Brandon Smith
Hey there —
I'm Brandon Smith, a multi-disciplinary designer and strategist who loves unearthing clarity from complexity.
I'm currently the Lead UX Strategist at Indy in Los Angeles.
Crafting a voice and tone guide that influenced the brand and content strategy of a global business.
I'm still working on a couple of portfolio pieces. These things don't write themselves.
Leading the strategy behind the redesign of four separate company websites into a single ecosystem.
Redefining a brand, website and marketing strategy by drawing on a century of service.
How I led the design strategy behind our ecosystem of 4 corporate websites.
How I architected and designed a platform consisting of 7+ products that helped us improve the speed, quality, and visibility of the services we provide our media clients.
How I drew upon a 100 year legacy to modernize the Torrance Chamber's brand.
Brandon was the first hire I made into my team—and every day after I was reminded how lucky I was to have him on our team. As a designer Brandon brings a natural affinity for storytelling, a photographer's eye for visuals, a trained editorial voice, and a sensitive and thoughtful empathy for his users. He carved out a unique spot on our team as the person who could handle the odd projects—the ones that had no clear path to success or completion—and find a way to thrive. He is highly collaborative, and sought out ways to learn from his teammates but also found ways to teach what he knew. He is a gift to any UX team, and I was lucky to work with him.
Brandon became a subject matter expert on every product he touched, I always believed that a UX strategist should be just as involved and knowledgeable as any product owner. He embedded himself with the teams he worked with and was always an invaluable asset. So much in fact, product owners would fight for his time and his talent. A good leader once told me that the key to leadership success was to place absolute trust in the people you lead. Give them direction, but let them lead you. Brandon led me more than he knew. He's a kind person, a hard worker, a brilliant designer and a friend.
I really do believe that Brandon is one in a million. He's constantly learning, growing, and teaching. He's innovative, helpful and kind. I literally saw Product Managers fight over him as a resource (this is not an exaggeration)! If a fellow visual designer wasn't around, I knew I could count on Brandon for feedback that would always make my designs 100x better as he has a detailed and seasoned eye, and phenomenal taste. He makes every team he's on better, and I can't recommend him enough.
