Carlos Herrera

Design director & creative leader

  • Experience

    Curioso  Chicago, IL             09/19-Present                      

    Design Director

    • Oversee, develop and supervise design for a broad spectrum of guest-experience-centered venues from 5-star, resorts and luxury boutique hotels, fine dining to fast-casual restaurants and retail environments.

    • Lead multi-disciplinary design teams across the US and Mexico with a collaborative, solution-oriented focus.

    Starbucks  Chicago, IL             07/17-09/19                     

    Senior Store Concepts Designer

    • Collaborate with creative director to develop forward thinking design, experiences and ideation to concepts projects 

    • Design environments/stores within parameters of individual store budgets and market requirements with alignment from Construction and Real Estate teams

    • Drive the engagement, development and performance of all members of our team

    Curioso  Chicago, IL             01/16-07/17

    Senior Designer

    • Collaborate with studio director to evolve overall design aesthetic of hospitality projects 

    • Lead project design teams under the general direction of studio design director

    • Develop custom furniture and lighting layouts for restaurants, bars and hotels

    • Lead multiple national and international design teams and projects


    Starbucks  Chicago, IL 12/14-01/16

    Store Designer

    • Oversaw the implementation of interior design solutions for store design projects from concept stage through installation

    • Produce design drawings including; plans, elevations, 3D perspectives

    • Managed the production of construction documents by internal and external designers and consultants

    Studio K Creative  Chicago, IL 03/14-12/14

    Project Designer/Manager

    • Conceptualize and lead projects design teams under the general direction of studio design director

    • Develop furniture and lighting layouts for restaurants, bars and hostels

    • Design and develop custom millwork, casegoods and furniture

    • Produce design drawings including; elevations, sections, construction details and schedules

    The Gettys Group  Chicago, IL 11/06-3/14

    Project Designer

    • Conceptualize and design a project under the general direction of the senior team member with minimal supervision. 

    • Prepare drawings for schematic design, design development and construction documents

    • Correspond and coordinate with consultants throughout design and construction process

    • On-site construction administration on both domestic and international projects


    Cannon Frank, A Design Corporation  Chicago, IL 11/05-11/06

    Design Assistant

    • Assist Senior Designers with all aspects of the design process from concept to completion. 

    • Produce perspective renderings of designs for client approval. 

    • Established AutoCAD standards for the entire office, improving efficiency and cut down time in which AutoCAD drawings were produced. 

    Wallin/Gomez Architects Ltd.  Chicago, IL 2/05-11/05

    Intern Architect

    • Produce complete construction document sets (site plans, floor plans, elevations, sections, details) on AutoCAD for residential and commercial projects

    • Interface with clients and consultants

    International Academy of Design and Technology  Chicago, IL 1/05-1/10

    Adjunct Faculty

    • Teach Drafting, Rendering, Furniture Design, Intro to Interior Design and Space Planning classes

    • Establish and maintain positive relationships with students and colleagues, promoting and environment of open communication

    Edward Fields Inc.  Chicago IL 4/03-2/05

    Artist

    • Work in collaboration with architects, designers and sales team to create custom carpet designs for commercial, hospitality and residential projects

    • Produce carpet sketches and watercolor painted renderings for client approval


    Freelance Artist/Renderer 2002-Present

    • Produce perspective renderings for interior designers and design firms. 

    • Media include; marker, watercolor, pencil and photorealistic digital rendersl 

    Education International Academy of Design and Technology 

    Bachelors of Fine Arts in Interior Design - 2003

    Affiliations LEED® AP

    Technical AutoCAD 

    Skills       

    • SketchUp 3D Modeling

    • Enscape Renders

    • Adobe InDesign

    • Adobe Photoshop

    • Asana Project Management 

    • Bluebeam Revu

    • CAD programs (Autocad, vectorworks) 


    Languages

    English & Spanish - Fluent