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Joel Wasserman

@joelwasserman

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Aus-based strategic product & brand design leader, 20+ yrs; open to remote & global roles worldwide.

Australia

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What I'm looking for

CDO – owns brand+product vision; VP Brand & Creative Design Director – steers multi-team systems; Head of Design (Seed–A) – leads compact, high-impact crew; Principal Product Designer – early-stage UX; Product Design Lead – hands-on, mentors 1-2; Fractional Brand & Product Consultant – strategic retainers. Sweet spot: fusing brand & product for lean teams.

I’ve spent over two decades in design, leading teams to create digital products that truly make a difference. My journey has taken me through startups, Fortune 500 companies, and rebranding efforts for brands like Yahoo and HoneyBook. I’ve also had the chance to work closely with startups like Milewise and Yup, helping them navigate key milestones like funding and product development.

What drives me is the pursuit of excellence, but not in a robotic way—it’s about being honest with yourself, challenging assumptions, and constantly improving. I’ve learned that the best work comes from collaboration, where open-minded discussions lead to creative solutions. My leadership style, which was shaped by Google’s Rare Creative Leadership Program, is all about building inclusive, supportive teams where people are held accountable, not just for their work, but for doing the right thing, even when it’s tough.

I love digging into complex user problems and aligning design with business goals, always keeping the bigger picture in mind. By working closely with product management, engineering, and marketing, I help ensure that the user experience is seamless and engaging across all touchpoints.

At the end of the day, I want to create products that people love using and that actually move the needle for businesses. I’m always learning and growing, both personally and professionally, and I try to foster that same mindset in the teams I lead.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Product & Brand Design Lead

Current

Keypa

Oct 2024 - Present (9 months)

Guiding Keypa's cross-functional team through brand strategy, product vision and UX delivery. Established design culture, launched lean sprints, built the modular component library, mentored two juniors and delivered a brand platform that lifted pre-launch sign-ups 38 %.

Brand Strategy Product Vision UX Delivery Lean Sprints Modular Component Library Mentoring AI powered Features

Head of Strategic Design

:Different

Apr 2024 - Oct 2024 (6 months)

Partnered with the CEO to pivot prop-tech to a tenant-centred membership model. Validated opportunity through 30+ interviews and prototyped an MVP, securing $4M in bridge funding. Built the first design system and hired two designers.

Strategic Design User Research MVP Prototyping Fundraising Design System Development Talent Acquisition PropTech

Fractional Lead – Strategic Brand Design

HoneyBook

Nov 2022 - Jan 2023 (2 months)

Drove rapid re-brand ahead of international expansion. Led concept boards, external illustrators and logo now used by 100 k+ users; kept delivery within a four-week hand-over.

Strategic Brand Design Illustration Logo Design International Expansion Conceptboard Rebranding

Current

Partner / Co-Founder

Current

Human Relations Studio

Nov 2022 - Present (2 years 8 months)

Launched a boutique strategy-and-identity studio focused on human-first brands. Built the go-to-market plan, recruited a senior collective, and won ten retainers in year one, growing revenue 30% year-over-year. Achieved a 25% lift in client NPS via diagnostic workshops and 40% faster brand-to-product hand-over through a shared token system.

Brand Strategy Identity Design Client Acquisition Revenue Growth NPS Improvement Design System Implementation Go To Market Planning

Head of Design

LandingPad (1835i venture)

Mar 2020 - Dec 2021 (1 year 9 months)

Led a real-estate app from initial concept to an App Store top-10 ranking. Oversaw research, UX, UI, design operations, and agency selection. The app reached 250K downloads and maintained a 4.8-star rating.

Design Leadership Mobile App Development UX UI Design Design Operations User Research Agency Management App Store Optimization

Strategic Advisor

Flyte

Nov 2019 - May 2023 (3 years 6 months)

Served as Fractional CPO for a Gen-Z banking start-up. Crafted vision decks, redesigned onboarding, and ran guerilla research. These efforts doubled weekly activation and underpinned a $15M Series A funding round.

Fractional CPO Product Vision Onboarding Optimization User Research Startup Strategy User Activation Fundraising

Lead Strategic Designer

ANZi New Business Labs

Mar 2019 - Mar 2020 (1 year)

Facilitated C-suite workshops and wrote go-to-market briefs. Produced proof-of-concepts that significantly shaped investment decisions across personal-finance and SMB ventures.

C Suite Facilitation Strategic Design Proof of Concept Development Investment Strategy Financial Services SMB Ventures Go To Market Strategy

Product Design Director

Yup (acquired by Prenda)

Apr 2015 - Jan 2019 (3 years 9 months)

Scaled on-demand tutoring app from MVP to Series A. Led brand, growth, design systems and video explainers; improved tutor match time 70 % and lifted retention to 45 %.

Product Design On demand Tutoring MVP Series A Brand Growth Design Systems Video Explainers

Lead Creative / Design Director

Yahoo

May 2013 - Jun 2014 (1 year 1 month)

Designed Yahoo! Screen for Android tablets and prototyped a celebrity concept for the CEO. Contributed to the Yahoo brand refresh and supported the Flickr print-book launch.

UI UX Design Android Design Prototyping Brand Refresh Creative Direction Print Design

Head of Design

MileWise (acquired by Yahoo)

Aug 2011 - May 2013 (1 year 9 months)

Was the first design hire, successfully shipping iOS & Android apps. Led the re-brand and grew the user base by 400%, which was instrumental in securing the company's acquisition.

Design Leadership Mobile App Development iOS Android Design Rebranding User Growth Acquisition Strategy

Creative / Design Director

Agency Freelance – R/GA, Wieden+Kennedy, AKQA, Sony Music

Dec 2009 - Feb 2012 (2 years 2 months)

Led digital pitches and product concepts for Nike ID, Calvin Klein, Smirnoff, Geico and others; produced award-winning work and honed rapid ideation skills.

Creative Direction Design Direction Digital Pitches Product Concepts Rapid Ideation Award winning Work