Professional Summary:
Creative with 20+ years building brand and product systems — identity, campaign, and web — from film studios and hospitality to retail, consumer packaged goods, and founder-stage companies. Since 2024, shipping production design systems, admin portals, CMS, and source-grounded AI surfaces on Next.js, across an AI workspace, a clinical product cluster, and multi-brand commerce. Seeking a remote Design Engineer / Design Systems role where judgment counts.
Self-taught design practice since 2002. Founded Simple Media at 16 and grew it into a Northern Nevada design studio serving regional industry. Agency years with Firstborn® and Magnetic Creative included work for Warner Bros., Universal, Fox, P&G, Marvel, and Vizio — then hospitality systems (Harrah’s SoCal, Pechanga, Cahuilla Casino Hotel) and national retail launches (Aubío, led by John Paul DeJoria; eOn Mist, 16M+ units).
Tetra Studio (2021–2023) was branding and digital product for Handshake (dWeb), Kenetic, Disco Solaris, Mirage Protocol, Indigitus, Fidira, and Valeo. The 2024–2026 chapter is design engineering: Elevation AI’s platform system and AI workspace, the Adullam / Forest Outfitters multi-brand web ecosystem, a CENA clinical product cluster for Dr. Asif Ali (American Heart Association board), TruNeura’s App Store and Google Play launch, and Resilient Relatives — a State of California grant–funded Next.js hub for a Native-led MMIP initiative.
Selected impact includes a live Elevation platform (design system, brand site, dashboards, presentations, product UI), Adullam sister-brand sites and catalogs, the CENA / CRI / POTSDoc / HCC suite, 16M+ eOn Mist units, brand/design supporting $10M+ raised, 20+ companies branded, and App Store launches.
Core Skills:
- Brand & identity — Visual identity systems · Brand strategy · Naming & messaging · Brand guidelines · Logo systems · Multi-brand ecosystems
- GTM & growth — Product launch strategy · Campaign & art direction · Digital marketing strategy · Pitch / presentation design · Brand storytelling
- Product & systems — Design systems · UI/UX · Interaction · Design-to-code · Tokens · Dashboards / CMS · Commerce UX · Automations · Email & booking flows
- Engineering — Next.js / React / TypeScript / Tailwind · shadcn/ui · Supabase · Shopify · Stripe · Vercel · Adobe CC · Motion (Framer Motion, D3, Three.js)
- AI delivery — Cursor · Claude · Codex · Agentic design-to-code workflows · Image gen
- Domains — AI / SaaS platforms · Early-stage tech · Family-office & PE tooling · Health tech · Consumer retail · Outdoor / tactical commerce
Design Engineer / Product Design Lead — Elevation AI
2025–2026•
Owned the platform design system (50+ components, tokens) and the surfaces: marketing site, dashboards, CMS, presentations, and AI workspace UI (Portfolio / Spaces / Hub / Knowledge / Flows / Agents). Remote · elevationai.com.
•
Shipped family-office / PE demo flows and deck systems on Next.js + TypeScript + Tailwind; owned visual system, IA, and front-end craft.
•
Partnered on NestJS / Supabase orchestration for knowledge and portfolio workflows — design and product-surface ownership, not a sole backend claim.
Design Lead — The Adullam Company / Forest Outfitters ecosystem
2025–2026•
Led brand/web systems for a multi-brand survivability platform and sister labels (Tribe Equipment, Hyde Hunting, Forest Outfitters, Real Bigfoot). Remote · theadullamcompany.com.
•
Built Next.js marketing and catalog experiences with a shared design system, Shopify-connected commerce, motion (D3/Three.js), and print-ready catalog and layout tooling.
•
Unified mission-led brand storytelling (“innovation that saves lives”) across tactical, hunting, outdoor, and lifestyle surfaces.
Design Engineer — Asif Ali, MD (American Heart Association board) / CENA Research Institute digital products
2025–2026•
Designed and built healthcare web products for Houston cardiologist Dr. Asif Ali (American Heart Association board): source-grounded physician chatbot, CENA Research Institute site + CMS, POTSDoc patient education and clinic/admin CMS, Houston Cardiology Consultants, and Lone Star AI MedTech Summit.
•
Owned UX, the shared design system, and the Next.js + Supabase front across the suite — admin CMS, forms, summit/event flows, booking/appointment flows, and clinical-content workflows. Clinical copy stayed behind review gates.
•
Supported Lone Star AI MedTech Summit digital presence and related CENA Group ecosystem pages.
Head of Design — TruNeura Cognitive Health
2024•
Led brand, UX/UI, and creative strategy for an AI-powered cognitive health SaaS with neurologist Dr. Kristine Burke; shipped App Store and Google Play launches.
Design & build — Resilient Relatives / Cahuilla Consortium
2025–2026•
State of California grant–funded project; awarded to design and build the brand, design system, and Next.js resource hub for a Native-led MMIP initiative (resilientrelatives.org).
Selected Earlier Experience:
Creative Director — Christopher Mena Designs
2022–2024•
Brand systems and product design for tech, retail, and hospitality — identity, campaign, and digital product work through the consultancy.
•
AI/SaaS included TruNeura and Elevation AI precursors; this chapter sits just before the 2024–2026 design-engineering work above.
Co-Founder & Creative Director — Tetra Studio
2021–2023•
Co-founded Tetra with long-time partners; branding and digital product for Handshake (dWeb), Kenetic, Disco Solaris, Mirage Protocol, Indigitus, Fidira, and Valeo.
Creative Director — eOn Mist
2020•
Named and branded the first personal continuous-mist disinfectant — identity, strategy, and launch creative.
•
15 national retailers plus airports; 16M+ units sold.
Lead Creative Consultant — startups and brands
2016–2020•
Vitalign (first nano-CBD CPG water brand), Nuvó Olive Oil, Honey 2.0, and Performance Research.
•
Tamba (Hawaiian surf) and Cascade Yarns (national yarn-industry leader — brand refresh across major specialty retailers).
Creative Director — Aubío Life Sciences
2014–2016•
Led by John Paul DeJoria (Paul Mitchell, Patrón Tequila); brand development through national retail launch.
Senior Designer — Harrah’s SoCal & Pechanga; Cahuilla Casino Hotel expansion
2012–2016•
Award-winning hospitality brand systems across Harrah’s Resort SoCal, Pechanga Resort & Casino, and the Cahuilla Casino Hotel expansion.
Agency / early career
2006–2012•
Firstborn® and Magnetic Creative — Warner Bros., Universal, Fox, P&G, Marvel, Vizio.
•
Powerhouse Gyms global refresh. Founded Simple Media at 16 and grew it into a Northern Nevada design studio serving regional industry.
Selected Impact:
• Elevation AI: platform design system + brand site, dashboards, presentations, and product UI
• Adullam multi-brand web ecosystem live (theadullamcompany.com + sister brand sites/catalogs)
• Healthcare digital suite for CENA/CRI/POTSDoc/HCC under Dr. Asif Ali (American Heart Association board)
• 16M+ eOn Mist units · brand/design supporting $10M+ raised · 20+ companies branded · App Store launches
Education & Languages
• Self-taught design practice since 2002
• English (fluent) · Spanish (fluent)
• Seeking a remote Design Engineer / Design Systems role where judgment counts
• Portfolio: cmenadesigns.com
• Updated Sep 2026
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