Jason E. Arana

Brand Designer & Visual Strategist

Austin, Texas jasondesignsatx@gmail.com linkedin.com/in/jasonarana jasonaranadesigns.com

Professional summary

Brand designer and visual strategist with 8+ years leading creative output as the primary or sole design authority for two mission-driven organizations. Builds and governs full brand systems from the ground up and directs their execution across print, digital, environmental, and large-scale event production. Guides design staff, contractors, and student workers day to day, partners with leadership on budget planning and resource allocation, and has produced creative work reviewed by state and federal officials. Known for turning a brand vision into a system others can run, and for stepping into whatever the work requires, from concept through on-site installation.

Core competencies

Leadership & strategy

Creative direction and brand governance
Design staff guidance and project prioritization
Cross-functional and vendor leadership
Budget planning partnership and resource allocation
Executive and legislative presentation design
Brand systems architecture and sub-brand development
Production standards and quality control

Creative & technical

Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects)
Environmental and experiential design
Large-format and small-format print production
Video direction and production
Photography
AI-assisted design and development workflows (Claude, Claude Code, Midjourney, ChatGPT)
Digital signage systems
Project management tools (Workfront, Asana)

Professional experience

Texas Division of Emergency Management

Austin, TX

Graphic Designer, Conference Brand, Environmental & Experiential DesignMarch 2024 to Present

Serve as the agency's primary in-house designer, governing the visual identity for TDEM and six sub-brands (ISTF, The Academy, IMT, Peer Support, STEAR, Team Texas) from concept through guidelines.
Lead creative for the Texas Emergency Management Conference: brand identity, environmental and wayfinding design, stage and LED systems, and sponsor and exhibitor materials.
Coordinate vendors, production teams, and city and state partners through on-site installation and quality control at a multi-day, multi-venue event.
Guide designers, contractors, and student workers across concurrent deadlines, and partner with leadership on budget planning and resource allocation.
Created and maintain the agency-wide presentation system, including fully custom executive and legislative decks.
Developed internal and public-facing web visual systems: homepage, landing page, and recurring content templates.
Established the agency's social media visual system and produce rapid-turnaround public safety graphics during live disasters, including the 2025 Hill Country floods, Hurricane Beryl, and the Smokehouse Creek Fire.
Standardized brand application across outreach materials for the Governor's One Pill Kills anti-fentanyl campaign.

Texas A&M University-Central Texas

Killeen, TX

Graphic Designer, Enrollment MarketingJune 2018 to March 2024

Modernized the university's visual identity and brand standards, establishing design systems adopted across departments and channels.
Wrote, shot, and edited the university's first multilingual (English/Spanish) ad campaign, cut for pre-roll, mid-roll, and OTT, driving enrollment growth from a previously untapped region.
Produced a nursing program recruitment video, from direction through the final edit.
Engineered and maintained a campus-wide digital signage network with a network-based failover that kept campaigns running without on-site support.
Shaped environmental and interior branding for campus buildings, including wall colors, furniture, and set pieces.
Handled all university photography: headshots, marketing shoots, and event and press coverage.
Tracked project workflow and staff time in Workfront, and managed vendor and sponsor relationships across creative production.

Additional

Recommendation letters and references available upon request.