Jason Nako - Profile

• 2008
  Design for hire
• 2002-2007
  Yahoo! Sports Art Director
• 2001
  Rare Medium SF Visual Designer
• 1999-2000
  Babygrand Productions Senior Visual Designer
• 1999
  San Jose St. University BS Graphic Design

My name is Jason Nako and I live in sunny Venice, CA. For the past 5 years, I have been designing for Yahoo! and recently made the decision to leave and try new experiences for 2008.

At Yahoo! I designed for many properties such as Personals, Photos, and Games, but spent the majority of my time as the Art Director for Yahoo! Sports. As a huge sports fan, this was a dream design job and I couldn't have asked for a better gig. I contributed equally for the editorial side as well as the fantasy side of sports. By the time of my departure, Yahoo! Sports was the #1 online sports destination beating out rival ESPN.com. I do miss Yahoo! Sports, but change is good.

Today, I am freelancing and looking forward to what the future brings. My skillset is primarily visual design, but I have spent many hours working closely with Information Architects and have grown to understand the importance of interaction design. Making something look nice is the easy part, the challenge comes with usability and functionality. Designing is problem solving. The most important lesson I learned from Yahoo! is to strive to create enjoyable user experiences and avoid confusion at all costs.

When I am not designing, you can find me playing basketball at the community center, on a plane to Vegas or watching the worst reality TV show on Tivo. Drop me a line if you want to discuss availability for design or just want to say hi. Take care.

Best,
Jason
jason@jasonnako.com