The Trojan Horse: Product Design Disguised as Creative Direction

In the tech world, titles are currency. Recruiters scan for "UX Designer," "Product Designer," or "Interaction Lead." If the keywords don't match the chronology, the resume often gets passed over.

But titles are often lagging indicators of the work.

Looking back at my career, my resume says Creative Director and Art Director. But the actual work—the daily grind of solving problems, building systems, and shipping software—has always been Product Design.

I just didn't have the luxury of the label.

The Myth of the Pure Creative

There is a misconception that Creative Directors only care about the "wrapper"—the marketing, the gloss, the vibe. But in the high-stakes environments I’ve led, the "wrapper" falls apart if the engine doesn't work.

For the past decade, I haven't just been making things look good. I’ve been practicing stealth Product Design:

• When I was "Art Directing," I wasn't just picking fonts. I was building scalable Design Systems to ensure consistency across hundreds of touchpoints.

• When I was leading "Campaign Strategy," I wasn't just writing taglines. I was mapping User Journeys and identifying friction points in the customer funnel.

• When I was "Managing Clients," I wasn't just selling creative. I was acting as a Product Manager, balancing business requirements (viability) with user desires (desirability).

The "Generalist" Advantage

Because I didn't start in a silo, I never learned to treat Design as a separate phase from Business.

In the agency world, you don't have the luxury of saying, "That's a PM problem" or "That's an Engineering problem." If the user is confused, it’s your problem.

This "baptism by fire" forced me to become a Principal-level thinker long before I held the title. I learned that a beautiful interface is useless if it doesn't solve the user's core need. I learned that a clever interaction is wasted if it breaks the engineering budget.

Why This Makes Me a Better Principal Designer

We are entering an era where the lines between disciplines are blurring. As I mentioned in my previous post, The Argument for Beauty in the Machine, the future belongs to those who can merge logic and emotion.

I am pivoting to the title of Principal Product Designer not because I am changing careers, but because I am finally labeling what I have been doing all along.

I bring the rigor of a Product Architect. I bring the strategic view of a Product Manager. And I keep the soul of a Creative Director.

I don’t just design the product. I design the reason people care about it.

How I Can Help

For Product Leaders: I am seeking Principal Product Design roles where you need a leader who looks beyond the ticket. I bring two decades of "stealth" product experience, offering a unique blend of System Architecture, Business Strategy, and High-Fidelity UI that traditional UX candidates often lack.

For Agencies & Brands: I continue to partner with teams on Art Direction & Visual Strategy. I help brands find their visual voice and translate it into digital reality, ensuring that the "creative" is always grounded in "strategy."

Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash