Hi! I’m Cindy Brummer. I am a UX Designer, and I’m also founder and the Creative Director for Standard Beagle, a user experience agency.
Who I am
I have a set of values that guide me personally and help me make decisions about my time. They are:
- Creativity
- Integrity
- Independence
- Grit
I am driven to continually be a better person, so I’m always working on something to master. I reflect, evaluate, ponder and strategize the next step toward my goals. I don’t set resolutions. Instead I set a word for the year to help me focus on a particular area. My current word is “Clarity.”
What I do
Day to day, I lead a team of designers and developers at Standard Beagle. Together we help companies understand their customers before building technology, taking the guesswork out of design and eliminating the risk of cost overruns and poor communication. And in the process, we design and develop really cool digital stuff — like websites, software and apps. Sometimes I also create print collateral, like marketing flyers, booklets, postcards, and other print materials.
I teach UX/UI design for the boot camp program at the University of Texas at Austin. Teaching has been an unexpected joy. When I started I didn’t know how much I would fall in love with it. And I’ve discovered that teaching makes me a better designer because I’m always learning something new.
How I have fun
For fun, I box. Not kickboxing. Boxing. I love it so much I am a certified as a Level 1 boxing coach with USA Boxing. In my spare time (pre-COVID), I helped teach the boxing program at the Townlake YMCA.
I also enjoy making fused glass projects (I’m just a beginner), and I enjoy gardening vegetables, flowers, and fruit.
My background
I have undergraduate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin in Broadcast Journalism and History. I was a Senior Fellow in the UT College of Communication. I also worked part time at Texas Student Television throughout my college career.
I started my career as a TV news producer. I spent 10 years working as a new producer in TV stations from Sherman, Texas and Houston to Nashville and back to Austin. In Austin I was a web producer, which is what sparked my move into UX Design. I took classes at ACC in web design and development and launched my first business, House on Payne Web Design.
Why UX Design
UX Design is a natural passion for me. I’ve always been drawn to the creative side of business. In high school I enjoyed working on the student newspaper because I was able to design page layouts and imagery. Later, I moved into broadcast because I enjoyed telling real stories about real people. Successful journalists focus on empathy. I took to heart every story I told and cherished every thank you from readers and viewers. UX design is a natural path because it focuses on real people and thrives on creativity.
Leadership
I’ve been honored to have played a leadership role in multiple organizations. Here are some of the organizations where I currently give back my time:
- VP of Government Relations, AAF Austin
- VP of Glocal Services, Rotary Club of Austin
- VP of Operations, IIBA Austin
- Grow Group Member, Vistage
- Past President, Metropolitan Breakfast Club
How to connect
The best way to connect with me is through LinkedIn or to email me using the form below. If you’re interested, here is my resume and portfolio.
