Our Wripple marketplace is made up of talented professionals from all different backgrounds. Their dedication and passion make all the difference. This month, we are very excited to spotlight the UX Design team Chris and Courtney Morey. As a design team that happens to also be married, they take the adage teamwork makes the dreamwork to a whole new level. Their most recent Wripple work was on the U.S. Marine Corps Account, with Chris, a former Marine, ultimately converting from contractor to take on a full-time role with the team.

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First, tell us a little bit about your background. Where are you both from, and what kind of work do you do?  

Courtney was born and raised in Peachtree City, Georgia but has lived in Atlanta since graduating from Kennesaw State University in 2014. Chris' father was in the Air Force, so he frequently moved as a kid but eventually ended up in Iowa after his dad retired from the military. Following Chris' own service in the Marine Corps, he spent eight years in Chicago at various agencies and startups before moving to Atlanta in 2017 for a new job and was introduced to Courtney by a mutual friend. 

In January 2019, we took a leap of faith and started our own design company, Deux Design Co., where we designed for startups, agencies, and large corporations in various industries.  

What do you love most about your work? 

We are problem solvers who are intentional, detail-oriented, and curious, making us an excellent fit for the job. Creating solutions to complex problems has always been incredibly rewarding for us. We love diving deep into how users think and behave and solving their problems. UX design is also versatile. Each product or company is unique and brings a different challenge, making our job fresh and exciting. 

We love the constant challenge of making something better than when it started and designing products that make people's lives better. Improving a user's experience and seeing a product's growth, knowing we made an impact, is incredibly motivating and fulfilling.  

Wripple was founded to help marketers build successful teams for our on-demand world, e.g. greater flexibility, new working models such as hybrid work. You both represent amazing teamwork in 2 ways … as a married couple and co-workers!  

• Any secrets to your success as a working team that also happens to be married? 
• Any common challenges you encountered working as a freelance team? If so, how did you overcome them? 
  

When people ask us how we do it, we often say with a lot of love, respect, and patience, and ultimately, we both truly enjoyed working together. However, as two passionate people who share honest opinions, we had to ensure we were constantly communicating professionally regardless of our personal relationship. Opposite of that, we had to be intentional not to bring our work life into our personal life. 

Being a married couple and co-workers has been challenging at times but also extremely rewarding. We've always said we're better together, both professionally and personally, and we genuinely believe that. While we are very similar in many ways, our differences balance us out and make us a strong and well-balanced team. We each brought different perspectives to our work and were able to divide and conquer in a way that fulfilled us both.

Your most recent project was with the Marines. With Chris being a former Marine, what did the opportunity to work on this client mean to you? 

Anytime you can find work you are passionate about for a client that shares your values, it's special. I find it incredible to work alongside the Marines again. I think, especially when considering my role in Experience Design, my history provides a unique depth of empathy and understanding. This opportunity has already been rewarding personally and professionally and contains somewhat of a "coming full circle" narrative. 

Chris also decided to hang up the full-time freelancer hat to become a full-time employee dedicated to working on the Marines. What did you consider in making the decision to go full-time?  

Much consideration went into the work and vision for the future of the USMC account. We feel lucky that we were both asked to join the team as contractors before they extended a full-time offer to Chris. During this time, we were both able to experience the incredible team, client, and work this role brought, and we knew that this opportunity was something Chris couldn't turn down. There's obviously a connection with the client, but that isn't always a recipe for success. It had to be a situation where he could see himself engaged for the foreseeable future. 

We've been designing as a pair for almost five years, so it felt like a good time to reevaluate our goals when this opportunity became available. Ultimately, Courtney decided it was time to navigate her path and find work aligned with her interests. It gave us an excellent reason to go through our portfolio of work and evaluate what projects she has enjoyed and would like to do more of.

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If you need you're interested in working with Chris or Courtney, contact your Wripple Client Lead.

If you're not a client, contact us at ClientTeam@wripple.com for any questions or inquiries.