a logo monogram made from my initials - D.K.

Dain Kennison


Strategy • Design • Technology

I’m Dain Kennison—a name my parents drew from Tolkien’s The Hobbit—and I’ve spent over 25 years in branding, product/UX/UI design, and web/app development. I am currently consulting as a Creative Technologist. Over the course of my career, and as Head of Design at La Visual, I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with dozens of brands, big and small, crafting solutions that blend creativity, technology, and purpose. Above all, I’m a sinner saved by grace, a follower of Jesus Christ, striving to reflect His love in my work and life. I recently moved from Southern California to Boise, Idaho with my wonderful wife and four children. BLDHRD. Reel.

my written signature

Awards

Communicator

Davey

W3


Clients

  • NFL
  • FOX
  • US Department of Education
  • US Department of Transportation
  • Lincoln Motor Company
  • Critics Choice Awards
  • Collegiate Licensing Company
  • Media Temple

Skills

  • Design leadership
  • Brand & identity
  • Product & UX
  • Design systems
  • Interactive & experiential
  • Motion & UI
  • Illustration (2D / 3D)
  • Front end & creative tech
  • Research & accessibility
  • Performance & standards
  • Workshops & alignment
  • AI-assisted workflow

Experience

Creative Technologist

Freelance

Jan 2025–Present · Remote

I work as a hands-on creative technologist across brand, product UX/UI, and front-end build, helping teams move from strategy to shipped work without the usual gap between design intent and implementation. The core of the job is turning ideas into production-ready interfaces that hold up in real use.

Most engagements combine design systems, launch and campaign experience work, and rapid prototyping with practical AI-assisted workflows that improve research, iteration speed, and overall delivery.

Head of Design

La Visual

Feb 2013–April 2025 · Culver City, CA

I led design strategy, UX/UI, and interactive brand work across product and marketing engagements, including design systems, product interfaces, campaigns, and launch platforms for clients in fintech, logistics, government, entertainment, and CPG. Programs included NFL+, FOX, Lincoln Motor Company, Collegiate Licensing Company, and public-sector work with the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Transportation.

Alongside leadership, I stayed deep in execution: mentoring designers, shaping process with product and engineering, and guiding work from concept through front-end-ready delivery for teams including Sagent, Civic Financial, Origin8, Loadsmith, Elation, and Jafra.

UX Lead & Product Designer

Media Temple · acquired by GoDaddy

Aug 2005–Feb 2013

As UX Lead at Media Temple, I helped ship one of the early mobile account centers in web hosting and established practical UX patterns for customer tools used at scale. I worked closely with product and engineering on internal and customer-facing applications, with a focus on clarity, speed, and consistency.

The work covered account management, hosting administration, onboarding, and support flows, using reusable interface patterns that reduced friction and made technical tasks easier for everyday users.

Graphic & Web Design

dainkennison.com

Jan 1998–Aug 2005

I ran independent design and development work across branding, print, early web, and interactive media during the formative years of my career. I handled identity, websites, campaigns, and production work end to end—from discovery and concept through launch and final delivery.

That period built the foundation I still use: strong visual fundamentals, comfort moving between strategy and production, and a bias toward clear communication over unnecessary decoration.