From Design Intern to Creative Director: My Journey with a fortune 500 advisory
When I first joined Platformation Labs as a Design Intern in April 2020, I was still navigating design school amidst a global pandemic. Little did I know that this role would evolve into one of the most transformative experiences of my early career.
The Challenge: Making Complex Platform Economics Accessible
Working with Platformation Labs meant diving deep into the world of platform economics and ecosystem thinking. The challenge was significant: how do you take complex theoretical frameworks about platform business models and transform them into visually engaging, digestible content that speaks to Fortune 500 CEOs and senior policy leaders?
This wasn't just about making pretty graphics. It was about reimagining tough-to-process information and creating design systems that could consistently communicate sophisticated business concepts with clarity and impact.
Building a Remote Design Team During the Pandemic
One of my most significant achievements was building and leading a remote design team of six during the pandemic. Managing designers, some more experienced than myself, while still being a university student required a blend of balanced humility with decisiveness.
The key was establishing design consistency and a concrete brand voice across all our outputs. This meant:
- Developing comprehensive design guidelines that could work across multiple mediums
- Creating workflow systems that enabled seamless collaboration across time zones
- Implementing feedback loops that elevated the quality of our collective work
Ensuring every piece of content justified Platformation Labs' thought leadership in the platform economy
The State of Platform Revolution 2021: A Case Study in Design Strategy
My most impactful project was leading the creative strategy for "The State of Platform Revolution 2021" white paper, a 90-page deep-dive that would be read by Fortune 500 executives and policy makers worldwide.
The challenge was transforming dense research and complex platform insights into compelling visual narratives. This required:
Strategic thinking: Understanding not just what the data said, but what story it needed to tell and to whom.
Systems design: Creating visual frameworks that could accommodate various types of information, from statistical data to conceptual models
Brand consistency: Ensuring every page reinforced Platformation Labs' expertise while maintaining readability and engagement
The Impact of Design Thinking in Advisory Work
Working with a C-Level advisory firm taught me that design isn't just about aesthetics, it's about communication strategy. When you're advising Fortune 500 companies on platform transformation, every visual element needs to serve the larger goal of driving understanding and action.
My approach involved:
Translating complexity: Breaking down sophisticated business models into visual components that executives could quickly grasp
Creating consistency: Establishing design practices that made all client-facing materials instantly recognizable as high-quality Platformation Labs content
Building systems: Developing templates and frameworks that could scale across different types of deliverables
Key Lessons Learned
Design as Strategy: In the consulting world, design decisions are strategic decisions. Every color, layout, and visual hierarchy choice impacts how information is received and acted upon.
Remote Leadership: Successfully managing a distributed design team requires over-communication, clear systems, and trust-building across digital channels.
Cross-Cultural Communication: Working with an international audience taught me that effective design transcends cultural boundaries when it's rooted in clear information architecture.
What This Means for Design in Advisory Services
My experience with Platformation Labs demonstrated that when design is integrated thoughtfully into advisory services, it becomes a powerful tool for:
- Simplifying complexity without losing nuance
- Building credibility through consistent, professional presentation
- Accelerating understanding by making information more accessible
- Creating differentiation in a competitive consulting landscape
The intersection of design thinking and business strategy isn't just valuable, it's essential for advisory firms working with sophisticated clients who need complex information delivered with clarity and impact.
This experience shaped my understanding of how design can serve as a bridge between complex business concepts and actionable insights, a principle that continues to guide my work in product management and AI transformation today.