RESUME

BRIAN GUNDERSDORF

Strategy-Driven, Full-Stack Creative

Brand Strategy · Graphic Design · Writing · Illustration · Photography · Digital Product

I find emerging opportunities and create things that capture them. At Capsaicin, that meant spotting the maturation of JavaScript libraries, creating our flagship product from scratch, and growing it to recurring seven-figure contracts, $12M in VC funding, and an acquisition. At Bruck Marketing, I created a brand positioning workshop that became the agency's primary sales engine. We ran it with over thirty clients. The next big pivots will be AI-related, and I'm already inside them. I just finished a Figma UI project where prompt-based design let me build accessibility into the prototype phase — work that typically falls on developers when they're already late and over budget. The handoff was production-ready React code instead of annotated mockups.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Bruck Marketing (Dec 2018 - Current)

Partner / Strategic Positioning / Messaging / Brand Consultant / Graphic Design / Digital Product Design

• Strategy / Positioning / Brand Consulting — Helped 30+ brands develop customer-centric offerings, messaging, and visual identities. Created and monetized a strategic positioning framework and workshop. “Brian surfaced market opportunities, clarified our offering, and codified our customers' motivations. Now we have an unforgettable story to help musicians, fans, and investors understand how our product can improve their lives.” - Omar Alsafadi, CEO and Founder, Aria Music 

• Graphic Design — 30+ years of graphic design experience. Created design systems, logos, websites, brochures, ads, billboards, and more — always with a goal to stand out from the noise and amplify my clients’ brands and positioning.

• Product Design — From engaging mobile-first consumer apps to deep enterprise platforms across a wide range of industries (music, environmental, banking, medical, e-commerce, marketing, medicaid reimbursement, course catalog, and enterprise communications) — my Figma prototypes fuel the discovery process and accelerate development. In July 2026, I completed a Figma Make UI project where AI empowered me to build accessibility into the prototype phase. That's work that typically falls on developers when they're already late and over budget. The handoff was production-ready React code instead of annotated mockups.

• Research — Led research for a Pharma-tech company evaluating the potential of a new digital product. Designed and conducted a 250-participant survey and interviews, analyzed and visualized insights, and delivered data-driven recommendations on pricing, must-have features, differentiators, and sales strategies.

• Thought Leadership — Published instructional content spanning brand positioning frameworks, messaging development, and a 23-page guide on applying decision science to marketing strategy. Sample

DREAMTUP CREATIVE (Sep 2024 - Current)

Founder / Strategic Creative

• Photography & Visual Storytelling — Landscape, travel, and lifestyle photographer currently documenting the American West and Pacific coastline on a nomadic cross-country journey. Work spans editorial-quality nature photography, outdoor adventure content, and commercial photography for brands and events. Portfolio: dreamtup.com

Velocidi/Capsaicin/JVKellyGroup (Oct 2006 - Apr 2018)

VP Product Manager

• Profitable Innovation / Product Management — Amidst growing demand for ad hoc analysis, I leveraged emerging JavaScript libraries to create a new category of drag-and-drop business intelligence product.
• Designed and led from concept to a profitable MVP in 3 months.
• Attracted global agencies and Fortune 100 clients; tracked billions in annual ad spend.
• Won recurring annual 7-figure contracts.
• Grew to a multi-application platform with self-service deployment, data ingestion, AI insights, and dozens of configurable visualizations.
• $12M in VC funding.
• Contributed to company acquisition and became the namesake product of the acquiring company.

We’re About 9 (Sep 1999 - Oct 2009)

Touring Songwriter / Performer / Manager / Agent / Marketer / Designer

For some of the wildest years of my life, I was a touring singer-songwriter with the folk-pop trio, We're About 9.

• Booked hundreds of gigs
• Managed the business, marketing, and tours
• Designed the artwork for five albums, countless posters, postcards, t-shirts, one-sheets, ads, and stickers.

EDUCATION

• UX Design Certification (2018) Springboard
• BA in Liberal Arts / Music Composition (1998) St. Mary’s College of Maryland

SKILLS

• Creative Direction
• Brand Identity Design
• Graphic Design & Illustration
• Photography & Visual Storytelling
• Copywriting & Brand Voice
• Strategic Positioning
• Data Visualization
• Product Management
• Mobile-First App Design / UX
• Figma, Adobe, Affinity Suite

PASSIONS

• Songwriting
• Hiking
• Photography
• Design

Endorsements