Graphic Design. Web & Mobile Design. UX Consulting.
I make things better.
I make better things.
What can I do for you?

What I Do

I build engaging experiences that blend information, aesthetics, and technology.

Graphic Design

I use my design and illustration skills to create digital artifacts that bring characters, stories, and products to life.

Brand Identity

I design clear and memorable brands and identity systems that distinguish businesses from their competitors.

Web & Mobile Design

From web sites to iOS and Android apps, I strive to create meaningful and memorable user experiences.

UX Consulting

I leverage years of design research to help determine the best solutions for your user experience problems.

Browse my Portfolio

Portfolio

Highlights from almost two decades of award-winning graphic, web, and mobile design.

SimplyHired.com

Web Design

Simply Hired - Jobseeker Mobile

App Design

Keepsy

Web & App Design

City of San Jose - Calle Willow

Graphic Design

Dial-A-Waiter

Graphic Design

Self-Promotion

Graphic Design

Hurricane Infographics

Graphic Design

Brand Group 2

Brand Identity

Kindly Swears - Gig Poster

Graphic Design

Canine Circus School

Graphic Design

Brand Group

Brand Identity

September 11 Infographics

Graphic Design

About Me

I spent the first part of my career defining and evolving the user experience for online newspapers as Lead Designer for the Tribune Company and later as Creative Director for Knight-Ridder. Since transitioning out of publishing, I have held key design positions at startups and established companies in Silicon Valley. I am currently consulting with The Weather Channel, helping them design a new Content Management System to support their web and mobile publishing efforts.

If you're interested in my fine art, you can find samples and links to my shop here.

How I got here

A brief history of my career in design.

  • 1996-1998

    Caller-Times (Corpus Christi, TX)

    News Artist, Web Designer

    I started off creating spot graphics and illustrations for daily news stories. Eventually I got to create larger, more complex, feature illustrations and infographics. In 1996 I started teaching myself HTML and helped design and build the first version of Caller.com, the Caller-Times web site.

  • 1998-2000

    Sun-Sentinel (Ft Lauderdale, FL)

    Web Designer, Design Manager

    In 1998 I landed web designer position at the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale. I was promoted to Design Manager the following year where I led the user interface and visual design of Sun-Sentinel.com, and several other news and entertainment web sites.

  • 2000 - 2002

    Tribune (Chicago, IL)

    Lead Designer

    I left sunny south Florida in 2000 to join the new Tribune Interactive team in Chicago. In my role as Lead Designer I helped define the framework and style for all of Tribune’s web sites. I also contributed to the creation of Tribune's first home-grown Content Management System (CMS).

    In addition to my work at the Trib, I also instructed labs for new media classes at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

  • 2004 - 2006

    Knight-Ridder (San Jose, CA)

    Director, User Experience

    In 2004 I became Creative Director for Knight-Ridder Digital in San Jose, California. Similar to my work with Tribune Interactive, I was responsible for defining the layout and visual design for the entire Knight-Ridder newspaper and media web site family.

    When Hurricane Katrina slammed into the gulf coast in 2005, I worked with colleagues across Knight-Ridder to ensure we published before, during, and after the devastating storm. The combined print and online coverage won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service Journalism, as well as an Editor & Publisher Award for Best Special Feature.

  • 2006 - 2009

    Topix (Palo Alto, CA)

    Director, User Experience

    In 2006 I left Knight-Ridder to join Topix, a small news and technology startup in nearby Palo Alto. My initial redesign of the Topix web site garnered praise from around the net, including this headline from TechCrunch: “Topix.net finally usable after relaunch.” I was part of the core team that helped grow Topix from an unknown news aggregator, to a top ten news and community web site by 2008 (comScore).

  • 2009 - 2011

    BlackArrow (San Jose, CA)

    Sr Director, User Experience

    In 2009 I became Senior Director of User Experience Design at BlackArrow, where I took on the task of redesigning the interface for BlackArrow's enterprise suite of ad management and trafficking applications.

  • 2011 - 2013

    Keepsy (Menlo Park, CA)

    Principal Designer

    Keepsy was my quintissential Silicon Valley startup experience. There were four of us in a tiny office in Menlo Park, and I was responsible for every aspect of creative and product design for Keepsy.com, and the Keepsy iOS app. I also played a key role in product development and marketing strategy.

  • 2013 - 2016

    Simply Hired (Sunnyvale, CA)

    Principal Designer

    As Simply Hired's principal designer I provided creative direction for all web, email and mobile application design. I helped lead the company through a brand redesign in June 2013, which also necessitated me defining and creating a completely new visual language that was reflected in a comprehensive corporate style guide. My other responsibilities included user testing, application design, data visualization, and management of designers, product managers, and engineers.

  • 2017

    Robert Torres Design & Consulting (Richmond, CA)

    Principal

    I am opening my books for new clients in 2017. If you're interested in working together, contact me.

  • Ready to make history?

Contact Me

I'm interested in working with inspired people on projects that matter. If that sounds like you, we should talk.