Loading...

Clarity

Chris Ford

San Diego, CA

For eighteen years the ability to tell a client's unique story to the right audience has been the hallmark of every project I've collaborated on. Let's work together to turn your customers into passionate brand advocates who can't wait to sell your product for you. I specialize in working with WordPress startups.

$3.33/min

1 Call

10 Reviews

26 minutes
Avg. call

WordPress Graphic Design Personal Branding Brand development Brand Awareness Branding & Identity Engaging Public Speaker Responsive Design Brand Implementation Brand Loyalty

Call me to talk about

Branding Is More Than Design; It's Storytelling.

When you start a web project, you'll get a lot of advice. People will tell you that having a solid strategy, focusing on a great user experience and paying attention to user experience—in other words, having a plan—is the key to success.

All of those people are giving you great advice. You definitely need to prioritize those things. But how do you know when your strategy is succeeding? Can you craft a great user experience if you don't know what audience you're talking to? How do you organize, prioritize and create your content if you don't know what story you're telling that audience? How do you connect with them on a gut level so they can't wait to use your product or service?

That's why I approach every project from a branding first mindset; your story is the one thing that sets you apart from every other business in the world. Nobody else does what you do, quite like you do it, for the same reasons you have.

I can help you audit your current brand to see if it's connecting with your audience, if your actual audience matches up with who you think it is, and help you refine your brand vision, values, promise, story and tone.

Don't Create Content; Create a Narrative.

Content is a crucial user interface element, but most projects treat it as an afterthought. If content truly were king, we wouldn't spend six weeks designing with "Lorem Ipsum" and the two days before launch frantically copying and pasting text into WordPress?

Even though I'm primarily a visual designer, I'm also a writer. I approach every design project from a content-centric perspective. I can help you create content templates to enable a consistent voice; audit your existing content to make sure it's accurately reflecting your brand vision, values, voice and positioning; and help you edit and prioritize your content to engage and delight your readers.

Extend Your Brand With an Engaging User Experience

As more and more of brand touchpoints become completely digital, you’ll need to focus more and more on user experience. An engaging user experience should be the goal of every brand who talks to their customers via websites, apps, email newsletters and other digital touchpoints.

I can help you evaluate how your brand can be better reflected through user experience. Let's talk about how organizing and prioritizing your existing content can improve your user experience without requiring a major redesign. Together we can surprise and delight your customers with an elegant, engaging user experience!

Answers 0
Reviews 10

Answers

Reviews

good call, straight forward information, duke

Duke Mills Source: Clarity

Chris is not only a great designer, but great at sharing her knowledge with engaged audiences. I had the pleasure of attending one of her presentations at WordCamp Chicago, and it was packed with great theoretical knowledge as well as practical tools people can use to get the job done.

Michelle Schulp Source: LinkedIn

Chris is the definition of thoughtful design!

Chris has been evangelizing brand first in the WordPress world for quite some time, and there's no one better to do so.

She is detail oriented and has built strong process to build wonderful brands and user experiences.

I would recommend Chris in large and small scale projects, and i look forward to working with her across my various projects.

All the best!

private private Source: LinkedIn

Chris is an engaging, knowledgable, and friendly speaker. She possess the talent to project visually and verbally her informative concepts to attending listeners. Her keen observations on a chosen subject matter (for example, her WordCamp speech on "Agile WordPress Design Process") often includes well organized slides and visually stimulating examples. Her artistic talent and logical aptitude compliment her presentation skills beautifully. I'd highly recommend any opportunity to attend or utilize Chris' expertise.

Stephen Carnam Source: LinkedIn

Chris was already working at Nextleft when i joined. I found myself more often than not following in her footsteps as she trail-blazed many interesting and creative paths. There is no question in my mind Chris was adept at the things she set her mind to, a valuable member of the Nextleft team and someone who produced work that i found inspiring.

Eric Rhys Taylor Source: LinkedIn

I have attended Ms. Ford's speaking engagements multiple times, and can tell you she is in the top 1% of experts in her field. She has a deep knowledge in the world of web, design, mobile design, site architecture, and font strategy. She is very clear and concise. She has revolutionized the outdated web design process. She has perfected working in milestones, and making sure you are involved every step of the way. Unlike the majority in her field that show you the final project, with limited input or direction during the process.

If you are considering hiring Ms. Ford, I would recommend you reach out for a conference call or face-to-face interview, you will not be disappointed.

Robert Griffin

Robert Griffin Source: LinkedIn

I was lucky to help hire Chris on the Nextleft team. She was a stand out technician as well as interface artisan. Both hemispheres cooking at all times. Great in brainstorm meetings, and with an open minded approach to specific problem solving. Her ability to evenly balance the Functionality as well as the Brand considerations has always impressed me. She is a strategic asset to both online and offline communications. Her latest work with custom WordPress Theme design and development is a testament to her commitment to the craft.

Vincent Burkhead Source: LinkedIn

Chris was a pleasure to work with at NextLeft -- friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. As I was just starting my career, Chris was easy to learn from -- her best practices for image compression include rules that I follow to this day. If that weren't enough, she (literally, I think) wrote the book on the Genesis framework for WordPress. I wholeheartedly recommend her for any creative or development project.

Robert Palmer Source: LinkedIn

Chris has an exceptional eye for great design. Always producing top notch design work that instantly pleases the client. Chris is an absolute pleasure to work with.

Dave Bonds Source: LinkedIn

It was a true honor to have Chris speak to the OC WordPress Web Designer's discussion group about professionally managing the creative process. Not only were her slides impeccably designed, Chris also adeptly translated her process into clear, actionable terms that anyone could use to give their clients a better experience. If there were to be a Chris Ford School of Design, I would certainly enroll.

Sarah Wefald Source: LinkedIn

Member since February 2014