Hi 👋, I’m Stephen. I build brands that people talk 💬 about; I design things that people love to use📱; I create experiences that connect 🫱🏻🫲🏽. I love ❤️ what I do.
I make things that improve people’s lives. That means understanding how people think & feel, testing early & often to see problems from new angles. I care about clarity, emotional connection, and long-term value. I care about good design, how it works, how it feels, & yes, how it looks.
Design matters. Visual design matters. Taste matters.
I lead with calm & clarity, especially when things get messy. I bring structure to the chaos, ask the right questions, & help teams stay focused on what matters most.
I’m a designer at heart & I care deeply about the craft.
I stay close to the work, rolling up my sleeves to support the team & bring the vision to life. Staying curious, eyes wide open, always looking for the small moments that become a catalyst to better ideas. I take the work seriously, but not myself. I believe design should be thoughtful, collaborative, and occasionally involve snacks.
Also, I tell dad jokes. A lot of them. I think they are funny.
My specs & feeds
My approach to design
How I make great products
Why I am a great Design Leader
A few places I have been.
CIBC. Director of Experience Design
As Director of Experience Design for Secured Banking at CIBC, I lead the design and execution of customer-first digital experiences across Canada and the U.S., ensuring solutions are secure, seamless, and accessible.
I lead and inspire a high-performing multidisciplinary team, fostering innovation and scalability to enhance customer engagement. I introduced the True North Design System to standardize UX/UI across multiple platforms and maintain WCAG compliance. Additionally, I spearheaded a strategic integration of generative AI and machine learning into our experience design, closely collaborating with AI, data science, and engineering teams to conceptualize and prototype innovative solutions.
To streamline workflows and improve governance, I established a dedicated Design Operations function, clearly defining how teams collaborate, execute, and measure impact. I also founded the Experience Design Council, connecting design leaders across the bank to align efforts through shared principles, processes, and governance models.
To elevate usability and trust, I created the "21 CIBC UX Laws," a framework guiding effective and measurable design decisions across all digital properties. Furthermore, I oversaw comprehensive redesigns of native applications and desktop platforms, significantly improving user experience, accessibility, and customer trust.
I spearheaded strategic integration of generative AI and machine learning in both internal and external experience design, collaborating closely with AI, data science, and engineering teams to conceptualize, prototype, and deploy advanced digital experiences.
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Bond Brand Loyalty. Executive Creative Director.
As Executive Creative Director at Bond Brand Loyalty, I led the Creative & Strategy practice, blending human-centered design with advanced data science to craft impactful brand experiences. My role was part management consultant, part agency leader, guiding global rebranding initiatives that delivered comprehensive new design identities and cohesive brand systems.
I directed and inspired a multidisciplinary team of over 75 creatives, strategists, developers, and producers. To drive innovation and foster creativity, I organized quarterly company-wide hackathons, encouraging collaboration and fresh thinking.
I provided strategic leadership across experiential marketing, loyalty design, branding, and advertising, and facilitated Design Thinking workshops to coach clients in leveraging design principles to solve complex business challenges and enrich customer experiences. I also introduced Design Discovery and Rapid Prototype frameworks, significantly enhancing our capability to deliver solutions that deepened client-customer connections.
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Wattpad. Creative Director.
As Creative Director at Wattpad, I played a key role in transforming the startup into a global brand. I led a comprehensive brand refresh and positioning strategy, collaborating closely with business and product teams to clearly define Wattpad’s global identity and elevate its market presence.
I crafted and executed strategic branding initiatives, including positioning, brand strategy, and a global go-to-market approach. Additionally, I designed and implemented partner promotional opportunities integrated seamlessly into the user experience, and closely partnered with PR teams to ensure strategic communication alignment.
My collaboration extended across design and engineering teams, ensuring consistency, quality, and strategic coherence in all brand executions.
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TAXI. National Creative Director TELUS.
As National Creative Director at TAXI, I was instrumental in winning back TELUS’s digital business, leading comprehensive creative initiatives spanning digital, social, broadcast, and experiential channels. I introduced TAXI Accelerator, a responsive social-listening creative team designed to swiftly leverage emerging opportunities and trends.
In 2013, I transitioned to TELUS Labs, spearheading the complete redefinition and redesign of TELUS’s digital ecosystem. My leadership laid critical groundwork for the company's digital transformation, incorporating agile methodologies and sprint practices to boost project delivery, efficiency, and innovation across all digital touchpoints.
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