Hey, I’m
My full name is James Michael Stanley Jr., but the universe has decided that I’m more of a “Stanley” than any of those other names.
I'm a digital designer with a serious passion for creating stellar, engaging experiences that truly connect with users, as well as pushing myself and my teams to continually experiment, iterate and play. With over 12 years of experience, I have a proven track record of enabling stellar brands and internal teams to create surprisingly delightful promotional materials such as marketing campaigns, digital experiences and physical instillations.
I excel at leading cross-departmental teams to deliver the best quality products via a smooth design and production pipeline. I bridge the gap between strategy and development — empowering my teams to succeed by encouraging creativity but mandating thoughtful design decisions. Whether I'm working on a mobile app that simplifies a complex process, building an interactive museum exhibit that brings history to life, or telling a compelling story through social media campaigns, I'm all about delivering jaw dropping results.
TL;DR: I’m a designer and leader who is enthusiastic in my work, creative in my ideas, and committed to my teams.
My approach to design.
Embrace every challenge.
Complacency is the enemy of creativity. Push for award-winning and pixel-perfect designs every step of the way.
Design with intent.
Great design tells a story and evokes emotion. With every detail, make sure that there is a reason and explanation behind why decisions were made.
Make it easy.
Design is iterative. Use your tools thoughtfully and evolve your processes to empower iteration and set others up for success.
My approach to life.
Experience
the world.
I’ve spent more than ten years traveling the world with my amazing wife. 16 countries and counting!
Never stop playing.
If it’s TCGs, prop making, or video games then I’m into it. And when I’m into it, I create a design system and custom artwork for all of my Pokémon binders and post it to Reddit for all to use.
Recent work history.
VP, Product & Emerging Technology, Dragon Army (Jan 2020 - Present)
Leading design and development teams in creating marketing collateral and experiences
Delivering exceptional new-business presentation materials across numerous competitive pitches
Participating in and winning the majority of all new-business efforts
Communicating coherently with stakeholders and internal teams to ensure clarity on all deliverables
Overseeing projects from ideation to launch, setting creative vision and managing client relationships
Working intimately with designers and developers to develop skills in order to continually push for creativity, consistency, and eliminate complacency
Forecasting work across teams, validating project timelines and hiring to meet project and team needs
Mentoring and creating actionable growth plans for cross-department team members
Iterating on internal processes to create proprietary workflows that inspire cross-departmental collaboration, high fidelity aesthetics, and operational excellence
Ensuring that every project is delivered on time, on budget, and to the highest possible standard
Creative Director, Dragon Army (Dec 2016 - Jan 2020)
Redefined design pipeline and instilled new software for better communication and quicker turnaround
Set creative vision for all projects and directed teams through collaboration and design critique
Co-formed and pioneered The Hatchery, an internal experimental design and technology group whose output resulted in immediate growth to our emerging technology business
Art Director, Dragon Army (Oct 2013 - Dec 2016)
Led a team of artists in creating 2D and 3D assets for major IPs and client-guided mobile games
Created initial visual aesthetics for games through concept art, storyboarding, and mockups
Oversaw and inspired team to strive for highest levels of creativity, polish and optimization
