Hi, I'm Cindy

Graphic Designer by night.

Creative & Art Director by day.

about

INFJ Personality Type / Capricorn

✎ Reading:
Matriarch: A Memoir

♫ Listening:
Wet Leg - Liquidize

I’m a Graphic Designer and Creative Director who helps teams make better creative decisions, clarify what matters, and turn ideas into stronger brands, campaigns, and systems.

I find inspiration in culture, human behavior, unexpected connections, and really good ideas. Usually while daydreaming, showering, watching movies, listening to music, or spending too much time on the internet. The fun part is spotting the connection. The useful part is knowing what to do with it.

No Vibes without strategy. No strategy without soul. I believe great branding is both iterative and fluid. Sometimes you nail the visual identity and build strategy around it. Sometimes a strategic insight sparks the perfect creative direction. Sometimes you just know what feels right and work backwards to figure out why. The most impactful brands are built with strategy and refined creative instinct working together.

Also: I once designed signage about animal poop and farts for a nature center. It was educational. It was tasteful. It was, frankly, my magnum opus. Ask me about them. I keep the files ready.

Experience: 10+ years
Residence: USA
E-mail: cindyrochlen@gmail.com

Download CV

Works

Abbott Creative Strategy

CareerBuilder Creative Strategy

Sakura Brand Identity

Elead Marketing Campaign, UI/UX

I.A.C.E. Creative Strategy

Boldly Brand Identity

BetterWork Media Group Creative Strategy, UI/UX

Forma Architecture Brand Identity

Windy City Harvest Brand Identity

Experience

2015-Present

Fractional (Full-Stack) Creative

Coordinate, strategize, and produce marketing visuals and user experience designs for a wide range of brands

2016-2018

Sr. Art Director - CareerBuilder

Oversaw five designers across both B2B and B2C channels. Implemented design integrity and brand consistency standards across departments

2013-2014

Jr. Art Director - Upshot Agency

Monitored and executed the production of printed, CPG, and digital design projects for multiple fortune 500 clients

2009-2012

Sr. Graphic Designer - The Onion News

Handled and coordinated multiple editorial, advertising and production timelines

Education

In Progress

Columbia Business School Executive Education

Digital Marketing: Customer Engagement, Social Media, Planning & Analytics

2003-2007

University of Illinois Chicago

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design

THE STUFF I’M HIRED TO OWN

Brand Identity & Consistency: The look, feel, and story across every touchpoint.

50%
Creative Process & Output: Quality control on all advertising, marketing, and design assets.
The Creative Budget: Allocating resources for maximum impact.
Creative Direction & Management: Keeping teams aligned and output sharp.
Toolkits + Governance: So the brand doesn't get "redesigned" every quarter.
Brand Flexibility: Knowing how to flex a brand without fracturing it. No rigid brand jail.
Long-Term Brand Strategy: Aligning creative initiatives with future corporate goals.

90%
The Creative Team: Hiring, training, and inspiring the people doing the work.

90%
Lead and Produce Graphic Designs: Build design systems to allow hundres of assets to be produced consistently.

90%
Inherit Existing Campaigns: Produce hundreds of design assets across channels while collaborating with writers, motion designers, production artists, and vendors.

90%

How I work

Creative Discernment: Trained eye for high-potential concepts. Will kill the darlings so only the best work ships.

90%
Strategic Vision: Define the creative direction and ensure brand consistency across every channel.

95%
Bridge Business & Creativity: Translate marketing objectives into creative briefs that resonate emotionally and drive ROI.

95%
Guide & Curate Teams: Lead cross-disciplinary teams so diverse inputs stay aligned with the core vision.

75%
Sell the Vision: Present, pitch, and defend concepts to stakeholders, clients, and execs.

90%
Stay Ahead of Trends: Research new tech, design trends, and consumer behavior to keep the brand relevant.

90%
Partner with Creative Leadership: Collaborate closely with leads to execute approved direction with their approved strategy in order to translate it into digital, print, presention, experiential, and social assets.

90%

Kind Words

Katy Dadrass

CEO + Founder, Zendegi Alchemy and Northbrook Montessori School

Her passion, innovative thinking, and dedication have consistently led to outstanding results. Cindy's ability to inspire and guide her clients, coupled with her eye for detail and trendsetting ideas, make her an invaluable asset.

Greg Miller

Marketing Director at Randstad

Cindy is the total package. The visuals she creates are amazing, but I found her biggest value to be her ability to understand marketing as a whole. When thinking of who would be the best person to help with a creative project, for me, its Cindy every time.

Alex Kujawa Wheeler

Graphics Production Coordinator

Cindy is a multi-talented graphic designer with a tremendous amount of expertise in both print and web. She puts great effort into providing clients with desirable results and takes great pride in exceeding expectations.

Nancy Tyna

Senior Manager at BrandMuscle

Within a short year she has managed to train newcomers, handle large brand accounts all while adhering to guidelines and deadlines. She is a pleasure to work with and highly recommended!

Tim Harnett

Senior Manager, Content & Research at Simpler Media Group

Cindy is an amazing designer and art director. She works very well given minimal instructions and can create beautiful design. Her passion for creativity shines through in the quality of her work.

Shannon Curtis, PHR

Human Resources Business Partner at Employers Advantage, LLC

Cindy has the ability to adapt and connect with the people she interacts with on both a professional and personal level with ease. She has consistently grown throughout her professional career, meanwhile maintaining a high standard of design and production. She has trained her fellow colleagues and has happily taken on new projects with enthusiasm. Cindy never disappoints.