Doug Cross
Active Training
- Learning ReactJS & Redux
- Updating knowledge to lastest JavaScript, ES7
- Designing reusable pattern libraries with Sketch
Interests
- Entrepreneurship
- Traveling
- Sports Fanatic
- Enjoying Craft Beer
About Doug Cross
As a Director of Front-end Development and Lead Developer at AYC Media, I look after the development teams shaping best in class user experiences for our clients spanning from S&P 500 companies to local businesses. Bridging the gap between visual creative and technical implementation, I dive deep into projects, unifying both designers and developers. My focus is on standardization of modular templates, pattern libraries and increasing synergies into the programming of our proprietary content management system.
Before taking on my role at AYC Media, I served as a user interface designer and developer with the Multimedia Solutions team at Janssen, a pharmaceutical company of Johnson & Johnson. Our team branded and launched innovative medical advancements, positioning products for patients and medical professionals in the marketplace. Janssen’s product teams relied on our team to apply design-thinking and strategic solutions to our development of websites and tablet-based sales tools.
My mentorship style and brand-thinking were deeply influenced by my time spent as a multidisciplinary designer and web developer at Design 446. There I straddled multiple branches of the team such as marketing, interactive development, and visual design work for their sought-after expertise in the
home development industry. I contributed to a variety of brands from K. Hovnanian Homes to the YMCA, embodying the brand voice through campaigns for targeted audiences, and improving digital experiences both on-site and online. At a small business with such broad services, I gained many skills, tried new methods and embraced assignments in an experimental fashion.
My first formative in-house role was in a food services and facilities management company, Sodexo. As their designer, we partnered with regional institutions such as The College of New Jersey, Montclair State University, University of the Sciences and the Steven Institute of Technology. I created marketing initiatives, defined the visual language for new restaurant concepts and explored ways to engage the student body.
While my formal training was as a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus in graphic design from The College of New Jersey, I always strive to encompass many disciplines of design and development. Today, I encourage developers to aim for well-structured, scalable systems as they design through code. Working side-by-side with designers, I practice mentoring through critiques with the intention of introducing development concepts. A goal of mine is to streamline the nomenclature shared by the creative and development teams resulting in better communication to improve productivity.
As a Director of Front-end Development and Lead Developer at AYC Media, I look after the development teams shaping best in class user experiences for our clients spanning from S&P 500 companies to local businesses. Bridging the gap between visual creative and technical implementation, I dive deep into projects, unifying both designers and developers. My focus is on standardization of modular templates, pattern libraries and increasing synergies into the programming of our proprietary content management system.
Before taking on my role at AYC Media, I served as a user interface designer and developer with the Multimedia Solutions team at Janssen, a pharmaceutical company of Johnson & Johnson. Our team branded and launched innovative medical advancements, positioning products for patients and medical professionals in the marketplace. Janssen’s product teams relied on our team to apply design-thinking and strategic solutions to our development of websites and tablet-based sales tools.
My mentorship style and brand-thinking were deeply influenced by my time spent as a multidisciplinary designer and web developer at Design 446. There I straddled multiple branches of the team such as marketing, interactive development, and visual design work for their sought-after expertise in the home development industry. I contributed to a variety of brands from K. Hovnanian Homes to the YMCA, embodying the brand voice through campaigns for targeted audiences, and improving digital experiences both on-site and online. At a small business with such broad services, I gained many skills, tried new methods and embraced assignments in an experimental fashion.
My first formative in-house role was in a food services and facilities management company, Sodexo. As their designer, we partnered with regional institutions such as The College of New Jersey, Montclair State University, University of the Sciences and the Steven Institute of Technology. I created marketing initiatives, defined the visual language for new restaurant concepts and explored ways to engage the student body.
While my formal training was as a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus in graphic design from The College of New Jersey, I always strive to encompass many disciplines of design and development. Today, I encourage developers to aim for well-structured, scalable systems as they design through code. Working side-by-side with designers, I practice mentoring through critiques with the intention of introducing development concepts. A goal of mine is to streamline the nomenclature shared by the creative and development teams resulting in better communication to improve productivity.
I’m a Director of Front-end Development at AYC Media leading teams with a focus on design systems, functional component libraries, and web accessible products. I previously spent time promoting innovative design and efficient workflows at Janssen, Design 446, and Sodexo. I hold a belief in building chemistry through a culture of experimentation, assembly of community, and introducing play into work.
Always with a few fresh ideas at hand, my passion stems from solving a creative problem with a strategic plan. My belief is in clean, functional and accessible design at the crossroads of innovative technology and relatable human behavior. My experiences at mid-sized digital agencies and in-house corporate marketing departments, taught me the best solution comes with strategic urgency through careful research and thoughtful planning. To develop powerful business solutions, I use my curiosity in technology trends to develop actionable designs and dynamic user experiences.