I help companies explain complex ideas
One of my areas of expertise is helping users understand things quickly. I have experience solving complex problems from how to show data lakes and warehouses as well as visualizing cloud migration and other complex systems.
Data-informed design
I use data to inform my design decisions and have experience working with teams that have created the best practices for where to test designs on marketing assets and in product.
Experience working for the best
I've been a contractor working on teams that deliver at velocity. I'm a Figma and Adobe CC power user. I've worked on brand, marketing, and product teams. As a contractor, I have learned how to ramp up quickly. I have a knack for understanding different industry personas and how to design with the end user in mind. Click the link below to see my portfolio work.
Having the right tools for the job!
Along with being able to do the day to day design work I also have experience building design systems that help teams create at velocity while staying on brand. Below are some examples of systems that I have built for different company:
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Hero and Spot Illustration
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Product Abstracts
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Data Visualization
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Character Construction
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Figma Web Component Libraries
Velocity needs guidelines
While building design systems I found that teams and agencies can ramp up quickly and stay on brand with the creation of guidelines outlining specific usage rules, how to and when to use elements. This gives designers clear guard rails for asset creation and helps teams deliver what is needed at quickly while staying on brand.
Designs that harness
thought leadership
I have help companies stand out from their competition. I'm passionate about creating designs that inspire and drive engagement. I don't create designs that are for ornament. From my experience assets should serve a purpose, be engaging and compel a user to interact with your brand or product in a thoughtful and informative way.
Wait, data visualization doesn't have to be bland?
Its true data visualization can be compelling and informative. Having built data visualization systems for some of the top data analytics companies I know data visualization and its complexities. Creating designs that explain a process or system can help educate users quickly.
Characters systems that inspire
Characters are a powerful tool within a brand design system. Characters can communicate any messages from empathetic to optimistic. I have experience creating unique and own-able character styles that help product and marketing teams communicate more effectively while driving engagement and brand loyalty.
Lets chat!
I have over ten years of experience working for some of the top technology companies in the world. Lets start a conversation about your company and team needs and see if my skills are a good match!