SUMMARY

DeAnna is a product designer who:

• Got a formal UX education from DePaul University

• Worked for small clients to cut her teeth as a design wizard (see: generalist)

• Honed her corporate design skills at Leo Burnett (Kellogg’s account)

AGENCY LIFE

While she never thought she’d end up at an ad agency, DeAnna took a position at Leo Burnett in 2022, seeing it as an opportunity to learn a new side of the design world. She collaborated with teams of other designers and creatives, making work for HUGE clients - mainly Kellogg’s brands like Eggos, Frosted Flakes, and Cheez it.

FREELANCING

Freelancing has been a constant for DeAnna since 2014. She built herself a portfolio of work that reflects real, honest work - her clients being mainly small business owners. She’s done work for therapists, entrepreneurs, cafes, musicians + more. For 10 years, she’s prided herself on creating professional relationships, representing herself as both a creative and a project manager.

Working with smaller clients has led DeAnna to having more of a design generalist’s skillset. She relishes in taking clients big ideas and guiding them through the process of realizing them.

EDUCATION

In 2017, DeAnna graduated with a B.S. in Interactive & Social Media from DePaul University. During her time there, she took a summer internship with The Desire Company to get IRL Startup experience.

PERSONAL LIFE

DeAnna lives with her partner Brok Mende and their cat + dog in Chicago, Illinois. Together they own Friends of Friends Recording Studio, where Brok has built a reputation for being the audio engineer to some of Chicago’s favorite indie musicians.

DeAnna spends her weekends enjoying her walkable city, visiting her parents in Wisconsin, recording a podcast episode with her best friend (listen to Girls off the Rails!), or catching a show at Sleeping Village.