Azul Durán

About

With over a decade of industry experience, I am a passionate and innovative creative director known for my strategic approach, simplicity, and compelling storytelling. Leading a dynamic team of designers, I foster a culture of creativity and mentorship, collaborating seamlessly across departments. At the core of my role lies a genuine love for both design and people. Guided by unwavering enthusiasm for mentoring and collaboration, I empower my team with a shared vision of excellence and innovation. Every challenge becomes an opportunity for growth as I craft captivating brand experiences that deeply resonate with audiences. Design is my driving passion, and I am equally dedicated to developing effective plans and strategies that propel brand success. My adept time management and organizational skills allow me to consistently improve productivity and efficiency, delivering exceptional results.

Experience

• Founder & Creative Director · Drift Studio2025-05-01 –

  Drift is a creative studio building bold, modern brands that actually feel human. I lead all design and strategy work, specializing in brand identity, website design, and creative direction for small businesses, start-ups, and independent founders. Through a thoughtful, collaborative process, I help clients bring clarity to their vision and create visual systems that are both distinctive and practical. The work is clean, emotional, and a little bit edgy — made to connect with real people, not just check boxes. Services include: • Brand Identity • Website Design • Creative & Art Direction • Strategy & Consulting

• AI Data Evaluator · Outlier2025-12-01 –

  Supporting AI model development through high-quality data evaluation and annotation. Responsibilities include reviewing visual and text content, writing clear descriptions, and ensuring accuracy and consistency across data used in research. Work is fully remote, project-based, and completed within established guidelines and quality standards.

• Expert-Vetted Freelancer (Top 1%) · Upwork2025-06-01 –

  Selected by Upwork for the invite-only Expert-Vetted Talent designation, which recognizes the top 1% of freelancers on the platform. This status grants access to exclusive opportunities with Enterprise and Fortune 500 clients, along with priority placement in search and access to dedicated talent support. Focus: branding, creative direction, and web design.

• Creative Director · Upper Quadrant2023-05-01 – 2024-10-01

  • Oversee the creative direction for 100 clients, delivering innovative design solutions across digital, print, and social media platforms. • Lead the development of quarterly concept decks, providing 20 social media templates and 8 email designs per quarter to drive client engagement. • Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including marketing and account management, to align creative strategies with client goals. • Manage a team of designers, providing mentorship, conducting design critiques, and ensuring the timely delivery of high-quality work. • Spearhead the redesign of the UQ website, implementing a modern aesthetic and user-friendly interface to enhance brand perception and lead generation. • Lead brainstorming sessions and client presentations, consistently fostering a culture of collaboration and creative excellence.

• Senior Graphic Designer · Upper Quadrant2022-09-01 – 2023-05-01

  • Manage quarterly email and digital campaign creation for 13 clients. • Lead design discovery sessions for new and current clients. • Create quarterly concept decks utilized by our 40 clients with 20 social media template designs and 8 email template designs. • Started DEI taskforce and created a hiring campaign to increase diversity in the company. • Assisted with the hiring and training of 1 junior designer. • Spearheaded implementation of website design services and built 2 websites and 2 landing pages. • Established a brand guide to create a cohesive brand identity for internal communications and external marketing needs.

• Graphic Designer · Upper Quadrant2021-10-01 – 2022-09-01
• Graphic Designer · Scala Pro2019-01-01 – 2020-01-01

  • Assisted UI/UX designer with user flows and quality assurance for a bilingual, cross-platform mobile app. • Increased the email newsletter click-through rate by 50 percent, through engaging content and relevant CTA’s. • Initiated social media marketing campaigns, utilizing A/B testing to improve ad performance. • Collaborated with the software engineer to design a clickthrough landing page focused on mobile responsiveness.

• Graphic and Web Designer · Nadia Jones Design2017-01-01 – 2020-01-01

  • Boosted product sales by launching an e-commerce website for a beverage company. • Developed a lead generation website for a career coach, resulting in a 20 percent surge in clients and speaking engagements. • Revamped the brand identity of a media production business through creative consultation.

• Graphic Designer and Content Manager · Oasis Church2016-01-01 – 2019-01-01

  • Spearheaded a user-friendly and mobile-friendly website redesign, which led to improved site traffic. • Managed 3 social media networks, 2 websites, and ongoing print production. • Established a brand guide for the Communications department. • Increased organic engagement on Instagram by 30 percent. • Trained 2 employees and 4 volunteers in Photoshop, Illustrator, Hootsuite, and Squarespace.

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