I joined Creative Market, a former YCombinator startup, during a period of transition.

The company had experienced rapid growth, an acquisition by Autodesk, and a subsequent spin-out. As a “re-startup,” Creative Market faced challenges in evolving its identity and reversing initial decline. The design team had taken the brunt of this dynamic period. Attrition had drawn the team down to only one designer and, naturally, that designer was overwhelmed and constantly “playing defense.” The team needed a new direction aligned with the company’s revised organizational and business goals.

As the new design leader, my role encompassed three key areas: craft, infrastructure, and personal development.

I was responsible for stabilizing and growing the design practice, which initially consisted of one direct report, a Product Designer.

To revitalize the design team and align it with Creative Market’s new direction:

  1. Expanded the team by hiring a Senior Product Designer.
  2. Established regular critique sessions, team workshops, and 1:1 meetings.
  3. Implemented objective-based critique in feedback sessions.
  4. Transitioned the team from Sketch to Figma, enhancing collaboration and reducing costs.
  5. Developed long and short-term personal development plans for each team member.
  6. Introduced design facilitation techniques like sketching sessions.
  7. Aligned the team on a mobile-first design process.
  8. Initiated and grew a design system to improve our process and collaboration with engineering.
  9. Refined the hiring process, position leveling, and core operations.
  10. Facilitated a workshop to define guiding principles and values for the team.

These actions led to significant improvements in the design team’s performance, morale, and contribution to Creative Market’s product experience.

We established a set of principles (Service, Clarity, Respect, Inclusion) and values (Act Intentionally, Serve users, Collaborate, Focus on problems, Communicate honestly) that guided our work. The alignment on these principles, values, and processes enabled the design team to have an outsized impact on the business, helping navigate through the challenges of 2020 and beyond. Our revitalized design practice played a crucial role in Creative Market’s evolution and success as a re-startup.