Get to know Skedulo: Meet Janu, Skedulo’s new Creative Director
I always grew up around design. My dad was a graphic designer pre-computer era, and I would watch him cut and paste (literally) to create layouts for work.
But after growing up in the Philippines and moving to a little city called Lompoc in California, I discovered a love for design after taking a yearbook class in Cabrillo High School and decided to pursue it.
We didn’t have a lot of money when I finished school, so I started my career the old-fashioned way — learning on the job — which would serve me well as I moved forward in my career. As director Robert Rodriguez would say “I learned how to learn.”
Having been in design for almost 20 years, I worked everywhere from small design agencies to tech companies including Salesforce and Apple. I’ve now spent almost a decade in design roles in the tech space; most recently with a fast-paced start up that grew from 250 people to 1500 people in just 4 years!
It was there that I learned how to build a great design team from grass roots – an experience that I’m excited to draw from as I start my new journey at Skedulo.
Why I decided to join Skedulo
Having come from a fast-growing start up that went public, it felt like the right time for a change. I relocated from the SF Bay Area to Austin, Texas and was excited to find a new challenge.
From some of my earliest conversations with Skedulo I truly got a great feeling about the company and their values – most notably “caring first” which really came through during the interview process.
Aside from looking forward to bringing all the lessons learned in previous roles to my new role, I was particularly drawn to the fact that Skedulo exists to close a gap in a previously under-served market in the tech world (deskless workers). Supporting organizations, and most importantly, people that are out there making an impact is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
As Creative Director, I will be involved in every aspect of our product marketing, recruitment marketing, internal design needs, and so on.
After all these years, my design philosophy is simple:
Clarity + storytelling
Sometimes people say good design has a certain simplicity, but I think the right word is actually clarity. Clarity is vital in design, and you must be able to tell your story in a quick and engaging way. I know in myself that I only engage with marketing that is clear and demonstrates value quickly. So that is exactly what I strive for.
I’m excited to work with Skedulo’s team of designers, who I know have a lot to teach me and I will hopefully impart wisdom to them as well. There’s a very strong foundation here already, and I’m looking forward to helping folks take it to the next level.
You might be surprised to learn…
Where I grew up in the Philippines, people are generally very happy even if they are not financially well off. And although it’s easy to get caught up in day to day stresses, I try to keep that perspective with me and not take anything for granted. I’d like to think I approach life with gratitude and seek ways to maximize every opportunity.
When I’m not working, I try to play basketball every week and am totally addicted to Wordle. If you haven’t heard of it, go check it out…but don’t blame me when you can’t put it down!
As for music, I was born in 1981 so I’m definitely enjoying all the 90s music coming back. Also on repeat is Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) and since Skedulo has Australian roots I’d also like to shout out Australian band Parcels. I hope to have the opportunity to visit Australia one day soon and meet Skedulo’s team down under.
