Joanna Skora
Brooklyn,NY
Summary
Creative Lead | Art Director & UX Strategist: Design leader with 6+ years of experience specializing in high-impact digital solutions for Fintech, Government, and E-commerce and beyond. Proven track record of managing the full design lifecycle—from research and wireframing to Art Basel-featured creative direction. Expert at bridging the gap between C-suite objectives and user-centric execution, delivering record-breaking results including $8M in annual OPEX savings and a 166% surge in high-value leads.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
Work History
Art Director / Creative Lead
Critical Mass
New York, New York
06.2025 - Current
- Executive Partnership: Collaborate with CXOs, VPs of Strategy, and Directors of Technology to drive cross-functional alignment, ensuring 100% on-time delivery of complex, high-impact solutions.
- UX Advocacy & Leadership: Oversee the entire design lifecycle, championing UX best practices while fostering a collaborative environment for design teams to thrive.
- System Architecture: Develop and maintain scalable design systems across e-commerce, landing pages, and native apps, resulting in a 20% reduction in development time.
- Winning Creative Direction: Conceptualized the winning creative for Chubb Insurance OOH displays at Miami Art Basel, resulting in 3x the standard CTR.
Associate Designer / Senior Designer
Organic
New York, New York
12.2019 - 06.2025
- Promoted to Senior Designer June 2020
- Directed the design of a platform driving 1.8M site visits and a 20,000+ candidate surge in job placements within 30 days of launch.
Optimized content and IA to achieve an average session duration of 3+ minutes. - E-Commerce Redesign:
Led a complete UX overhaul that achieved a 45% increase in online sales and a 166% surge in high-value leads via optimized checkout flows and personalized recommendations.
Generated $8M in annual OPEX savings and increased self-service adoption by 21%. - Strategic Brand Growth:
Implemented design solutions that directly contributed to a 50% increase in brand awareness and secured buy-in for complex strategies from C-suite executives.
Crafted visual executions across all digital channels, including brand sites, social media, and native applications.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Fine Arts
Fashion Institute of Technology
New York (City), NY06-2012
Skills
- Design & Art Direction: Creative Direction, High-Fidelity Prototyping, Design Systems, Motion Assets, Brand Strategy, Typography, Site Design, Product Design
- UX & Strategy: UX Methodologies, User Journeys/Flows, Wireframing, Rapid Prototyping, Usability Testing, Information Architecture
- Leadership & Process: Stakeholder Management (C-Suite/CXO), Cross-functional Alignment, Team Mentorship, Agile/Scrum, Jira, Confluence
- Specialized Verticals: Automation, E-commerce, Cybersecurity, Fintech, Government, Insurance, B2B
Languages
English
Native/ Bilingual
Polish
Native/ Bilingual
Spanish
Professional
Accomplishments
Gold Vega Award - Best: Art Direction, Visual Design, Function, B2B site, Mobile User Interface
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Art Director / Creative Lead
Critical Mass
06.2025 - Current
Associate Designer / Senior Designer
Organic
12.2019 - 06.2025
Bachelor of Arts - Fine Arts
Fashion Institute of Technology