I am Dani

I’m a Designer most of the time focusing my efforts on UI / Visual Design.

I can say I’m also a UX designer, with years of work experience in all kind of projects and fields, from the early research phases, having worked also defining the user experience and testing it, to final stages designing the final output and delivering to development teams, working with different methodologies.

I’m not a UX researcher, but having experience helping my colleagues doing that work. I’m not an interaction designer, but I have enough knowledge to do that work with some help. I’m not a html/css front end developer, but I have some knowledge about it, more than basic. I’m definitely not a back-end developer.

Am I a Digital Product Designer?
I think so, but i’m not an unicorn and I always prefer to be a specialist than a generalist.

After more than twenty years working as a Designer, I have learned year after year about different fields. I worked for digital newspapers, in advertising agencies and the last ten years in a Service Design Studio. In 2022 I joined the Astara Store team, part of Astara.

So, what have I been doing for the past twenty years?

Lead Product Designer

@Astara Store

Feb 2022 — TODAY

Astara Store works with distributors, dealers and OEMs to streamline and digitalize the private new and used car and motorbike purchase process. It enhances the car buying experience for existing customers and attracts new clients into the market with a convenient and transparent business model.

Astara Store is part of the Astara Group, a global company with presence in Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

Senior Visual Designer

@ FJORD

Dec 2015 — Feb 2022
10 yrs 4 mos

Now I'm formally a Senior Visual Designer with almost nine years experience and practice skills also as Design Lead, Interaction Designer and UX—UI Designer. Looks like the market describes this position as Digital Product Designer.

During this period, I have provided services to clients such as BBVA, RTVE, Movistar, Barclays, Bankinter, Citibank, Banco Santander, Alto Analytics, Unicredit, KPN, Instesa Sanpaolo, Morabanc, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Banco Sabadell, ABC, Sanitas, Catalana Occidente, Zurich, Airbus, Avianca, Ikea and Repsol.

Visual Designer

@ FJORD

Nov 2011 — Dec 2015
4 yrs 2 mos

It was then when I discovered FJORD as a Service Design Studio. I started my relationship with this company and the service design industry as a freelance in May 2011, and then joined the Fjord staff in November of the same year as Visual Designer.

Art Director on/off line

@ an Advertising Agency

JUN 2007 — OCT 2010
3 yrs & 10 Mos

I felt again the need for change to a different field, so I started working as an Art Director in a small advertising agency. The team was small, so I learned a lot about client and project management. This three-year period working in an advertising agency led me to consider a new change.

I decided to leave the company and continue my path working as a Freelance Designer.

Art direction
Graphic Design, Web and Multimedia
Design Production

Clients: Alfa Romeo, Prisacom, RBS, Hotel Ritz Madrid, Orlando, Repsol, Yahoo, Grey Interactive, Madrid Town Council, Natural Electric, Lucky Strike, Travelstore, Volvo, Dacia, EFE, Pandora, Decathlon, Royal Canin, Hotel Barceló Asia Gardens, Peugeot, ABC, MTV, EsMadrid, Lexus, Reale, Santillana, elpaís.com, as.com, among others.

Digital Designer

@ Prisacom

Aug 2006 — Jan 2007
6 mos

After that amazing period of discovery at IED, I had my first job with Prisacom, the owners of a well-known Spanish Newspaper, El País. I worked there for 6 months as a Web designer and animator for EP3, a multimedia magazine, totally developed in Flash, which complemented the contents of the online version of El País newspaper.

During my period at Prisacom I cooperated in projects carried out by other Group media, such as El País, AS, Los 40 Principales and GDM. It was a short but really enriching experience.

Bachelor's Degree, Digital Design

@ Istituto Europeo di Design, Madrid

Jun 2003 — Jun 2006
3 yrs

At that time, I felt my training was somewhat lacking with a view to the future, so in 2003 I decided to enrol on a 3-year Bachelor's Degree in Digital Design at Istituto Europeo Di Design in Madrid. I moved from traditional Graphic Design to Visual Communication involving: Concept Development, Visual & Interaction Design, Motion Graphics, Video & Audio Editing, Post Production and Project Management for Audiovisual Productions.

At the same time I was working as a Freelance Designer at my own platform, Quimeia Studio.

Graphic & Web Designer

@ Estrella Digital Newspaper

Otc 1999 — Feb 2003
3 yrs & 5 Mos

After one year, I decided to move to the online world, so I embarked on a three-year experience in an online newspaper, working as web designer.

Graphic / Web Designer
Design and development of all Estrella Digital products together with the rest of the team.

Graphic Designer

@ Tolowa & Ingalik

Sep 1998 — Sep 1999
1 yr & 1 Mon

I started my path as a Graphic Designer in a small studio called Tolowa & Ingalik, working in the advertising area and editing a printed magazine in 1998.

Graphic design 
Advertising 
Branding 
Laying-out