Michelle Casanova
Design Lead + Creative Director creating industry-leading digital experiences for the web and modern operating systems.
Skilled at leading cross-functional teams, implementing design thinking methodologies, driving products from concept to launch and passionate about delivering user-centric solutions that enhance usability, functionality, and overall customer satisfaction.
Lead Product Designer
New Relic, San Francisco CA (Remote) – (July 2023 – Present)
Providing software analytics solutions for organizations to collect, store and analyze massive amounts of system, transaction and trace data in real-time.
Role / Designing user experiences that empower the world’s most valuable companies to deliver innovation and ensure the health and security of their systems and services.
Day to day / Spearheading and mentoring cross-functional design and engineering teams, managing various features and capabilities across multiple devices and operating systems. Managing the design process, making strategic design decisions, driving accessibility and communicating with stakeholders to ensure alignment with business goals and user needs. Establishing and enforcing design guidelines, best practices, and standards to maintain high level of product quality and consistency. Facilitating collaboration between design, product, engineering and marketing. Quarterly planning and resource allocation with leadership, PM and engineering teams. Hands on involvement in end-to-end product design process from concept to research to implementation. Design System implementation, maintenance and contributions.
Highlights / Authoring Accessibility Guidelines, Accessibility Compliance, Largest deal in New Relic history (100M)
Products / New Relic One, Distributed Tracing, One-Core
Senior Product Designer
New Relic, San Francisco CA (Remote) – (Feb 2022 – July 2023)
Role / Designing user experiences that empower the world’s most valuable companies to deliver innovation and ensure the health and security of their systems and services.
Day to day / Leading the design vision for developer tools and features across multiple product capabilities. Developing and implementing a collaborative design process across multiple teams and stakeholders. Daily collaboration with design, PM and engineering teams. Quarterly design-focused talks on process, vision and innovation. Conducting user research through moderated and unmoderated usability testing. Design System implementation, maintenance and contributions.
Highlights / Brand Overhaul and Alignment, Redesign of Global Customer Support Proprietary Tools, 70% Increase in MAU (Tracing), Promoted to Lead Product Designer
Products / New Relic One, Distributed Tracing, Synthetics, Global Support
Product Designer II
Microsoft (1099), Seattle WA (Remote) – (June 2016 – Dec 2021)
Building best-in-class software to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
Role / Be a part of a visionary team of designers, researchers and developers in reimagining what it means to be productive in a modern workplace.
Collaborating with design, PM and engineering teams in the design and development of web, mobile applications and features across Microsoft 365 suite. Creating delightful solutions that enable individuals and enterprise to be more productive. Working with stakeholders to develop scenarios, process flows, concepts, information architecture, wireframes, prototypes and other assets required to constantly evolve and improve the user experience. Effectively lead, collaborate and communicate across teams, departments and customers. Coordinate design, research, development and program management from initial concept to final implementation.
Highlights / Design patent for Focus time (Outlook), Launch of Microsoft Viva Insights, authoring Microsoft’s first Design System for Adaptive email, +20m Adaptive Email Users in 6 months.
Products / Microsoft Office 365, MyAnalytics, Viva Insights, Teams, Outlook, Cortana (now CoPilot)
Creative Director | Principal
Jozi Firecracker Factory (Self-Employed), Seattle + SF + PDX – (Dec 2009 – Present)
Provides interactive and creative services to advertising agencies and intelligent brands in the US and around the world.
Role / Perform freelance consulting services and lead a team of specialists in the design, development and implementation of brand, digital campaigns and Product UX for multinational clients.
Day to day / Working with stakeholders to spec project requirements, scopes of work, budgets and timelines. Design and develop elegant solutions that achieve the clients’ business objectives. End-to-end management of creative and production projects. Lead design and engineering teams in the development of web and mobile applications, software products and advertising campaigns for high-profile projects and clients. Working with stakeholders to develop campaigns, products, scenarios, process flows, creative concepts, information architecture, wireframes, prototypes and other assets required to successfully execute projects. Effectively lead, collaborate and communicate across client and agency departments.
Highlights / Working on Microsoft 365 productivity suite including Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Microsoft Teams. Bing Maps for Enterprise websites exceeding YoY traffic by 22% with a 17% increase in qualified leads. Deflection Rate for Microsoft Office 365 Support Tickets of 26%.
Clients / Microsoft, Continental AG, Warner Bros
Advertising roles prior to 2009
Hidden Open Tab
HIDDEN TAB
GSM Mercury
Creative Director
GSM Mercury, Seattle WA – (Sept 2008 – Oct 2009)
Public affairs firm providing advertising and communications to clients in support of their public policy objectives.
Role / Overseeing and guiding the creative direction and execution of various projects, campaigns, and initiatives.
Day to day / Working with a team of interactive designers, web developers, art directors and copywriters in the development of public policy campaigns. Staying up-to-date with industry trends and insights. Overseeing multiple creative projects from concept to completion, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget, and at the highest quality. Ensuring brand consistency across all creative materials, campaigns, and platforms. Partnering with clients to understand their needs and objectives, and present creative concepts and strategies that help them deliver on their business objectives.
Highlights / Recipient of several AAPC Awards for AT&T, Pickens Plan, City of Seattle
Products / AT&T, City of Seattle
FCG Global
Creative Group Head
FCB Global, Johannesburg, South Africa – (May 2005 – July 2008)
One of the world's largest global advertising agency networks, with annual billings in excess of $10 billion.
Role / Led a team of designers, developers, art directors and copywriters in the development of brand and product campaigns for global clients.
Day to day / Leading the overall creative vision and strategy, overseeing the development and execution of all creative projects, including branding initiatives, advertising campaigns, digital media, and product launches. Providing mentorship and guidance to a team of designers, developers, art directors and copywriters. Leading brainstorming sessions, encouraging innovative thinking and out-of-the-box ideas to maintain a competitive edge in the market. Nurturing client relationships, presenting creative concepts and strategies to secure new business opportunities and expand existing partnerships.
Highlights / Serviced FCB SA’s most profitable account with an annual advertising budget of $100 million. Launched mobile broadband to the South African market, achieving in excess of 1.4 million subscribers in under 6 months. Spearheaded product development and marketing of the 46664 prepaid starter pack raising over $44 million in revenue for the Nelson Mandela AIDS research initiative. Awarded the Grand Prix in the Sunday Times Marketing Excellence Awards two years in a row.
Products / Vodafone, Toyota, BMW
Contact
Highlighted Achievements
$100M Deal — Designed solutions leading to the largest deal in New Relic’s history.
+20M Users — Authored Microsoft’s Adaptive Email Design System, scaling to millions of users within months.
Design patent — Design patent for Microsoft’s Focus Time feature in Outlook + Adaptive Email.
Accessibility Champion — Drove inclusivity by implementing WCAG-compliant guidelines.
Promotions — Consistently recognized for leadership and design excellence with rapid career growth.
Skills + Tools
Design leadership, creative direction, design systems, art direction, UI, UX, research, journey mapping, data analytics, behavioral insights, sketching, wire-framing, interaction and micro-interaction design, feasibility studies, concept presentation and justification, design collaboration, visual design, persuasive design, information architecture, accessibility, prototyping, optimization, conversion
Design Apps
Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, Balsamiq, Axure, Adobe XD, InVision, Zeplin, Affinity, Principle, After Effects, Blender
Research + Testing
UserTesting, User Interviews, Maze, Amplitude, Google Analytics
Code
HTML, CSS, Javascript, jQuery, PHP, WordPress, Expression Engine, Coda
Soft skills
Mentorship, thought leadership, communication, customer empathy, collaboration, problem-solving, time management, storytelling, conflict resolution, delivering feedback with emotional intelligence, design culture
Advertising Awards
Pollie Awards
Silver / AT&T — “Engage”, Seattle Parks — Website, “Density”, “Seattle Needs Good Parks”
Campaign of the Year / T. Boone Pickens — “Pickens Plan”
Honorable Mention / CUNA — “Shopping Bag”
Sunday Times Marketing Excellence Awards
Grand Prix / Vodacom — “Yebo Feva”, “Meerkat”
Gold / Vodacom — “Yebo Feva”, “Blueteeth”
Campaign of the Year / Vodacom — “Yebo Feva”
Loerie Awards
Finalist / Joe Public — “Happy Meal”
London International Advertising Awards
Finalist / Earth Summit — “Postage Stamps”
Education
Certifications
Certificate in Web Development / Vega Brand Communications School (IIE), Johannesburg, South Africa, (2002)
Foundation Certificate in Design / Design Center (Affiliate of Nottingham Trent, UK) Johannesburg, South Africa, (1996-1997)
Bachelors
BA Commerce Marketing / University of South Africa (UNISA), Pretoria, South Africa, (2005 – 2007) — Incomplete
BA Graphic Design / Design Center (Affiliate of Nottingham Trent, UK) Johannesburg, South Africa, (1997)— Incomplete