Arctic
Brand / Identity System / Strategy
I led expression for a new design language, creating translation models connecting nature-inspired concepts to brandX. Through workshops and studio redesign, a third of the team adopted new workflows—improving velocity, quality, and cross-functional thinking.
Overview
Highspot sought to shift its design team from defense to offense—from reactive production to strategic contribution. The initial objective was aligning internal design culture first to enable a cohesive external product experience across 20+ designers.
Year: 2023
Role: Direction and design
Tools: Figma, Midjourney, Runway ML, Adobe Suite, Local Library
NDA: Yes, omitted confidential components
Problem
Design required frameworks to translate abstract brand vision into actionable decisions, prevention of inconsistency across product, analytics, activation, and events.
Solution
I led the discovery phase of the new design language, focusing on sustainable adoption. My approach centered on three pillars:
- Frameworks: Created translation models connecting nature-inspired concepts (celestial navigation, supraglacial hydrology, ocean wave dynamics) to product states and brand UX—giving designers a shared language for decision-making.
- Workshops: Facilitated collaborative sessions enabling designers to ask, build and extend the language independently, ensuring ownership beyond my involvement.
- Environment: Redesigned the physical studio space to embody the nature-inspired approach—using immersion to shift outlook and working methodology.
- Deliverables included principle guidelines, workshop materials, and leave-behind artifacts that reinforced adoption.
Impact
The work reshaped how a third of the team operated day-to-day. Design velocity and quality improved. Designers gained confidence implementing strategic design direction and contributing to brand evolution across all touchpoints vs specific silos. The language became a living guide—owned and evolved by the team.
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