Open to opportunities

Karma Spies

@karmaspies

Message

I lead product, digital and brand design from strategy through delivery for global teams.

South Africa

Message

What I'm looking for

I'm looking to partner with founders and businesses on brand, product and digital design, balancing strategic leadership with hands-on end-to-end delivery across complex digital experiences.

I partner with international founders and businesses as an independent design partner, leading brand, product and digital engagements from strategy and stakeholder alignment through execution and delivery. I've completed 150+ freelance engagements across the UK, US, UAE and South Africa.

At MOHARA Ventures, I designed venture-backed software products including Rock My Wedding, Boardly and Squirreled, leading discovery workshops, UX audits, design systems and high-fidelity Figma prototypes alongside product and engineering teams. At Greenpark, I led creative direction for Lamb Weston EMEA and UI/UX for an enterprise website rebuild.

I've also owned digital design for Shimansky across e-commerce, web, campaigns and social, and led teams at R.O.I Media and World Wide Creative. I combine hands-on craft, creative direction and commercial thinking across FinTech, luxury, commerce and enterprise brands.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Design Lead Product, Digital & Brand

Current

Independent

Jan 2018 - Present (8 years 8 months)

Partnering with international founders and businesses across brand, product and digital design, leading engagements from strategy and stakeholder alignment through execution and delivery.

Brand Strategy Product Thinking UX Strategy Design Leadership Stakeholder Management

Senior Digital Designer

Greenpark

Aug 2025 - May 2026 (9 months)

Served as lead designer on the global Lamb Weston EMEA account, providing day-to-day creative leadership across web, campaigns, social and digital touchpoints. Led UI/UX for an enterprise website rebuild from user journeys through responsive design and developer handover.

Brand Identity UI UX Digital Campaign Design Design Systems Information Architecture Prototyping Design Leadership Team Management Mentorship Creative Direction Stakeholder Management

Senior Visual Designer

Capitec Bank

Sep 2024 - Feb 2025 (5 months)

Delivered high-performing static and dynamic digital campaigns across mobile and personal-finance products, balancing fast-turnaround execution with strict regulatory and brand requirements.

ChatGpt Claude Lovable Airtable Midjourney Human Centered Strategy Art Direction Execution

Senior Product Designer

MOHARA Ventures

Sep 2022 - Apr 2024 (1 year 7 months)

Senior Product Designer on venture-backed software products including Rock My Wedding, Boardly and Squirreled. Led discovery workshops, stakeholder alignment sessions, UX audits and product teardowns, and built scalable design systems and high-fidelity Figma prototypes.

Product Design Design Audits Design Systems Figma Prototyping

Senior Digital Designer, Sole In-house Designer

Shimansky Jewelry

Jul 2021 - Sep 2022 (1 year 2 months)

Served as sole in-house designer across South Africa and New York, owning digital design from concept through delivery across e-commerce, web, campaigns and social. Partnered cross-functionally to maintain a consistent premium brand experience across all digital customer touchpoints.

Digital Design Digital Commerce Web Design Campaign Design Social Media Brand Consistency

Creative Director

Yebocity AB

Apr 2017 - Jun 2018 (1 year 2 months)

Promoted to Creative Director and fourth founding-team member after initially joining as a design partner. Owned creative direction across product UX/UI, brand identity, investor materials and go-to-market assets, and worked directly with founders to shape product strategy.

Creative Direction Brand Identity Investor Materials Go To Market Product Strategy Facilitation Investor Strategy

Head of Design

R.O.I Media

Jul 2014 - Aug 2015 (1 year 1 month)

Managed and mentored a five-person design team, allocated and reviewed creative work, set design direction and owned delivery across digital campaigns and platforms. Worked directly with clients and developers from briefing through implementation.

Team Management Mentorship Creative Direction Review Digital Campaigns Client Management

Senior Art Director, Design Team Lead

World Wide Creative

Mar 2012 - Jun 2014 (2 years 3 months)

Led and mentored a team of four designers while directing creative strategy and digital execution across major client accounts. Partnered directly with clients, developers and internal stakeholders to deliver work from concept through launch.

Team Leadership Mentorship Creative Strategy Digital Execution Client Management Stakeholder Management Concept To Launch