My name is Simon Gutkovich and I’m a generalist designer who thrives on utilizing a diverse set of talents to get stuff done. For this reason I was excited about your opening for a "Digital Designer" at Viacom Lab.

I love making stuff. From coding and designing websites to drawing portraits [ ] to concepting user interfaces to shooting and editing videos to building a cardboard car garage [] for my 3 year-old! I'm an out-of-the-box thinker and proud of it. So much so that I whipped up a logo (seen above) for your group since it doesn't look like you have one yet (find the hidden V).

With that said I think I would be a valuable asset to your team given my ability to create innovative digital experiences and readiness to interact with members throughout the entire design process (prototyping, designing, development and deployment).

A few of the core strengths I can bring to this role:

• a cohesive understanding of the importance design has on a user’s experience
• creative problem solving with awareness of technological limitations
• eagerness to “create” via a balance of collaboration, research and know-how
• mindful of responsive design practices for elegant cross-platform mobile experiences
• hands on experience with JavaScript, jQuery, HTML5,  CSS3, and PHP
• out-of-the-box problem solving; always looking for new ways to do things
• familiarity and veneration for Viacom products and properties

Most recently I have been cultivating my multitasking and project management abilities as a stay at home parent. I have also kept my other skills sharp by building my own portfolio site from scratch, as well as working on various independent projects which can all be found at SIMEdesign.net. (Feel free to check it out on a mobile device.)

Viacom Lab is not only a forward thinking team that lives on the cutting edge but also sounds like a great place to grow, learn and really make an impact. I am ready to rejoin the workforce and help shape the future of design and user experiences in such a dynamic environment.

-Simon

P.S. Regarding your additional qualifications:

• Start-up or entrepreneurial experience:
  no direct start-up experience but I have a strong entrepreneurial spirit
• Adobe After Effects:
  some experience, see this for an example of an AE generated clock: vimeo.com/simedesign
• Framer.js:
  no Framer.js experience but I enjoy learning new ways to prototype things
• bad alignment keeps me up at night:
  definitely, but sleeping on a problem is the best way to solve it according to scientists!
• Comic Sans:
  Comic Sans has its place – although I would never expect to see it in serious communication efforts
• 375 x 667:
  sure, but it’s better to design device agnostic (considering how many device sizes exist)
• Human Interface Guidelines:
  rules are meant to be broken. (let’s not forget Material Design)
• iterative cycles:
  just like the good writing, design is iterative
• design trends:
  it’s important to realize some trends improve the user experience and others are way more form than function
• new products:
  definitely a lover of new gadgets, apps, and technology in general
• independently prioritize tasks:
  prioritizing via common sense is fine; a great leader makes the process much more valuable
• feedback:
  communication is the key to any success:
  “I think it's very important to have a feedback loop, where you're constantly thinking about what you've done and how you could be doing it better.” – Elon Musk
• possibilities not obstacles:
  I love obstacles because it gives me a chance to think outside of the box – to invent something new.