Elise McCabe, Human-Centered Designer

Graphic Design Portfolio

Experience

Elise McCabe
Human-Centered Designer
Winchester, VA
Core Skills and Tools
Design and Prototyping
  • Figma (components, variants, autolayout, prototyping)
  • Adobe Creative Suite (AfterEffects, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Premiere) 
Systems & Strategy
  • Design Systems
  • Visual Identities
  • Brand Guidelines
  • Component Libraries
  • Process Improvement
UX & Accessibility
  • Human-centered design
  • Usability testing translation
  • Section 508 / WCAG compliance
  • Plain language design
Motion & Interaction (developing skills)
  • Animation (School of Motion training)
  • Interactive Protoyping

Versatile designer with 15+ years of experience creating products and campaigns that put people first. I believe design should be intuitive, engaging, and accessible to everyone. I like digging into complex challenges, developing systems that make work easier, and creating solutions that are clear, functional, and thoughtfully designed. As a curious, lifelong learner, I’m always honing my craft and using design to make a meaningful impact in the world.


Employment History
Senior Designer
CommunicateHealth/Lumina Corps04.2021 - present
  • Leads design direction for products, identities and campaigns reaching national and global audiences.
  • Builds and evolves design systems, brand guidelines, and component libraries to improve efficiency and consistency across projects.
  • Presents design concepts to federal, state, and nonprofit clients, providing rationale and guidance on accessibility and usability. 
  • Contributed to award-winning campaigns recognized for accessible, plain-language health communication.
Designer
CommunicateHealth09.2018 - 04.2021
  • Designed Section 508–compliant websites, tools, and campaigns for public, private, and nonprofit health organizations.
  • Turned complex health topics into plain-language visuals and infographics for diverse audiences. 
  • Advocated for scalable systems such as brand guidelines, component libraries, file setups, and naming conventions.
Freelance Designer
Elise McCabe Creative05.2011 - present
  • Delivers print and digital design for nonprofits, small businesses, and mission-driven organizations, applying the same standards of clarity, accessibility, and craft as in agency roles.
  • Builds long-term client relationships through reliable, high-quality design work.
Senior Designer
InchBug09.2011 - 03.2014
  • Directed all creative output as the sole in-house designer for a multimillion-dollar e-commerce brand, including packaging, campaigns, and product design.
  • Built and evolved a cohesive brand system, including best-selling product illustrations that expanded offerings and drove sales.
Designer / Production Artist
InchBug02.2009 - 09.2011
  • Produced packaging, labels, and e-commerce graphics that supported brand growth.
  • Developed templates and automated processes that increased production speed, improved accuracy, and scaled order fulfillment from daily backlogs to multi-day output. 
Marketing Support Contractor
Anue Systems03.2008 - 12.2008
  • Provided design support for print and digital marketing materials, including trade show graphics, Flash graphics, and retouching photos.
Education
Associates of Applied Science - Graphic Design
Austin Community College
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Painting
Maine College of Art
Associates of Fine Arts
Delaware College of Art & Design
Certificates
Explainer Camp and AfterEffects Kickstart
School of Motion
UX Master Certification - Speciality in Interaction Design and UX Management
Nielson Norman Group NN/g
Foundations of Humane Technology Certificate
Center of Humane Tech
Virginia Master Naturalist
Shenandoah Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists
Permaculture Design Certificate
Shenandoah Permaculture Institute