BLACKOWL.design
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About
About
PERSONAL BACKGROUND
PERSONAL BACKGROUND
Originally from the bustling metropolis of Glens Falls at the base of the Adirondacks in New York State. I grew up with an affinity for design and an unusual obsession with typography and print. As a child, I designed and printed (with stationary from a local store and my brand new ink jet printer) my cousin’s wedding invitations. Much later, I attended the Conservatory of Art & Design at Purchase College in Upstate NY (yes, I consider Westchester “upstate” please don’t @ me). Post-graduation, I moved to Bushwick, Brooklyn (this was pre-Girls and when I first experienced agoraphobia) where I interned for McCall Associates in Tribeca where I once accidentally, after being buzzed in, closed the door behind me thinking Richard Serra was a stranger (and not the very close friend of founder Anthony McCall). My first job in New York City was at the newly opened Apple Store on West 14th St in Chelsea. I started freelancing shortly after. Eventually, I joined the Fintech startup world as employee #10 at insurance shopping platform and Forbes’ best start-up employers, Policygenius. I still freelance, I still love typography and print, and I still live in Brooklyn with my partner Dan and daughter, Frankie*.
*She’s a Boston Terrier, but I still stand behind what I said. If you’re reading this, why don’t you donate to my favorite animal charity RedRover whose mission is to bring animals out of crisis and strengthen the bond between people and animals through emergency sheltering, disaster-relief services, financial assistance, and education.
READING
READING
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte
Rejection
by Tony Tulathimutte
LISTENING
LISTENING
Search Engine
'It's Nice That'
Podcast
WATCHING
WATCHING
Common Side Effects
'The Rehearsal'
Season 2
BONUS-BONUS CONTENT
What's your sign?
+
Wow! Cool last name. Are you some kinda Indian or something?
+
I heard you're a car guy?
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BONUS-BONUS CONTENT
What's your sign?
+
Wow! Cool last name. Are you some kinda Indian or something?
+
I heard you're a car guy?
+
BONUS-BONUS CONTENT
What's your sign?
+
Wow! Cool last name. Are you some kinda Indian or something?
+
I heard you're a car guy?
+
Experience
Senior Product & Marketing Designer
Zinna (formerly Policygenius, acquired in 2023)
New York, NY | Fintech Insurance Platform | 2023–2024
Led brand and acquisition design for Zinnia’s B2B insurance products across web, CRM, and partner ecosystems. Focused on scalable systems, performance-driven UX, and cross-functional collaboration in a high-growth environment.
Led design strategy for the 2024 Zinnia.com redesign, including comprehensive design system refresh and responsive component library development (Project sunset pre-launch due to M&A realignment)
Owned end-to-end UX and UI for consumer-facing acquisition and partnership experiences, collaborating closely with product and engineering teams from concept through QA
Designed and implemented scalable, modular landing page and CRM systems in HubSpot, optimizing for responsive mobile experiences, improving cross-functional team efficiency by 30% and ensuring brand consistency
Partnered closely with Executive Leadership, Marketing, Growth, and Engineering teams to align user experience with business performance goals and technical constraints
Mentored designers and facilitated design education for non-design stakeholders, introducing design quality standards and collaborative workflows across product teams
Senior Product & Growth Designer
Policygenius
New York, NY | Fintech, Insurance SaaS | 2015–2023
Series A–E | Employee 10 → 800+ employees
Projects
Led UX/UI and growth-focused design for Policygenius’ consumer and B2B platforms, shaping the brand from startup to industry leader. Owned high-impact acquisition initiatives across search, referral, and CRM channels.
Launched Policygenius Pro, a white-label insurance SaaS tool, from 0→1, designing multi-platform UI for advisors and internal teams.
Designed a modular CRM design system, improving cross-team alignment and reducing build time by 30%.
Delivered conversion-optimized landing pages, partner flows, and App Store assets—contributing to double-digit growth in user acquisition.
Created a reusable design system for client-facing education tools, increasing content engagement by 45%.
Designed and executed 5-city OOH campaign, including TV spots and airport placements—driving top-of-funnel awareness and cross-channel engagement.
Partnered with product, marketing, and strategy teams to prototype, A/B test, and launch acquisition experiments across web and mobile.
Collaborated directly with co-founders and C-Suite, producing investor decks and brand initiatives aligned with funding goals.
Owned end-to-end creative for internal brand moments, including $10MM office design projects that doubled as employer branding touchpoints.
Led UX/UI and growth design strategy across consumer and B2B financial platforms, helping scale the company from startup to market leader through user-first design decisions
Created the visual design system, acquisition landing pages, and customer onboarding experience for Policygenius Pro (SaaS for insurance advisors) 0→1 launch, establishing scalable design foundations using data insights to inform design strategy.
Introduced reusable design system components for CRM and educational content,optimizing for responsive mobile experiences, reducing development time by 30% and increasing user engagement by 45% through improved user experience
Designed high-performing, consumer-facing landing pages and campaign assets that contributed to double-digit user acquisition growth and increased consumer trust in financial products
Synthesized user research and collaborated with research teams to identify opportunities and advocate for client needs in product development decisions
Mentored designers and educated cross-functional team members on design principles, raising design quality standards and design literacy across product, engineering, and marketing teams
Product Designer & Creative Consultant
Blackowl LLC
Remote | Digital Health, Fintech, E-commerce | 2008–Present
Projects
Led end-to-end UX and visual design for consumer-facing fintech applications, focusing on user-first experiences that simplify complex financial workflows
Built comprehensive branding and e-commerce mobile/web experiences for LGBTQ lifestyle brand, scaling from concept through product launch and order fulfillment
Designed data-driven, modular CRM systems for mortgage pre-approval fintech, using user research and testing to optimize conversion rates and user clarity
Delivered high-impact visual design and landing page experiences for media clients including Night Vale Presents and Apple Podcasts
Product Designer & Creative Consultant
Blackowl LLC
Independent / Freelance dba Blackowl LLC · 2008-Current
Projects
Led end-to-end UX and visual design for consumer-facing fintech applications, focusing on user-first experiences that simplify complex financial workflows
Built comprehensive branding and e-commerce mobile/web experiences for LGBTQ lifestyle brand, scaling from concept through product launch and order fulfillment
Designed data-driven, modular CRM systems for mortgage pre-approval fintech, using user research and testing to optimize conversion rates and user clarity
Delivered high-impact visual design and landing page experiences for media clients including Night Vale Presents and Apple Podcasts
Senior Product & Marketing Designer
Zinna (formerly Policygenius, acquired in 2023)
New York, NY | Fintech Insurance Platform | 2023–2024
Led brand and acquisition design for Zinnia’s B2B insurance products across web, CRM, and partner ecosystems. Focused on scalable systems, performance-driven UX, and cross-functional collaboration in a high-growth environment.
Led design strategy for the 2024 Zinnia.com redesign, including comprehensive design system refresh and responsive component library development (Project sunset pre-launch due to M&A realignment)
Owned end-to-end UX and UI for consumer-facing acquisition and partnership experiences, collaborating closely with product and engineering teams from concept through QA
Designed and implemented scalable, modular landing page and CRM systems in HubSpot, optimizing for responsive mobile experiences, improving cross-functional team efficiency by 30% and ensuring brand consistency
Partnered closely with Executive Leadership, Marketing, Growth, and Engineering teams to align user experience with business performance goals and technical constraints
Mentored designers and facilitated design education for non-design stakeholders, introducing design quality standards and collaborative workflows across product teams
Senior Product & Growth Designer
Policygenius
New York, NY | Fintech, Insurance SaaS | 2015–2023
Series A–E | Employee 10 → 800+ employees
Projects
Led UX/UI and growth-focused design for Policygenius’ consumer and B2B platforms, shaping the brand from startup to industry leader. Owned high-impact acquisition initiatives across search, referral, and CRM channels.
Launched Policygenius Pro, a white-label insurance SaaS tool, from 0→1, designing multi-platform UI for advisors and internal teams.
Designed a modular CRM design system, improving cross-team alignment and reducing build time by 30%.
Delivered conversion-optimized landing pages, partner flows, and App Store assets—contributing to double-digit growth in user acquisition.
Created a reusable design system for client-facing education tools, increasing content engagement by 45%.
Designed and executed 5-city OOH campaign, including TV spots and airport placements—driving top-of-funnel awareness and cross-channel engagement.
Partnered with product, marketing, and strategy teams to prototype, A/B test, and launch acquisition experiments across web and mobile.
Collaborated directly with co-founders and C-Suite, producing investor decks and brand initiatives aligned with funding goals.
Owned end-to-end creative for internal brand moments, including $10MM office design projects that doubled as employer branding touchpoints.
Led UX/UI and growth design strategy across consumer and B2B financial platforms, helping scale the company from startup to market leader through user-first design decisions
Created the visual design system, acquisition landing pages, and customer onboarding experience for Policygenius Pro (SaaS for insurance advisors) 0→1 launch, establishing scalable design foundations using data insights to inform design strategy.
Introduced reusable design system components for CRM and educational content,optimizing for responsive mobile experiences, reducing development time by 30% and increasing user engagement by 45% through improved user experience
Designed high-performing, consumer-facing landing pages and campaign assets that contributed to double-digit user acquisition growth and increased consumer trust in financial products
Synthesized user research and collaborated with research teams to identify opportunities and advocate for client needs in product development decisions
Mentored designers and educated cross-functional team members on design principles, raising design quality standards and design literacy across product, engineering, and marketing teams
Education
Fashion Institute of Technology
UX Design Certificate
SUNY Purchase, School of Art+Design
BFA Graphic Design
Fashion Institute of Technology
UX Design Certificate
SUNY Purchase, School of Art+Design
BFA Graphic Design
Core Skills & Tools