Chris Blenman

I was born in Barbados (yup, that’s where Rihanna is from) but grew up in New York City for most of my life, before moving to Chicago in 2020. Barbados and New York City are vastly different environments, and I’ve been molded by the cultures of both. I have balanced being around both friendly and laid back people, as well as fast-pace, energetic and diverse people.

After growing up around people of different cultures and backgrounds, I’ve learned the importance of embracing everyone and this is something I value bringing into my designs. Cross-cultural interactions and inclusivity have been consistent in my early life leading into my higher education.

I’m a Syracuse University grad with a Bachelor’s in Architecture, and I spent six years professionally in the architecture world. You’d think designing buildings would be a dream job for someone who loves creativity and solving problems, right? Well, here’s the plot twist: while I adored the creative spark of design concepts and crafting functional, aesthetic solutions, the reality of the job was… let’s just say less than Instagram-worthy.

The day-to-day grind left my creativity feeling like it was trapped, no individuality, no real ownership, and no real aha moments from seeing my hard work come to life. What I really envisioned and loved was the art of creating experiences that solve problems, look appealing, and invoke feelings to occupants.

So, after some soul-searching and digging around the internet, I discovered the world of UX Design. Here was a field where I could channel my design skills into something that truly resonated with me—crafting meaningful, user-friendly experiences. And I’ve been captivated by it ever since.

I found that UX Design combined my design and creative interests while being in the digital world, another interest of mine. As I learned more about it, I noticed similarities between the two industries of Architecture and UX Design. I have familiarity with research to understand context and user needs for a project, a familiarity with utilizing a structured design process, the ability to visualize the design concepts and showcase them as well. I'm excited that I've been able to find another industry where I feel my interests and skills can flourish while being able to solve user problems and improve digital experiences for people.