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Brett Combs

Senior Product Designer

bcombs@usableco.comlinkedin/usable
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Profile

Multidisciplinary designer with over 24 years of experience spanning print, interactive, and enterprise UX. Since 2012, I’ve worked at the agency and Fortune 500 level, transitioning from visual and web design into product design as the field evolved. My more recent roles at CVS Health and Sherwin-Williams reflect the culmination of that trajectory—leading UX initiatives across retail and internal platforms that serve over 13,000 stores and $380B in combined annual revenue. Earlier experience in packaging, brand systems, education, and creative leadership provides a foundational lens I bring to every design challenge. I’m currently expanding my expertise through MIT’s No-Code AI & ML program, with a focus on intelligent systems and data-informed product strategy.

Credentials

California College of the Arts CrestKent State University CrestKent State University CrestSan Francisco State University Creat

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Certificate / No Code AI & Machine Learning , 01-25 on-going

Kent State University
Master of Science, User Experience Design , 2020

California College of The Arts
Master of Fine Arts, Visual Communication Design , 2004

Bachelor of Arts
Philosophy, San Francisco State University, 2000

‍Bachelor of Arts Program
Design , Kent State University, 90-94

Experience

Toptal

Senior Product Designer (freelance)

Top 5% designer admitted to Toptal’s vetted talent network. 01/24 - Present

Working with clients on a contract basis through the Toptal platform. Projects range from Webflow site design and interactive prototyping to product design initiatives for mobile and desktop applications. Engagements vary in length and scope — from developing brand-aligned marketing sites to contributing to cross-functional product teams on design systems and UI/UX improvements. Actively pursuing opportunities that align with my skills in user-centered design, systems thinking, and digital product strategy.

Sherwin Williams

Senior Product Designer

Cleveland, OH, September 2023 – October 2024

Supporting 63,890 employees at over 5,000 stores for the world’s largest coatings company. 09/23 - 10/24

Led end-to-end UX design for Sherwin-Williams’ internal platforms—including point-of-sale, order management, pricing, and sales training systems—critical to $88B in global revenue. Delivered enterprise-scale solutions through research-driven interaction design, team collaboration, and stakeholder alignment.

  • Redesigned pricing approval platform to support both high-volume and relationship-focused workflows used by district managers nationwide; conducted multi-round collaborative sessions, introduced configurable messaging and notification features, and modernized the UI to enable flexible, user-defined decision support.
  • Optimized the order management system, Sherwin-Williams’ core enterprise tool for contractor order processing, by preserving keyboard-based speed and minimizing inputs—tailoring the experience to store associates’ memorized workflows and account knowledge.
  • Developed a sales planning tool that surfaced customer-type-specific training content and provided structured space for notes—helping sales reps create client plans in under five minutes while reinforcing internal guidance and improving engagement with playbook materials.
  • Led discovery research and in-store observations across multiple initiatives, surfacing behavioral patterns and workflow needs that directly shaped product direction and UI architecture.
  • Facilitated cross-functional workshops with product owners, store staff, and internal stakeholders to prioritize features, align on strategy, and co-define key use cases.
  • Produced system maps, decision flows, and journey diagrams to communicate user interactions, business rules, and technical logic—supporting implementation and aligning teams around shared understanding.
  • Enhanced usability across core tools by aligning UI patterns with real store workflows—reducing cognitive load and time on task for store staff, resulting in faster customer service and improved order accuracy in high-volume environments.

CVS health

Senior Product Designer

Cleveland, OH, May 2022 – July 2023

Supporting 70+ million ExtraCare members and millions of active app users.
05/22 - 07/23

Led mobile UX initiatives at CVS Health (Fortune 500 #6, $93B market cap), including high-impact design work for shopping lists, over-the-counter benefit browsing, and weekly ad experiences for iOS and Android. Focused on accessibility, platform consistency, and design system scalability across native apps. Collaborated with product and engineering teams to align design with user needs, business goals, and platform constraints.

  • Designed a mobile shopping list feature grounded in atomic design principles and native platform conventions, enabling rapid iteration through cascading component edits. Prioritized accessibility, memory-based planning, and efficient reordering across both iOS and Android.
  • Led information architecture redesign of CVS’s high-traffic weekly ad experience, correcting navigational inconsistencies and aligning content with standard IA and e-commerce UX patterns.
  • Led end-to-end design of a mobile application for healthcare plan users to browse eligible products and apply benefits in-store—delivering a low-friction, high-fidelity interface optimized for older, tech-cautious users. Worked closely with an accessibility designer to ensure compliance with WCAG standards and support inclusive mobile interaction patterns.
  • Co-led CVS Digital’s migration from Sketch to Figma, advocating for a federated design system and helping define its structure. Conducted a full component audit across active applications, created backlog candidates, and partnered with a peer to finalize reusable components now distributed through CVS Digital’s Figma.

nimbl digital

Product Designer

Empowering thousands of financial analysts managing $1.6 trillion in global assets. 11/21 – 02/22

Worked closely with business analysts and an embedded engineer to design complex, multi-page workflows for the SEI Wealth Platform—used by financial analysts across 42 countries. Interpreted detailed requirements through iterative design-review cycles, refining interface direction based on stakeholder input and technical feasibility discussions. Contributed to a consistency-focused design process, identifying reusable components across the existing application and resolving pattern alignment issues not covered by the formal design system.

  • Designed and refined reusable UI components for dashboards and reporting tools, improving consistency and reducing development time across a global financial platform.
  • Partnered with analysts and engineers to translate complex financial workflows into scalable, high-fidelity interfaces using Sketch, Miro, and InVision.
  • Standardized visual language across multi-page experiences, enabling clear data visualization and configuration for investment monitoring and reporting.
  • Presented prototypes to stakeholders for validation, gathering feedback that ensured alignment with business goals and platform requirements.

Toptal

Interactive Designer

Top 5% designer admitted to Toptal’s vetted talent network. 12/21 - 07/23

Designed and delivered interactive websites and branded content for small and medium-sized businesses across industries including pet services, finance, and digital marketing. Work included content architecture, responsive UI design, and interactive prototyping in Webflow and WordPress.

  • Produced site designs for clients including Beyond the Dog (Dallas), Kay Peters & Co. (London), and 9606 Capital, defining page structures and visual systems aligned to client goals.
  • Developed Webflow prototypes for stakeholder review and handoff, enabling in-house teams to implement completed designs with minimal technical overhead.
  • Collaborated with clients on brand development, content strategy, and user flows to create cohesive digital experiences from the ground up.

Everest

Product Designer

Supporting client-facing digital initiatives at a global digital agency.  01/15 - 10/17

Designed high-clarity user experiences and contributed to a modular design system supporting Everest’s fintech and enterprise clients. Contributed to the overhaul of Freedom Financial’s web and mobile platforms, including onboarding flows and the post-login dashboard. Collaborated with engineers and analytics leads to interpret A/B test results and behavioral data, iterating on solutions to improve clarity, confidence, and efficiency across the full user journey.

  • Contributed to the product design of Freedom Financial’s multi-platform onboarding experience, adapting interaction flows and IA for mobile, tablet, and desktop to ensure clarity and task completion across use contexts.
  • Built a modular mobile design system for Freedom Financial and Achieve, enabling behavioral consistency and component reuse across teams; later reconstructed the system in Figma for documentation and case study use.
  • Identified and addressed decision-making friction through live-user testing in a Q&A environment—improving time to task completion and reducing hesitation and drop-off at critical touch-points.
  • Partnered with QA and analytics to validate improvements using behavioral indicators such as program confidence, first-task clarity, and time to next action.
  • Delivered micro-sites and product education experiences for other Everest clients, including S.C. Johnson, across marketing and campaign engagements.
  • Helped shape the client dashboard experience used by Freedom Financial customers to track program progress, manage accounts, and access financial support tools with clarity and confidence.

CMG

Product Designer

Creating brand-driven print and web design for agency clients.  06/12 - 11/14

Designed and developed brand-aligned web, print, and identity systems for clients across sectors, including food and consumer goods. Delivered interactive experiences using Dreamweaver, Flash, and WordPress, with responsibilities spanning layout design, typographic systems, visual hierarchy, and asset optimization for performance and brand consistency.

Supported high-visibility campaigns for clients such as Dole, contributing to environmental graphics, packaging, brochures, and branded collateral. Collaborated closely with agency principals to establish visual direction, produce cohesive multi-channel deliverables, and refine messaging across media.

Early Experience

Print, Packaging, and Interactive Design

2000 — 2011

Built a multidisciplinary foundation across visual communication, packaging, branding, and team leadership in both corporate and retail environments. Over the course of a decade, held in-house, contract, and academic roles that contributed to the strategic, executional, and collaborative depth I bring to UX and product design today.

Roles and contributions:

  • UI Designer, HomeGain: Created web graphics, banners, and UI elements for a real estate startup focused on lead generation and home listings; supported visual communication and marketing efforts during a key growth phase.
  • Creative Services Manager, CIBC Bank: Managed a team of 10 designers responsible for producing internal communications and branded materials; established workflow systems, ensured design consistency, and handled stakeholder engagement.
  • Design Instructor, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising: Taught studio courses including Typography, Design Studio, and Final Portfolio; helped students build foundational design skills and professional presentation readiness.
  • Packaging Designer, StoneTech Pro: Led redesign of two consumer product lines, repositioning industrial cleaning products for big-box retail sale through improved labeling, packaging hierarchy, and visual appeal.
  • Packaging Designer, Monster Cable: Contributed to packaging and merchandising design for consumer electronics sold in national retail chains, aligning physical product presentation with brand experience.
  • Design Intern, Shutterfly: Supported early print marketing efforts and customer-facing design collateral during Shutterfly’s startup phase, contributing to the evolution of its printed product ecosystem.

Skills

Core Competencies

User Centered Design
Interaction Design
Information Architecture
Visual Design
Product Design
Design Systems
Prototyping
User Research & Analysis

Usability Testing
Accessibility (WCAG)
Systems Thinking
UX Strategy & Vision
Mobile Design
Data-Informed Design
Backend Collaboration
Workflow Optimization

Agile Methodologies
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Stakeholder Engagement
Design Documentation
Consistency & Reusability
Communication & Storytelling

Professional Skills

Leadership
Strategic Thinking
Design Strategy
DesignOps
Product Thinking
Business Acumen

Cross-Functional Collaboration
Stakeholder Engagement
Client Communication
Mentorship,
Design Reviews
Storytelling
Feature Definition

Problem Solving
Process Optimization
Prioritization & Trade-offs
Design Documentation
Attention to Detail
Adaptability & Flexibility

Applications

Figma
FigJam
Miro
RapidMiner
KNIME
GPT-4
Midjourney
Perplexity
Notion
Webflow
Photoshop
Illustrator

Premiere
Zeplin
Optimal Workshop
Lookback.io
UsabilityHub
UserTesting
Hotjar
Typeform
Maze
Jira
Asana
Rally

Confluence
Trello
Slack
HTML5 & CSS3
Google Docs
Google Sheets
Google Slides
Word
Excel
Visio

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