John Kestner's resume.
Objective
To learn surprising things and use them to tell interesting stories in the form of designed products and environments.
Experience
Design Analyst, Target
Minneapolis, MN (summer 2007)
Researched and developed new product and service concepts in the Innovation group. Incorporated research on trends and users, interviews, and workshops.
Design Consultant, independent
Tempe, AZ (October 2004 - present)
Designed, advised and managed print and interactive projects, including websites, digital signage, packaging, advertising, corporate identity and illustration.
Adjunct Instructor, Phoenix College (Maricopa Community Colleges)
Phoenix, AZ (spring 2005)
Taught the Introduction to JavaScript course.
Lead Digital Designer/Webmaster, U-Haul International
Phoenix, AZ (May 1997 - October 2004)
Created the central uhaul.com site from scratch and guided the customer experience for the company's online projects that followed. Analyzed usage data and applied interface principles in design decisions. Wrote the copy for uhaul.com. Designed and programmed the company's first portal site for 15,000 U-Haul dealers in Java and Oracle. Built and maintained UNIX web and application servers for uhaul.com.
Created eMove Moving Help, an eBay-like marketplace that matches moving families with customer-rated movers, growing an idea into a multimillion-dollar program. Shaped the business model, designed the interactions between customer, mover and mediator, and programmed the original site in Java and MS SQL Server.
Directed groups of designers and programmers on multiple projects at any given time, providing overall planning as well as graphics, interface and code. Worked with all departments as well as the CEO and other executives. Created print projects ranging from mailers and posters to a cover illustration for the employee magazine.
Education
Master of Design, Product Design
Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology (one year completed)
Emphasis on user research/analysis, experience design and rapid prototyping.
Bachelor of Science, Industrial Design
Arizona State University (3.5 GPA; Cum Laude)
Emphasis on ethnographic research and information design.
AMI Montessori schooling
from age 2 - 14
Skills
- Java, Objective C, Cocoa, Quartz Composer
- Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, QuarkXPress
- Standards-compliant HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, SQL
- Sketching, modelmaking as part of the design process
- Writing and editing, songwriting, baking
Awards / Activities / Volunteer
- Honorable Mention, I.D. Magazine Annual Design Review, 2006 (The Kinesic Interface)
- Notable Entry, Greener Gadgets Design Competition, 2008 (Watt Watchers)
- 2nd place, Remo Instruments/ASU Music Therapy Design Competition, 1998 (Footnote keyboard)
- National Merit Scholar
- Publishing editor & contributor, The New Idiom, the student newsletter of the IIT Institute of Design, 2006 - 2007
- Co-chair, insideID, Institute of Design student life organization, 2007
- Founded Kosgoda Rebuilding Project to rebuild a fishing village in Sri Lanka that was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, 2004 - 2007
- Helped renovate Maggie's Place house in Tempe, AZ for homeless pregnant women, October 2004 - December 2004
- Cared for and supported abused and neglected young children at the Child Crisis Center in Mesa, AZ, January 2005 - August 2006
- Designed collateral for Make A Difference, an Arizona non-profit that connects charities with volunteers, 2003 - present