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Dear Toptal,

I’d like to express my interest in your fulltime remote Illustrator position. I’ve put this page together to illustrate why I think I’m a good fit. 


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I’m excited to apply, as I think this role suits my background in product design, focus in technical illustration, and experience working remotely. 

I’m familiar with the digital product development space and would be comfortable (and happy) illustrating relevant subjects. Before transitioning my primary focus to illustration, I worked for 2 years as a UI/UX designer in Chicago, completing product design projects for One Design, Digital Intent, as a Design Hackstar at Techstars Chicago cohort of 2014 (where I juggled working on 10 companies simultaneously), and independently for various startups. I’ve also completed General Assembly’s Front-End Development course.

I’m a practiced technical illustrator, with 5+ years of experience. Recent projects include an infographic poster for Lyft, a cover feature on artificial intelligence in Think:Act Magazine (for Axel Springer), and numerous science-related projects in collaboration with Sandbox Studio. My clients include US Department of Energy, CERN, SLAC, Fermilab, Japan’s High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Know Your Company, Quanta Magazine, Crack Magazine, Symmetry Magazine, and various startups. 

I also have a seasoned process for remote collaboration, as I’ve primarily worked remotely with all of my clients over the past few years. Although I enjoy the freelance life, I have been looking for the right opportunity to join a home team I can contribute to and grow with.


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Below I’ve outlined how my experience fits the specific demands of the job, with relevant project examples. Based on the role description, I’m addressing the following categories: technical illustration (1), brand illustration (2), branding (3), and presentations (4).



1 - Technical illustration


As a science illustrator, I work with information that might be dense or technical, developing visual concepts for hard-to-visualize things like certain areas of theoretical physics. I believe I can put this experience to good use, particularly for the Toptal Engineering Blog.

Below are a few recent examples of my science-related work for web and print.

Plasma: at the frontier of scientific discovery (US Department of Energy, print)




The Large Hadron Collider cooling system infographic (Symmetry Magazine)



The Large Hadron Collider, cross-section


The DUNE neutrino experiment (Symmetry Magazine)



Exploring the fabric of the universe (International Linear Collider, print)







The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)
 







See more on instagram.




2 - Brand illustration


I’m comfortable illustrating for an existing brand.

Lyft has an internal department for onboarding new drivers and driver support. For a recent project Lyft asked me to create a poster for this department, using illustrations and staff-sourced tips. It was important to communicate the four pillars of conduct (Welcome, Connect, Support, Delight) with respective tips, and the onboarding sequence, while keeping the tone fun and casual rather than oppressive or corporate. The poster is currently in production to be printed in A1 format and displayed in Lyft offices across the US.

I based my design on a style guide shared by Lyft (pictured partially)



Poster



Detail










3 - Branding 


I’ve also developed brands from the ground up and across media contexts. In 2016 I designed logos and visual identity for sister apps Stridekick and Movespring, including a custom illustration style.











4 - Presentations


I’ve made presentations for raising investment, sales, or explanatory purposes. In 2014 I worked as a staff designer at Techstars Chicago, where I created demo day pitch decks for the year’s cohort of startups. CEO Troy Henikoff wrote the following when I asked him for a reference:

"Ana joined us as a Hackstar at Techstars and far exceeded my expectations. She has the perfect balance between perfectionism and getting things done quickly. She worked tirelessly helping our 10 companies prepare for Demo Day and was able to manage all the conflicting priorities and deliver amazing results in a very short time. I look forward to working with her again in the future!”

You can look at some of the animated Keynotes I’ve created in this dropbox folder. I typically worked within the visual language of a given brand.


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Aside from the work I’ve compiled here, you can check out my instagram and other work currently displayed on this website.

As my style expression ranges from technical-minimal to more deconstructed and organic, I’m confident that I could strike the right balance for Toptal conceptually and visually in collaboration with your team. 

This role sounds like a dream job, and I would be thrilled if you consider working with me. 

Sincerely,
Ana


You can email me at ana@anakova.com, and find additional contact details inside my resume.
 
Download my resume (PDF).

Copyright Ana Kova 2024