Brett Combs

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

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

Led UX design for mission-critical internal systems at Sherwin-Williams (Fortune 500 #176; $88B market cap), including the company’s point-of-sale, order management, pricing, and sales training applications. These platforms form the operational backbone of 5,000+ retail locations, supporting every in-store transaction and sales workflow across a 64,000-person global workforce. As design lead, I focused on improving execution speed, team communication, and customer service quality through research-driven, scalable interaction design. Collaborated with product managers, engineers, and Deloitte UX/UI teams to ensure business alignment and successful implementation.

• Planned and led end-to-end research and redesign of Sherwin-Williams’ pricing approval platform, working with senior district managers to improve decision-making workflows supporting long-term revenue strategy.
• Redesigned order and pricing systems to preserve fast, keyboard-driven workflows optimized for tenured employees’ muscle memory and multitasking in high-volume retail environments.
• Designed a desktop planning tool to help Sherwin-Williams sales reps prep high-volume client meetings in under five minutes using structured guidance and fast-access reference materials.
• Conducted discovery research that led to a fundamental redesign of Sherwin-Williams’ order system, shifting from a product-browsing model to a speed-first workflow tailored to voice-ordering and contractor fulfillment.
• Led multi-round remote and in-person workshops with store teams and internal stakeholders, using collaborative exercises—including anchors and sails—to surface insights, prioritize features, and align product direction with real-world workflows.
• Built stakeholder confidence in proposed solutions through the creation and use of system maps and journey flows as visual thinking tools during working sessions—clarifying patterns, data flows, and user interactions to move initiatives from research through design and implementation.

CVS

Senior Product Designer

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

Led UX design for mobile features at CVS Health (Fortune 500 #6; $93B market cap), including shopping list creation, over-the-counter health benefit browsing, and weekly ad improvements for iOS and Android. These tools supported millions of users and played a central role in CVS’s digital retail experience across 9,000+ pharmacy locations. I focused on improving user engagement, task clarity, and mobile usability through high-fidelity design, iterative feedback, and system-aligned component reuse. Collaborated with product managers, engineers, and fellow designers to ensure alignment and contributed to the company-wide transition from Sketch to a federated design system in Figma.

• Designed shopping list functionality for CVS mobile apps to support recurring product needs, enabling fast reordering, in-store reference, and memory-based planning for frequent health and personal care purchases.
• Redesigned CVS’s high-traffic weekly ad page to improve promotion clarity, streamline navigation, and align product discovery with e-commerce and accessibility standards.
• Designed a mobile app for healthcare plan users to identify eligible products and use benefits in-store, prioritizing clarity and low-friction search over wallet-style interactions to support older, tech-cautious users.
• Proposed a federated model for building CVS’s new Figma design system during a company-wide platform migration, and contributed to the planning, review, and final production of reusable components adopted across teams.

nimbl digital

Product Designer

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

Contributed to the design of the SEI Wealth Platform, used by financial advisors and institutions across 42 countries to manage client accounts, monitor portfolio performance, and generate reports across global markets. Designed charts, dashboards, and multi-page interfaces that helped users interpret data, configure views, and support high-stakes investment decisions with confidence.

• 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.

• Owned UX, IA, and interface design for Freedom Financial’s multi-platform onboarding experience, with variations for mobile, tablet, and desktop.
• Built a componentized UI design system for mobile applications, later reconstructed in Figma for case study documentation.
• Used live A/B testing data to identify friction points and iteratively optimize decision-making flows, time to task completion, and hesitation/abandonment triggers.
• Collaborated with analytics and QA teams to validate improvements using metrics such as program completion confidence, first-task clarity, and average time to next action.
• Delivered marketing and microsite work for other Everest clients, including SC Johnson, across campaign activations and educational UX flows.
• The redesigned Freedom client dashboard was later featured in national press as a best-in-class user experience in the debt relief space

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.