Hughes Federal Credit Union
As part of a two-person creative team in the marketing department, I managed brand consistency across digital and print while documenting processes, advocating for stronger creative leadership, and preparing for my next step into Art Direction. (No visuals available due to confidentiality.)
Role
Graphic Designer → Web Developer
Timeframe
2013 – 2014
Cross-Dept Collaboration
graphic designer, partnered with compliance/legal and branch teams
At Hughes Federal Credit Union, I began as a Graphic Designer and transitioned into Web Developer. Within the two-person creative team, I was responsible for marketing collateral, digital assets, and documenting creative processes for efficiency. I also advocated for stronger creative leadership in marketing — work that directly prepared me for my next role at Learning A-Z.
The Challenge
Designing in the financial sector meant balancing creativity with regulatory compliance, while also managing marketing demands across multiple channels with a very small team.
Key challenges included:
- Maintaining brand consistency across both digital and print
- Creating processes for recurring deliverables (e.g., credit card and print inserts)
- Advocating for design leadership in an organization that had limited creative infrastructure
- Working within strict compliance and approval requirements
The Scope of Work
- Digital Assets & Web: Designed for online banking, website updates, and CMS-based campaigns.
- Print Collateral: Created branch-level campaigns, credit card inserts, and direct mail.
- Process Development: Documented workflows and timelines to improve repeatable projects like inserts.
- Compliance Collaboration: Partnered closely with compliance/legal to ensure designs met regulatory requirements.
- Role Evolution: Transitioned from Graphic Designer to Web Developer, expanding technical skills while maintaining brand responsibility.
- Career Trajectory: Advocated for a Creative Director role within Hughes before being recruited to Learning A-Z.
The Outcome
- Improved efficiency by documenting processes for recurring deliverables
- Strengthened consistency across regulated digital and print environments
- Gained leadership momentum by pushing for creative direction within the team
- Experience at Hughes positioned me for my next step into Art Direction at Learning A-Z
Reflection / Takeaways
- Learned to balance creativity, compliance, and efficiency in a tightly regulated industry
- Gained early experience in process documentation and workflow management
- Reinforced that I was ready to step into a creative leadership role — a transition realized during my time at Learning A-Z