Theresa Hertling Logo White

FindLaw, part of Thomson Reuters

Senior Design Strategist

Aug 2012 - Dec 2023 (11+ Years)

Sr. Graphic Designer

Mar 2022 - Jul 2022 (3 Months)

High-Value Client Support, Service, & Retention Success

  • Trusted Advocate In Client Escalation Recovery: 100% success rate as the “closer” or expert in critical account recovery, often deployed on zero-notice timelines to stabilize failing high-spend and high-value customers.
  • Established Track Record For High-Velocity Crisis Management: Served as the go-to lead for eleventh-hour escalations and emergency saves that required immediate, high-stakes design intervention.
  • Design Senior Of HVC (High Value Clients): Orchestrated visual strategy for top-tier annual & premium accounts while providing mentorship and technical leadership to the dedicated HVC team of specialized designers.
  • Recognized For Reputation & Reliability: Willing when available to show up to customer needs, last minute onsite meetings, and presence requests on ad hoc client calls.

Strategic Design Leadership & Growth

  • Calculated Initiation & Event Leadership: Handpicked by management to drive special projects, company-wide events, and massive platform & procedural shift migrations.
  • Cross-Functional Advocacy: Bridged gaps between design, development, and business objectives to ensure the “big picture” is met via departmental-wide trainings.
  • Manager-to-Employee Disconnect, Conflict, & Burnout: Trust advocate in re-establishing collaborative growth, individual contribution to end game gain, and restoring belief systems framed around the fair balance between business and personal real and honest perceptions.

Design Operations & Process Optimization

  • Workflow & Process Optimization: Identified bottlenecks in the design lifecycle and implemented better ways of working.
  • Platform & Tool Management: Vetted design tools and platforms (e.g. Figma, CMS) to ensure maximum efficiency, and recreated entire platforms for resource accessibility & creative-balanced productivity.
  • Operational Growth & Scalability: Scaled team processes to handle increased workload (WIP) without sacrificing quality or contributor morale.

Capability Building & Mentorship

  • Designer Training & Development: Developed curricula, workshops, and onboarding materials to upskill existing designers, but also service & deploy incoming designer new hires with full access, confidence, and success into value streams.
  • Departmental Knowledge Sharing: Lead training sessions on best practices, tools, and strategic thinking.
  • “Go-To” Technical & Design Support: Serving as a primary expert for escalated troubleshooting, design critiques, and complex problem solving.

Trusted Advisory for Operational Excellence

  • Gap & Bottleneck Analysis: Proactively identified operational inefficiencies, structural flaws, and missed opportunities with weekly solution-ready implementations for leadership.
  • Enhancement Execution & Integration: Turning findings into actionable, implemented solutions that improved daily departmental output.
  • Leadership Support & Strategic Partnerships: An “ace” for managers when providing insights that inform decision-making, reporting, and resource planning.

Stepped into the Publication Production Team to provide immediate print/digital design support following a senior departure, bridging the gap for all market publications for maintained continuity after a 50% staff reduction.