Octopus Creative
Product design studio with clients including Google, YouTube, PayPal, and Airbnb
The Company
Working at Octopus was a genuine privilege, one of the most talented cross-functional teams I've been part of. This Santa Cruz-based product design studio punched well above its size, with a client roster that included Google, YouTube, PayPal, eBay, Airbnb, and Dropbox. As ACD, I was second-in-command to the Creative Director, managing client strategy and creative delivery across the portfolio, including serving as embedded design lead on experimental technology work for Google, operating inside their team on-site.
The Work
As ACD, I managed client work and strategy for projects ranging from smaller local startups to conceptual design and technology work for Google, YouTube, eBay, and others.
Served as embedded design lead for Google on experimental product work, functioning as a creative and strategic thinkbox for exploring new technologies the company had acquired. Oversaw a cross-functional team of four senior designers, three lead engineers, and four senior engineers.
Key Contributions
- Second-in-command to the Creative Director overseeing a team of 11 designers and engineers
- Embedded design lead for Google on experimental product and technology exploration
- Managed end-to-end client relationships for Google, YouTube, eBay, and others