Resume
Abigail Sarah Brody
Contents
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I’m a designer, inventor, and innovator, and brand expert. I spent over 20 years at Apple, PayPal, Huawei Consumer, and other firms imagining and creating some of the world’s most beloved consumer products, including groundbreaking software for the Macintosh, iPad, iPhone, and the iCloud ecosystem. I’m best known for being part of the effort that invented the original user interface and interactions on the iPhone, and I led the design and development of Apple’s software for audio, photos, and video. I am named an inventor on Apple’s patents. My work’s DNA defines how the world interacts with technology and is driven by my insistence on putting the human experience front and center in the design process.
My focus is always: humans first. I start every project with the belief that essentially, the best design gets out of people’s way and that you can craft delightful and unforgettable experiences by keeping things simple and obsessing over the details.
Abigail ‘Abi’ Brody
mindful design leadership
I’m a recognized design executive, innovator, and expert for digital consumer lifestyle, ecosystems, and brands. I’m radically committed to developing change and working with visionary companies and pioneers in the fastest moving industries and making change relevant, exciting, and possible and creating better solutions for tomorrow to exploring and unleash their full potential. They are currently driving change in stealth, digital lifestyle, and flying cars.
This resume and included material is confidential and intended for the recipient specified only. It is strictly forbidden to share any part of this resume with any third party, without a written consent of Abigail Brody. Please contact me for questions.
Experience
Abi Brody
Owner 1996 - current
Currently consulting for diverse clients: BIG Capital (fund by Bitexco), Bitexco Properties, KPCB, Nacero, Nanoscent, Nuria Beauty, GoogleX, Dean Ornish, Skai by Alaka’i, Wondros — a creative collective founded by Jesse Dylan. Currently Head of design for YOU.com. Previous design engagements include projects with venture funds like BIG Capital (by Bitexco), KPCB, product design, UX and branding for clients like Skai, Nanoscent, Nuria, Helix, Montage Studio (now Tenefit (Kaazing)), Dean Ornish, Wondros — a film, media, production, and creative agency by Jesse Dylan.
As Head of design for YOU.com, a SuSea Inc. Website, I provide a creative vision for the design team and the whole organization. In addition, I establish processes and practices for realizing the vision for YOU.com and set the bar for quality.
I helped to design the vehicle from idea (concept and technology only) to the final functional prototype.
Skai is the world’s first VTOL to be powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Lead creative strategy for vehicle and ux design, as well as branding. Hired and managed a talented team (BMW Designworks) for product design and a PR agency to execute the project from vision to launch. The vehicle has garnered a lot of attention in the media, e.g. Wired and has been exhibited at BMW’s Next Gen event in June 2019.
SKAI by Alaka’i and BMW Designworks
Quoori is an ever-growing global team of visionaries, designers, engineers, and marketers working to build a new kind of humanized digital operating system, with an executive team that brings experience from leading technology companies.
Created business idea, concept and demo.
Built global 30+ team — from scratch: hired world-class executive team, CEO, CTO and other gifted individuals with Uber, Adobe, Pixar and Samsung backgrounds.
Secured Seed Funding of 1 Million.
Secured Series-A funding (20 million).
Teaser hero to attract Aura’s first hires
quoori, inc. (stealth)
Built a company from 0. This 30+ all-star global team (from Adobe, Uber, Essential, Samsung) is responsible for all go-to-market activities for Quoori including all x-functional development across the org, this team develops all product development itself, ensuring a seamless experience from all touch points in the eco-system.
more…
Huawei Consumer
Chief Designer + VP
2015 - 2017
During her role as Global Chief Designer and VP, her job was to simplify Huawei consumer’s entire design ecosystem. Working across all of Huawei’s business groups, this effort led to the redesign and rebrand driven by the design charter — design that’s driven by people’s intentions.
Quick Links
Huawei Portfolio Pieces
www.consumer.huawei.com
www.huawei.com
Worked across all of Huawei’s business groups and Huawei consumer’s entire design ecosystem, including phones (Honor, P-Series, and Mate-Series with Leica®) and Porsche®, laptops, tablets, wearables, audio, EMUI, and cloud-based solutions, AI, AR, VR, and accessories.
Effectively communicated UX and design strategies to CEO Richard Yu, and other relevant executive personnel.
Restructured, aligned, and engage the creative team in vision striving for excellence delivering on strategic goals and programs. 100+ strong in China, the US, and Europe; collaborated with cross-functional teams including engineering, business, marketing, and external design agencies.
Defined capabilities and configured resources according to business and customer needs and -segments and set up a brand-new high-profile R&D design team in San Francisco.
Used customer insights, audits, research, and analytics to develop brand-new UX and visual direction, and guidelines.
Selected and worked with outside vendors.
Cultivated the creative team fostering an environment of creativity and innovation.
Participated in brainstorming exchange and presentations of new ideas/concepts with close collaboration with design, product development, engineering, PR, and the executive leaders.
Orchestrated the redesign and relaunch EMUI (5.0 and after); devised a strategy to make the user experience and design system more coherent, intuitive, and delightful.
Oversaw and developed all UX, visual design, copywriting, and implementation activities for EMUI 5.0 to ensure quality results within budget and time constraints
Created vital presentations, including all keynotes for CEO Richard Yu.
Developed a departmental budget plan for each quarter.
Revised Huawei’s wordmark and brand.
Created brand anthem movie ‘Dream it possible’ in cooperation with Wondros.
Launched Mate and P-series with Leica® globally.
Led ‘New Aesthetics’ Masterclass at CSM (Central Saint Martin’s in London)
Reported and presented to senior executive management, CEO Richard Yu and President Wang Chenglu; owned bold design vision; oversaw product design and R&D in key areas for best-in-class consumer lifestyle products, including phones (Honor, P-Series, and Mate-Series with Leica®) and Porsche®, laptops, tablets, wearables, audio, EMUI, and cloud-based solutions, AI, AR, VR, and accessories.
Huawei Consumer got more friendly and sophisticated in 2015 and after…
A movie we created to document the team’s creative spirit.
Googlex
Head of Design – 2015
Head of Global Design and User Research at Google X’s first spin out leading a small but world-class start-up team responsible for creating meaningful and cohesive end-to-end experiences through a deep understanding of PayPal’s customers and exceptional design.
As the first company to emerge from Google X, HELIXRE leads the charge to bring ‘digital twinning’ to all. Led the entire design ecosystem and introduced the best design practices to the company. Working across all teams, this effort led to the redesign and rebrand of their identity and web landing page and an explainer video to attract investors and partners.
PayPal
VP Global Design – 2011 - 2012
Vice President of Global Design and User Research at PayPal leading a team responsible for creating meaningful and cohesive end-to-end experiences through a deep understanding of PayPal’s customers and exceptional design.
Quick Links
Simplified PayPal’s entire design ecosystem and introduced ‘mobile-first’ best practices to the company. Working across all of PayPal’s business groups, product, software, point of sale, facilities, and branding, this effort led to the redesign and rebrand of PayPal, driven by the design charter — a design-driven by a brand that’s all about trust and people. Drove unprecedented customer loyalty and profit growth through the definition and delivery of world-class consumer products, technical and online experiences. Restructured and managed multi-disciplinary design team and program — 300+ employees with studios based in the Americas, EMEA, China, India, and Brazil; collaborated with cross-functional teams including engineering, business, marketing, and external design agencies. Created Target Operation Model (TOM) and reengineered and streamlined UX practice from reactive, bulky, 300 strong to a proactive, streamlined, +/-100 practitioner strong internal agency/consultancy. Co-sponsored a “Mobile First,” Lean UX / Agile delivery methodologies. Advocated for a “Global Always” product development methodology taking into account requirements from all regions, including the Americas, EMEA, China, India, and Brazil. Co-sponsored the reengineering of many PayPal products in the consumer and merchant space, across all platforms, and the rebranding of the PayPal brand identity in cooperation with Yves Béhar’s Fusionproject consultancy firm.
We created a brand and experience for the mobile age
Apple, Inc.
Creative Director – 2001 - 2010
Abi was part of the tight-knit design leadership team that introduced the world to Apple’s most iconic lifestyle products. As Creative Director, Hiring Manager of Apple’s Professional Applications, iCloud, application research and design (R&D) at Apple Abi led a team responsible for creating meaningful and cohesive end-to-end experiences within Apple’s eco-system.
Quick Links
Apple.com
Apple Portfolio Gallery
Apple iPhone
Apple R&D and ProKit
Apple Pro Apps
Apple Photos
Apple iCloud
Apple Creative
As one of Apple’s first designers in the newly established Applications division (2001), I was tasked with inventing a new look and feel for Apple. The result was Apple’s original signature look & feel for Apple’s first and comprehensive application design language for Photo, Video, Audio, and other productivity apps; iOS (for the launch of the iPhone in 2007); iCloud for Web and mobile and many others. This new look and feel defined many of Apple’s products; until today, it is defining Apple’s core design DNA (2021). Developed and designed numerous projects and products for the Apple developer ecosystem — as an individual product designer and as both a creative director and a hiring manager. Achieved a track record of consistently delivering groundbreaking products that helped redefine the way Apple’s applications look and feel. An entrepreneurial, hands-on design approach and ability to build and lead teams that execute consistently. Under my design direction and cross-functional partnerships with company executives, product management, marketing, engineering, and quality assurance, she enabled Apple to conceive and ship more than a dozen different products, including foundation software for Mac OS X/ ProKit, MobileMe, iPhone, Aperture (now: Apple Photos), Final Cut X, Logic Pro. Played a key role in creating new projects from inception and prototyping through the formal proposal, executive review for funding, development, and launch, e.g., iPhone’s iOS1. At Apple, Abigail excelled in working with both the executive management and designers of any level for research and development, creative direction for user experience and interaction design, visual interface design, user interface control design, branding (packaging, merchandising, application icon design) and content design: books, websites, themes, templates and asset libraries for Apple’s applications. Several awarded and pending patents with Apple for products like the iPhone, iPod, and numerous applications.
I joined Apple during an exciting and fast-paced phase in its organizational transformation when Steve Jobs had returned to Apple, and Apple was being saved from going bankrupt. I started with a passion for taking on complex problems and designing elegant, simple solutions that surprise and delight users. Apple provided my team and me with unparalleled opportunities and resources to create experiences that influence the industry and people’s lives. By continually focusing on people, we have been creating amazing products to look at and intuitive and useful to billions of people worldwide. Since my work at Apple, I have been committed to making each human interaction — visual, audial, and haptic — to be a yardstick of excellence.
As a lover of the humanities, science, technology, and design, I explored aesthetics and philosophy, quantum physics, and human experience and performance since graduate school. It helped me understand just how much design can make technology more approachable and usable. Today, I bring this passion to my work as a design executive -leader, and entrepreneur.
For every product or experience, I consider how the hardware and software design influences the human experience. For example, for wearables, like a watch, I obsess over details like how the product fits the wrist and how easy it is to put on and take off, and that there aren’t any sharp edges. On the iPhone, we worked to ensure that the interface and Multi-Touch display both respond to the user intent, no matter how the device is being held or what light conditions a person is in.
While design is more than the way something looks, I, and the designers I typically work with, work with understanding how design defines the entire experience. My emphasis on fit, comfort, and performance is a big reason nothing else looks or feels like a product crafted with great care and intent, like an Apple product, for instance.
Apple University
As part of my role at Apple, I was required to attend Apple’s internal management training program, led by Apple senior executives. At the time, both for Senior Vice President of Applications Sina Tamaddon and Apple’s Chief Talent Officer presided Apple’s management training program. The program was created to teach employees about Apple’s company culture and educate them about its history, mainly as the company grew and the tech business changed. Courses were exclusively designed for newly minted hiring managers and the “Apple Top 100” team, and other executive leaders, which is why I was enrolled.
Apple’s drive can be seen in many of Apple’s endeavors today, including its product marketing and the design and ergonomics of its mouse and many other products “The Bull,” a series of 11 lithographs of a bull that Picasso created over about a month, starting in late 1945. In the early stages, the bull has a snout, shoulder shanks, hooves, and shading, but those details vanish over the iterations. The last image is a curvy stick figure that is still unmistakably a bull.
Taking a cue from Picasso, Apple has religiously embodied the notion that function and beauty come from elegant simplicity. Teachers in its internal training program sometimes point to a collection of Picasso lithographs that artfully illustrate the drive to boil down an idea to its most essential components.
Sampling of work
From the first iPhone, to flying cars and everything in between, Abi has touched our world in many ways. Check out her work here or learn the story for each image by clicking on it.
Experience
Proven ability in winning in emerging market segments, particularly consumers. Strong working knowledge of hardware and software technologies, including cloud services, and developer platforms, especially Mac OS.
Expertise leading a digital first and consumer product, with an emphasis on developing next gen technologies that drive and shape consumer habits. Demonstrated ability to transform a culture; lead through influence; develop talent and DRIs, build engagement; and, partner across engineering, marketing and other teams.
History collaborating with cross-functional teams, engineering and marketing teams and ability to integrate customer requirements. Proven experience translating products’ technical advantages into marketing differentiators — and vice-versa.
Thrives in growth environments and managing international, large scale projects, budgets, and operations. Ability to predict market trends and focus on high-impact initiatives that capitalize on future opportunities.
Demonstrated success delivering business value through applying best design practices and innovative problem solving techniques.
Entrepreneurial, hands-on, getting things done mindset, with the ability to be an influencer, driver and change agent in an organization. DRI in many situations: proven ability to lead and make executive decisions without a direct line of authority.
Expertise
I know computers and software — inside and out.
I’m an expert in a range of mobile software and smartphone platforms: Android, iOS, iPhone, and Microsoft.
I’m highly experienced in Internet and web: As the complexity of Internet & Web applications have increased, a new generation of cutting-edge apps and sites are now providing richer, more dynamic features. While many Web applications continue to rely on a traditional 3-tier, database-driven backend, the state of the art has evolved dramatically.
I am skilled in working with digital multimedia: JPEG, MP3, MPEG, Flash, and digital rights management (DRM).
I have years of in-the-trenches experience with both consumer electronics, personal devices and eco systems
I have designed, implemented, and analyzed applications built on top of a variety of database technologies: MySQL, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, XML, and BigTable.
I excel in creating keynote presentations for both corporate executives (Apple, Huawei, PayPal, etc.) and myself.
Hans-on expertise with all modern software and technology
A design expert, digital native with a penchant for driving new services and products for consumer and enterprise markets. Leader at massive scale with the sophistication to work across legacy businesses. 20+ years design, branding and product experience management expertise including talent and staff development, primarily for digital and mobile products and additionally, for industrial design and branding, Abi’s work resides at the intersection of humanism and technology. She is an alumna from Apple where she was instrumental during the company’s most transformative decade (2001-2011). She got her B.A. in Communication Design at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, has been working on the leading edge of design, starting in print media, branding and “multimedia” on CD-ROMs, and then shifted her focus to software and mobile applications and the Web, and now design of entire eco-systems and beyond. She has been focusing on digital product design because she sensed early in the mid 1990s that computers and software needed a human touch, and realized that both her analytic and highly aesthetically-driven approach to problem-solving has been ideally suited to address today’s challenges. The arc of her career has been one of expanding scale and scope – from user flows, information architecture, interface design and visual design, to strategies and systems, and now to the companies and organizations in which they reside. Throughout, she has been always fortunate to have talented people at the center of her work, sensitive to how and what is being built and shipped fits into the broader context of people’s lives. How does the experience evolve over time, through entire life cycles? How does it cross channels, devices, and delivery platforms? What are the human and technological components, and how can they be orchestrated to deliver great experiences that become guideposts for excellence? The frontier for user experience is now organizational design — how do you shape and operate cross-functional teams to best serve customers?
Background
Art Center College of Design
Education
BA 1995 w. Honors 9th Term Honors (Computer Graphics). Abi was also admitted to the Digital Media MBA program at Art Center. She didn’t complete her Masters program, since launching her own company and working for Apple was more compelling to her. Prior to Art Center, she studied classical voice and music. She’s always been growing her mind, senses and eye — through exposure to great masterpieces in music, literature, art and design.
Abi’s sweet spot is simply put: Life
Focus
While many people think that Abi’s sweet spot was the so-called domain of ‘consumer‘ electronics, which is a terrible word by the way, consumer, that is, Abi designs for humans, which is why her spectrum is so broad. Her work has been touching ‘Lifestyle’ + Enterprise, Entertainment, Media, Retail, Search, Payments, Finance, Wellness, Healthcare, Education, Publishing and many more. More about Abi’s work.
From wearables to flying cars, Abi has done it all
Expertise
I have a broad, so-called T-shaped expertise, especially for digital media and communication design. I’ve done work in/ for: Advertising Graphic Design + Branding; Media/ Editorial Design; Typography; Film; Illustration, Photography + Imaging; Environmental Design; Industrial + Product Design; Transportation Systems + Design — as needed, I bring expertise of others.
Years spent designing
25 Years since graduation from Art Center College of Design. 2O years as hiring manager or “head” of design in both the US and EU as well as Asia, always either leading or building teams of multidisciplinary designers and creatives successfully making products and experiences that integrate seamlessly into human lives.
10 Years with Apple: during Apple’s most transformative years between 2000 - 2011, I would meet and work with/for Steve and other execs to lead many projects, including Apple’s app design system with style guides, visual design languages, interaction patterns and information design standards that influenced Apple’s look & feel for many years to come.
5+ Years experience working in Asia, especially India, China and South-East Asia (Vietnam + Singapore). Since 2011, bringing global customer obsession into product thinking and making, acting as the voice and advocate of the customer and building inclusive experiences all people will love.
Where Abi has been
Abi’s global education gave her the tools, perspective, and inspiration for navigating a changing world.
Lived and worked all over the world, especially Europe, Americas and Asia.
Lived and worked all over the world, especially Europe, Americas and Asia.
Lived
Born & Raised
Europe
Travelled & Lived
Americas (USA; Brazil); Caribbean; • Asia (China; Vietnam South Korea; Singapore); India; • Europe (Germany; Austria; Switzerland; Italy; Spain; United Kingdom; Poland; other EU countries); • New Zealand; Fiji Islands; Hawaii; Gran Canaria Island
Worked
Worked
Europe • Americas: USA (Mostly Silicon Valley; California; New York City; Seattle; Los Angeles); Brazil; • Europe; Asia; India;
Skills (In-depth)
Design Leadership
Drive world-class design and branding for digital consumer products, experiences and innovation projects for both, Fortune 500 companies and start-ups by leveraging and/ or building in-house talent and/or select, recruit and art direct agencies. Integrate with cross-functional teams including engineering, business, marketing and external partners.
Lead a highly motivated and collaborative team to develop a culture that drives innovation and strategic growth, taking calculated risks. Create compelling revenue results via moving the needle in desired customer segments.
Strategically utilize customer insights, research and analytics to understand market dynamics; trends; size; segmentation; customer needs; applicable and emerging technologies; and the competitive landscape. Define the capabilities and resources necessary to meet the needs of the organization. Build/create/modify solutions and configure according to business and customer needs and -segments. Ensures organization goals are met with minimal disruptions to the business and/or customers
High comfort level with ambiguity and fluidity; ability to lead a team in a rapidly changing environment, achieving quality results.
Management
Lead a highly motivated and collaborative team to develop a culture that drives innovation and strategic growth, taking calculated risks.
Drive team to meet all timelines of releases, following quarterly goals (OKRs) and strategies. Strategize and prioritize on product and/or feature concept creation and strategy to build a pipeline of innovative products/design and/ or branding services.
Oversee ongoing initiatives across Agile, Device and Transformation initiatives. Conduct meetings with potential and existing stakeholders to establish strong working relationships. Attend and represent organization at conferences, events and summits.
Ability to communicate complex concepts in a manner that is understood by any audience. Exceptional executive leadership skills, including decision-making, problem-solving and communications skills.
Demonstrated track record of building world-class design and branding teams by recruiting, retaining and promoting exceptional talent in a fast paced and aggressive growth environment.
Design Operations
Manage a company’s enterprise-wide design organization for digital platforms, applications and products, from concept to launch and maintenance and evolution.
Define processes for design and innovation of products and services, including excellent leadership for sign-off processes and methodologies. Analyze reports and customer feedback, and develop action plans designed to increase productivity and operations efficiency.
Energetic, flexible, collaborative and proactive — a team leader who can lead both strategic and tactical initiatives. Strong expertise and experience with all levels of management.
Education
BA Communication Design with Honors
Education
Education
Art Center College of Design (Pasadena)
BA Communication Design with Honors, 1995; 9th Term Honors award. Mentor: Paul Rand († 1996).
Skills + Languages
Design Leadership, Management and Talent “magnet”; modern methodologies, software and products. Obsessed with attention to detail, type, grids and aesthetics. Fluent in English and German.
References
Dan Walker (Former Chief Talent Officer, Apple); Vu Quang Hoi (Chairman Bitexco + Big Capital; Erik Spiekermann + Susanna Dulkinys Edenspiekermann. Jesse Dylan, Wondros.
Abi, Marion and Paul, 1994
Abi has been very lucky that she had the chance to learn firsthand from the late Paul Rand and his wife Marion. Abi met Paul in 1994 when he toured her Swiss campus of Art Center College of Design. Paul taught a class to some of the students. Abi had the honor to escort him around campus and film him (see below). Eventually, he invited Abi to stay and work with him in his home and studio in Weston, Connecticut. If Paul would not have passed away in 1996, Abi would have lived and stayed with Paul as his design apprentice for a while following her graduation from Art Center. When she asked him why he believed in her and her work, he tipped with his index finger on the tip of her nose and said: “…because you have the spirit!”
IBM poster by Paul Rand
Paul Rand (born Peretz Rosenbaum; August 15, 1914 – November 26, 1996) was an American art director and graphic designer, best known for his corporate logo designs, including the logos for IBM, UPS, Enron, Morningstar, Inc., Westinghouse, ABC, and NeXT. He was one of the first American commercial artists to embrace and practice the Swiss Style of graphic design.
Paul Rand
The video has been edited in 2010 to test Apple imovie using footage from 1994. THe footage was filmed by Abigail Brody who followed Paul around when he visited the Art Center College of Design campus in Switzerland.
In her own words
Influences
What shaped me.
You are the sum of the experiences that you have from meeting other people who teach you a thing or two. I am infinitely grateful that I’ve met the kindest mentors and people in my life who helped me to become who I am.
My life and work has been always defined what has been shaping me and vice-versa: while there were many events that had an influence on me, I’ve shaped things in this world, too. For instance, I’ve had been at Apple for a decade, helping to introduce the world to digital photo, video and music editing applications, the look & feel of the first iPhone, a seamless mobile experience with iCloud and other digital media breakthroughs that have become staples of our day-to-day lives. I owe a lot to my education at Art Center College of Design in the arts and sciences, which helped me to become both tech-savvy and develop an obsession for details — a contemporary apprentice of Leonardo daVinci (Renaissance Man) and designer who has profound respect of both the humanities (that study all aspect of human society and culture) and scientists/engineers. I am an ambidextrous, left brain & right brain hybrid. While I was drawn to computers the moment I was introduced to them during my studies at Art Center, I’ve always been focusing on the Arts and Humanities. I learned early — via my mentor Paul Rand, that “[…] without aesthetic, design is either the humdrum repetition of familiar clichés or a wild scramble for novelty. Without the aesthetic, the computer is but a mindless speed machine, producing effects without substance. Form without relevant content, or content without meaningful form.” For ten years, from concept to launch and multiple iterations, I have been overseeing Apple’s productivity and editing product suites, including Photos, Video and Audio — Aperture, FinalCut Pro X, and Logic, respectively, and was frequently brought to key initiatives and projects, especially when they were still highly confidential projects — guarded with codenames and hidden in secret office locations only accessible with a badge. As both product design lead and hiring manager of the professional applications design department, I oversaw both visual interface and user experience design teams — long before UX became a term, multi-disciplinary creative teams that handled design, production, and engineering relations as well as product marketing and packaging design. And while I never imagined this future when I started out as an undergraduate at Art Center College of Design, I arrived at ArtCenter (Europe) in Switzerland in the spring of 1992, ready to set an expansive agenda for my undergraduate education in a BA, Communication Design, with the goal for making sure that no matter what I’d do, it should become a yard stick of excellence.
I was drawn to Art Center in part because it was one of the first design colleges to have a full academic program dedicated to an inter-disciplinary, hands-on approach taught by successful professionals — the best in their respective field. The classes I enrolled in combined traditional graphic design, Swiss typography, calligraphy, editorial design, branding, film, advertising, packaging design, industrial design, digital media, computer science and -graphics. I graduated in Communication Design in 1995 and was awarded a 9th Term Honors with a focus on digital media, and sought out electives in literature, film, psychology, and sociology. The integration of numerous disciplines is one of the things that has made me successful over the years, being able to bridge the tech world and the design world. After graduating from Art Center College of Design, I cofounded an Internet venture in 1998 which had been funded by a former, late CEO of Apple, which eventually, after the DotCom bust in 2000 let to call from Apple where I landed a role at the company’s newly founded, fledgling applications department headed by Sina Tamaddon at the time. At the time, Robert Kondrk and Will Stein and also Sina were my most supportive mentors and managers. Dan Walker led the Apple University training that lasted weeks and was designed and exclusive for newly minted managers and leaders at Apple. I learned more at Apple than I never could at any MFA program at the time. Under Kondrk, I helped introduce best practices and principles, and I helped hire the department’s initial design talent that under my and my peer’s leadership launched many wildly successful products, including Emmy-award winning video editing ‘FinalCut Pro X’, Grammy award winning ‘Logic’ and ‘Garageband’, the first ‘iPod’, “.Mac.’ and others — breakthroughs that changed the way people create, experience, and share photos, videos and music. This kind of work helped make Apple the iconic company that it is today. Tying together aesthetics, desires, art and technology is what I continue to do. It’s extending that idea so it becomes designing software that not only takes into account the content creator — the artist, the writer, the film maker, photographer or the musician, but also the audience — in a meaningful and respectful way. In essence, the sum is larger than its parts.