Darlene Wood

Experience

• 

  University of North Dakota

  Sept 2003 - Sept 2005

  Graphic Designer - Residence Services

  Designed marketing materials for Residence and Dining Services.

• 

  The Creative Group

  Nov 2005 - Mar 2006

  Graphic Design Consultant

  Worked as a contracted graphic designer at Augsburg College

• 

  Voyageur Asset Management Inc.

  May 2006 - Jun 2009

  Graphic Designer

  One of two designers working to creatively build and maintain a strong brand in financial services. Created new materials and updated standard marketing collateral: product sheets, presentation books, PowerPoint presentations and newsletters. Maintained and updated the company website. Worked with outside vendors for specialty printing of materials and promotional items. Implemented the use of new technology features in Adobe CS3 to develop automation tasks. Managed a temporary contracted designer. Developed and implemented the use of product sheet booklets as a simple, cost effective alternative marketing piece for the salespeople to use versus in-depth presentation books. Show less

• 

  Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

  Nov 2009 - Sept 2022

  Senior Brand and Design Manager

  RiverSource is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

• 

  RiverSource

  Nov 2009 - Sept 2022

  An award-winning design leader for the RiverSource brand, web and digital experience team within Ameriprise Financial, responsible for the design of all marketing materials for the Insurance and Annuity products. Managed all aspects of the visual brand and implemented a new brand identity system for RiverSource. Acted as a brand liaison to internal business partners as well as external vendors and branding agencies. Responsible for approvals related to the RiverSource brand such as photography, merchandise, animations and video. Collaborated with communication and program managers to create sales literature for new product launches as well as digital web tools. A cross-functional internal design resource occasionally relied on to produce materials targeted for our high net worth clients with managed assets of $5M or more under the Ameriprise brand. Focused on building internal branding and advisor engagement through our social media as well as enhancing our overall digital experiences. Show less

  • Senior Brand and Design Manager

    Feb 2021 - Sept 2022

  • Brand and Design Manager

    Sept 2017 - Sept 2022

  • Senior Graphic Designer

    Nov 2009 - Sept 2017
• 

  Brighthouse Financial

  Sept 2022 - now

  UX Design Lead

  • Develop and influence user journeys, user flows, wireframes, mockups and prototypes to convey design concepts and visualize solutions• Drive overall direction and strategy for the UX design function, managing and maintaining user experience standards to be leveraged across digital experiences by internal teams as well as vendor/agency partners• Foster the needs of the advisor and consumer, using that knowledge to influence business strategies that deliver useful and enjoyable online experiences• Establish creative direction and act as design lead on complex projects• Leverage performance data and research to analyze the user journey and identify opportunities for future improvement and investment• Lead cross-functional teams to translate issues and opportunities into technical solutions that deliver upon business goals, user needs and technological capabilities• Work with team members and agency partners to create comprehensive and scalable solutions that enhance the user's experience and unify all touchpoints Show less