Design Strategist & Designer bridging the gap between brand, product, UX, and CX. I lead the strategy, design, and implementation of seamless brand-led experiences across complex digital brand and product ecosystems. Highly skilled at organising data to create distinctive brand, design and UX strategies, translating research into narratives and synthesizing complex information into design frameworks, prototypes and production-ready design assets.
I worked for and with some of the world's most awarded branding agencies in the WPP, IPG AND Omnicom Groups before founding a strategy and design agency in Cape Town, which I ran for 15 years before relocating to the UK. More about my background on LinkedIn.
Brands I've worked on include Virgin, BT, Sage, Syspro, BBC iPlayer, WPP Group, Phillip Morris International, PNI Media, Coca-Cola, Nelson Mandela Foundation, Distell (Heineken), Pathcare, Old Mutual, Mediclinic, WPP Group, Mitel, and some of the leading global retailers, energy and technology organizations.
A few projects I've delivered:
• Scalable brand, CX, UX & product design system for one of London's fastest-growing AI startups, AutogenAI.
• UX design of a new B2B platform for BBC iPlayer.
• Design system strategy and new pattern library bridging brand, web & product UX for Sage.
• Brand & product design system and implementation across 5 digital platforms for global Fintech scale-up.
• Repositioning leading digital agency within the WPP Group.
• Brand strategy for the Presidency of South Africa.
• Product and process design transforming brand position and quality management for leading global supermarket group.
• 75 new product brands developed from the ground up for leading retailer group, across 9 countries.
• Brand strategy Advisor for the National Oil Company of South Africa.
• Brand transformation programme design and implementation for global private healthcare group, handoff to Landor of London.
• Brand & product development for luxury beauty company from product concept, design to award winning launch in New York.
• Author of online UX, UI and Digital Identity for leading global educational institution.
“Working with Julie in repositioning our company within the WWP Group was an enjoyable, interesting and collaborative process. Julie’s ability to entrench herself in our business and the space in which we operate was invaluable. This meant that she was able to challenge the thinking and these debates resulted in some extraordinarily insightful strategies. I would work with and recommend her agency ID&B at every turn, they will truly help you to develop a world-class leadership brand.”
Juliet Mey, Global Marketing Director. Acceleration, WPP Group
"Julie played an immense role to prepare and empower the Simera Group in our global launch. What impressed me most was her innate capability to rapidly understand our environment and decompose our initial business objectives into clearly articulated work breakdown structures with well-defined goals. She approached the work with a unique combination of out-of-the-box creativity and well-structured execution, which resonated with our systems engineering foundations."
Johann Du Toit. CEO. Simera Group
"Julie's work for Kinektek has been phenomenal. She guided us through a comprehensive re-branding of the entire business from the ground up. Her extensive grasp of brand and design strategy has enabled our business to establish systems and frameworks to accommodate all of our design requirements across all of our platforms and solutions. Beyond her strategic and business acumen, her creative and aesthetic design skills are really first class."
Matthew Slaven. CEO, Kinektek
"Julie took our team on an educational journey in search of the soul of the company by unpacking complex concepts and linking them in an ingenious way. Julie has a very calm disposition, listens actively, and is very articulate. I found her humble, accommodating and generous with her expertise. Her way of working is empowering as it is based on co-creation. Her input was invaluable, and the project was a success."
Nebu Phohlela, Project Manager. PetroSA (National Energy Company, SA) Group Management Framework Project
