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Adonay Dereje

@adonaydereje

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Creative visual identity designer driving impactful brand and product experiences.

Ethiopia

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What I'm looking for

I seek product- or brand-focused roles where I can lead visual identity and design systems, collaborate cross-functionally, mentor teams, and deliver measurable brand and product impact.

I am a creative designer with 6+ years leading visual identity, branding, and campaigns for organizations including CANAL+, SaaS startups, and EU-funded projects. I blend UI/UX, design systems, and product thinking to deliver cohesive brand experiences.

As a co-founder of Invite.et and Albums.et, I led product vision, created design systems, wireframes, and prototypes, and collaborated with developers to deliver MVPs. At CANAL+ I progressed from Social Media Designer to Creative Director, directing nationwide campaigns and establishing scalable branding toolkits.

I excel at mentoring, process optimization, and high-volume production under tight deadlines, reducing costs and improving efficiency—such as replacing an external agency to cut costs by 85% and streamlining revision workflows by 60%. I produce assets across digital, print, and video, and oversee end-to-end creative execution.

I am motivated by clear, user-centered design and measurable results. I bring strong technical skills in Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and front-end technologies, and I aim to build visual systems that scale across channels and products.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Co-founder / UI Visual Designer

Current

Invite.et & Albums.et

Aug 2024 - Present (1 year 2 months)

Co-founded two SaaS products and led product vision, creating design systems, wireframes, and prototypes while collaborating with a 3-person development team to deliver MVPs and marketing assets.

Design Systems UI Design Figma Prototyping User Flows Product Strategy Collaboration With Dev Team

Current

Creative Lead / Designer

Current

Skilled Ethiopia

Sep 2023 - Present (2 years 1 month)

Authored and delivered graphic design courses to 90+ students and established templates and design guidelines for in-person and online programs; produced visual assets and event branding that improved youth engagement for summer camps and programs.

Instructional Design Visual Branding Adobe Creative Suite Figma Presentation Design Brand Guidelines

Creative Director

CANAL+ Group

Jul 2022 - Aug 2023 (1 year 1 month)

Led creative direction for 6 nationwide campaigns and oversaw branding across 36+ billboards and multiple channels, directed 5 video productions, and established branding toolkits ensuring 100% design consistency post-departure.

Brand Strategy Video Production Oversight Art Direction Adobe Creative Suite Outdoor Advertising Team Leadership

Lead Designer

CANAL+ Group

Jun 2021 - Jul 2022 (1 year 1 month)

Assumed print design duties from external agencies, reducing costs by 85% and delivering 30+ billboards and high-volume branding assets while streamlining design workflows to improve efficiency by 60%.

Print Design Brand Implementation Workflow Optimization Adobe Illustrator Production Management Outdoor Advertising

Social Media Designer

CANAL+ Group

Feb 2021 - May 2021 (3 months)

Produced daily social content that contributed to doubling Facebook followers from 40K to 80K in three months and maintained rapid high-quality content delivery under hardware constraints.

Social Media Design Content Creation Adobe Photoshop Visual Storytelling Audience Growth Motion Graphics Brand Consistency

Graphic Designer

ZOWI Tech

Mar 2019 - Jan 2021 (1 year 10 months)

Created engaging social media graphics and collaborated with marketing to deliver on-brand visual content that increased brand visibility and engagement across platforms.

Adobe Creative Suite Brand Consistency visual communication Content Production

Visual Identity Designer

GIZ International

Delivered a full visual identity system and reusable templates, designed 50+ PowerPoint slides and an 80+ page reporting template to standardize branding for the Criminal Justice Reform program.

Visual Branding Brand Guidelines Templates Presentation Design Iconography

Brand & Packaging Designer

Capital Paints

Led a brand refresh and redesigned product packaging for 12+ paints, producing over 200,000 printed labels and creating comprehensive brand assets to reinforce corporate identity.

Brand Refresh Packaging Design Logo Design Print Production Label Design Brand Guidelines Adobe Illustrator

Visual Designer (Freelance)

Book Launch Project

Designed book cover and interior layout and led a visual campaign including motion graphics and launch-day advertising supporting a print run of over 2,000 copies and strong social engagement.

Cover Design Motion Graphics Layout adobe indesign Promotional Materials

Brand Identity Designer

Zebra Foam Manufacturing PLC

Redesigned corporate identity and produced branded materials including brochures, banners, business cards, and vehicle branding for 5+ vehicles to ensure consistent visual language.

Vehicle Branding Brand Consistency Adobe Creative Suite Layout Design