I was born awesome | Jeffrey Isham

As a Creative Technologist, I enjoy the challenge of working to align the realities of technical implementation with creative experience design. My job description has a lot of bullet points on it, but let's just say I get shit done. I provide technical expertise and people leadership to organizations and enterprises. I am an experienced problem solver, focused on strategy and user experience. I've moved from individual contributor to subject matter expert to technical management in my career and have succeeded by being a holistic thinker, understanding the delivery lifecycle, and collaborating with other domain experts.

I'd best describe myself as a platform agnostic, frontend specialist who isn't too shabby on the backend. I'm an expert with CSS and Javascript, specializing in standards-based, accessible, client-side interactions. I've led teams and executed numerous digital campaigns and enterprise solutions for a wide variety of brands, including: U.S. Bank, Target, General Mills, Nike Bauer, wet n wild, Kidrobot, United Health Group, the Belize Tourism Board, Pantone, New York Life, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN.

My name is Jeffrey and I enjoy biking, cats, and long walks on the beach.

Latest

January 1, 2025

The art is alive

I haven't been super busy making art, but I have been busy getting my art out into the real world! Have a look: coolerthanthefuture.com

Collected Variations is an exploration of process. The initial work for this collection started in 2019 with a series of ink drawings using Spirograph gears to guide composition. Subsequent layers of hand drawn work pushed the tension between the organic and mechanical aspects of the work. The images were further developed digitally and the resulting collection begged to be brought back into the analog world. The final objects are things the viewer can spend time on or with—a book, a picture, and a postcard.

I love making art. I do it to sustain a daily desire to make cool stuﬀ, solve problems of my own devising, and put some weird ideas out into the world.

I really hope you enjoy it!
December 4, 2024

Doing My Thing

Back with another semi-irregular post! Usually these posts coincide with moving on to something new. This one is kind of that. I was restructured out of my most recent job, which is a bummer becasue I liked it and learned a lot.

So now I'm putting together my next move and thinking about my experience over the last 20 years. I’ve done a whole bunch of stuff. I’ve built global implementation teams, led QA transformation efforts, worked on pretty much every content management system out there, and a ton more. But mainly I have enabled my various teams for efficient, successful software delivery across numerous technology platforms and I'd like to keep doing that (if you're out there looking for someone talented to join your team, hit me up).

In the meantime, I've had time to lean into my hobbies and am happy to report I'm on the verge of releasing some new artwork! More to come on that in the new year...
December 15, 2021

Ch-ch-ch-ch Changes

Long time, no post. All 10 of you, along with the spammers that hang on my every word will be pleased to know that I've taken a new job!

I'm super proud of my accomplishments at Horizontal Digital. Under my tenure as Practice Lead, the global frontend discipline transitioned into key contributors on nearly every active project, across all agency supported platforms. The team headcount grew by 400% with high retention and growth opportunities at all levels.

All that said, it was time for a change. I'm off on a new adventure, stepping out of the agency/consulting world and going full corporate. I'm now at U.S. Bank, leading several teams in the continued growth and development of their internal design system, Shield. And I'm a Vice President. Boom. Still doing awesome shit.
August 1, 2020

One year's worth of Spirographs

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March 15, 2020

A silver pin, thanks AdFed!

Horizontal Digital Awarded Silver from AdFed The Show for Best Microsite for Milwaukee Tool MX Fuel landing page. What started as a proof-of-concept for a creative pitch, many iterations later turned into an engaging launch experience and trade show centerpiece. The team really delivered. This was a fun one to work on!
March 27, 2018

Upgrade Available

After a year with Horizontal, the powers that be have seen fit to promote me! I am now "Practice Lead of Open and Emerging Technologies." Kind of a mouthful. Looking forward to building a new line of business and a team to support it.
February 2, 2017

I got a new jobby job

Here it is folks, after a 10 year long run with Olson, I've made the decision to move on. I'm on to a new role with Horizontal Integration, firmly solidifying my place in middle management. Looking forward to the challenge. Don't worry Internet, I'm still in you.
April 26, 2016

Shout out my homie ketchup

2016 Webby Award Winner in the Websites/Weird category of National Corndog Day.

Projects

I got my first job as a web designer in 2005. Since then I've been a web developer, frontend developer, senior developer, tech lead, dev manager, practice lead, and these days, an engineering lead and vice president! I've been fortunate to have worked on some really great brands with some really fantastic people over the course of my career. Here's a few of my favorite projects.