I’m a freelance Creative Director, Strategist and Artist in Portland, Oregon.

Let’s work together

Whether you’re starting from scratch, or refining an existing experience, I can help bridge the gap to where you need to be.

erin@erinblackkurtz.com LinkedIn

I specialize in the convergence of service, operations and technology. If you care about providing the right experience to the right people at the right time, then I’m here to help find the best way forward.

My professional background spans 24 years of design, communication and innovation. Most recently I was a Creative Director at Ziba Design, a global design consultancy, where I led multi-disciplinary teams on design research, workforce software tools, service innovation and customer experience design programs.

My specialties are…
  • Design Research
    Audience immersion, prototyping & actionable synthesis.
  • Product Strategy
    Evaluation, analysis, requirements & prioritization.
  • Experience Design
    Customer journey, content strategy & service innovation.
  • Creative Direction
    Design leadership, consultation, equilibrium & mentoring.
Past clients include…
  • National Geographic
  • FedEx
  • Burts’ Bees
  • Daimler
  • Nike
  • Intel
  • Travel Oregon
  • Portland Trailblazers
  • OR Dept. of Fish & Wildlife
  • AAA
Hire me to help you…
  • Uncover what is most important.
  • Find answers to hard questions
    (or define what questions must be asked).
  • Evolve in the face of change.
  • Prioritize the best ways forward.
  • Deliver value to your audience.

A little more about me

Speaking, Teaching and Workshops

I’ve had some incredible mentors over the years and I pay that forward by engaging with the design community.

I’ve taught design classes at the college level and given talks to classrooms on topics covering user experience design and the creative process.

I enjoy facilitating workshops and I’ve had the opportunity to develop a variety of customer experience and design thinking workshops for Adidas, Intel, FedEx and Ziba Design.

Art & Illustration

I maintain a regular studio practice and participate in the occasional pop-up.

I currently work in pen, marker, watercolor, digital and I love Risograph printing.

See more of my work at Animal Monster Robot.

Music

I’ve had a small home studio for over a decade and I make music under the name Caves & Cathedrals.

In the late 90’s and early 00’s I helped run a record label with a few friends in Seattle. My role was to help our bands design their materials (posters, stickers, t-shirts and CDs) and get them ready for duplication and distribution.

My recent addiction has been analog synthesizers, for which I’m currently in recovery…not really, I’m fine. Everything’s fine.