ABOUT JESSICA VERGANO
I’m easy to work with, I balance efficiency with quality, and I stay focused on getting you the results you need.
About Jess
I love empowering creative teams to grow their skills, get organized, and balance the big picture and the details.
7+ years in leadership roles, both agency and in-house
20 years as a professional creative, from graphic design to websites to app UX and UI to advertising, and more
Launched and managed global brand identities
Experience across industries, including education, government, nonprofit, B2B, retail, and more
I love having a wide range of experiences and partners to leverage to help my teams succeed.
I currently run Vergano & Co. Creative, a creative consultancy I started to leverage my experience and help people more directly. I help clients level up their branding and help marketing agencies run more smoothly. Would I be a fit to help you on a contract basis? Let me know.
What I do best:
Creative
Use research to inform high-level direction to achieve goals and resonate with target audiences
Write messaging strategy that aligns teams (I’m trained by StoryBrand)
Design and build almost anything, from brand identity packages to trade show booths to complete high-performing websites
Operations
Manage projects and workflow for time, budget, team skills, and high-quality deliverables
Develop creative and operational processes and continuously optimize them, from onboarding to project plans to digital asset management
Collect and interpret data to make well-informed decisions without losing sight of the big picture
Leadership
Mentor and guide the team with one-on-one coaching, creative briefs, guiding principles, writing conventions, brand guides, and more
Create effective onboarding and professional development programs that combine big-picture objectives with professional and personal goals
Celebrate wins big and small, fostering a culture of trust, support, and open communication that leads to focused creativity
Caitlin M., Senior Account Manager
“thank you so much for your efforts on the campaign creative for [national nonprofit]… their COO said herself and the program director were emotional and nearly in tears while reviewing together due to how impactful, beautiful, and perfect the messaging and imagery was.
They struggled for their entire 1-year engagement with their last agency with hitting the mark on messaging and creative and they never received anything close to what we were able to accomplish in our first attempt.... kudos for a job very well done.”
Could I help your team work smarter?
Get in touch to find out if we’re a good fit.
How I Improved Website Profitability 88%
When I began as the creative director of a boutique marketing agency, I found that website projects were exceeding allocated budgets. A lot.
I wish it had been one, obvious issue. It was several. Some projects were poorly estimated. Some projects used a platform or process too complex for its scope. Sometimes, team members had few, if any, guardrails.
In about a year and a half, I established a multi-pronged approach to get the agency to produce highly efficient websites for its clients, while simultaneously building the highest-performing sites we’d ever done:
Introduced a simpler platform for smaller-scope website projects
Wrote project processes for larger WordPress sites that created reusable components that were easily customizable
Introduced a messaging strategy framework to streamline copywriting and wireframes and establish a more firm strategy from the start
Designed a standardized section for all website proposals, cementing in pricing for features that are always needed
Created a proposal calculator spreadsheet with appropriate costs assigned to optional features
Established a QA process so all our sites launched with best practices in speed, accessibility, and SEO performance no matter the scope or budget
Implemented a new timekeeping system so team members had more visibility on project budget, so they could self-manage better in real time
Running the same reports a year and a half later, projects were coming in significantly under budget and also converting better. Not only that, client satisfaction improved, with over $100,000 in upsells in the same period.
Could use improvements like these on your team? What would you like to work better?
Get in touch and see if I can help you.
Outstanding Teams I've Worked With Include:
Reviews
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"Jess is a fantastic designer with a keen eye for detail. She is dependable and a great communicator too... On top of all that, Jess is just a great person and a pleasure to work with."
Laura Lacy
Principal/Director
Booz Allen Hamilton -
"Jess is the rare individual who is both intensely creative and hyper-organized. I worked with Jess for six years... Jess aligned our team to ensure consistency and quality across everything we produced."
Claire Murray
Director of Product Strategy
Opportunity Education -
“Jess consistently considered designs and assets through all lenses, maximized resources, and challenged all of us to level up and meet objectives to the highest quality. Her attention to detail and intentional approach are unmatched."
Kelsey Cain
Manager, Professional Learning Content
Discovery Education
Skills & Tools
I’ve worked with 7 marketing and creative agencies on top of several in-house teams with businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits. Each operated differently, allowing me to build valuable skills and broaden my perspectives on what can work.
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Asana
Monday
Teamwork
Atlassian (Trello, Confluence, Jira, and more)
Notion
Loom
Slack
Google Docs, Sheets, Slides
Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams
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Adobe Creative Suite (XD, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Express, and more)
Canva
Figma (Still learning!)
WordPress
SquareSpace
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Semrush
Google Analytics
Hootsuite
Yoast
All-in-One SEO
Account Management
Ad Campaign Development
App Design
Art Direction
Asset Management
Brand Awareness
Brand Guides
Brand Management
Brand Strategy
Budget Management
Copywriting
Creative Direction
Creative Services Management
Cross-Functional Leadership
Competitive Analysis
Concept Development & Ideation
Design Systems
Editing & Proofreading
Project Efficiency
Graphic Design
Information Architecture
Large Format Displays
Learning Management Systems
Logo & Identity Design
Measurable Goal Setting
Mentorship
Messaging Strategy
Marketing Strategy & Efficacy
Marketing Research
Persona Development
Planning and Prioritization
Presentations
Print Production
Process Development
Product Design
Project & Workflow Management
Quality Assurance
Scripts for Radio & Video
StoryBrand
Style & Logo Guides
Technical Specifications
Trade Shows & Events
User Experience (UX) Design
User Interface (UI) Design
Web Design
Website Wireframes
Vendor & Contractor Management
Workshop & Webinar Hosting
Account Management Ad Campaign Development App Design Art Direction Asset Management Brand Awareness Brand Guides Brand Management Brand Strategy Budget Management Copywriting Creative Direction Creative Services Management Cross-Functional Leadership Competitive Analysis Concept Development & Ideation Design Systems Editing & Proofreading Project Efficiency Graphic Design Information Architecture Large Format Displays Learning Management Systems Logo & Identity Design Measurable Goal Setting Mentorship Messaging Strategy Marketing Strategy & Efficacy Marketing Research Persona Development Planning and Prioritization Presentations Print Production Process Development Product Design Project & Workflow Management Quality Assurance Scripts for Radio & Video StoryBrand Style & Logo Guides Technical Specifications Trade Shows & Events User Experience (UX) Design User Interface (UI) Design Web Design Website Wireframes Vendor & Contractor Management Workshop & Webinar Hosting
Recent Work
