United States

David Grau

Design Director

Understanding factors that lead to a motivated team - recognition, communication and more.

Keeping team members motivated

Understand the process of training, motivating and directing your team members.

Managing people

How to create a positive workplace culture that drives collaboration and productivity?

Fostering a good team culture

Steps to building and maintaining a strong, cohesive and effective team.

Building an effective team

Learn the tips to successfully manage a team in a remote environment.

Managing a remote team

Making remote and globally distributed teams work for you and your needs.

Working remotely

Learn essential burnout prevention techniques and replenish physical and emotional energy.

Managing burnout

Talk to people who have learned to manage their imposter syndrome.

Dealing with imposter syndrome

Talk to other immigrants about the nuances and challenges of working in the tech industry.

Being an immigrant in tech

Keeping your sanity, career growth and job satisfaction.

Surviving a merger or acquisition

Navigating micro-aggression, getting paid what you are worth and finding a community.

Being a woman in tech

Strategies for maximizing your design internship or co-op program.

Getting the most out of my internship

Tips for transitioning into a new role or company.

Changing roles

How to successfully prepare and position yourself for a job promotion?

How to get promoted

How to ask for a promotion and negotiate for salary raise?

Negotiating a job offer

How to think about design career paths and what progression looks like for designers?

Design career path

Get actionable feedback on your resume or portfolio.

Resume and portfolio review

Practice HR, technical and behavioural interviews with mentors.

Practice mock interviews

Talk to people who've broken into the tech industry and learn their stories.

Breaking into tech

Learn the best ways to answer technical interview questions with frameworks

Acing technical interview questions

How to set up the team for success by defining and measuring team's performance.

Choosing metrics and team goals

Best practices for running productive design critiques.

Running effective design critiques

Methods of prototyping and solution validation. When to use which kind of prototype (eg. Webflow, Notion, etc)

Prototyping methods and tips

Manage team expectations and get the most out of your meetings.

Running effective meetings

Learn how to properly present your work and share ideas and opinions.

Presenting your work with impact

How to work with team members with different skill sets but towards a common goal?

Working cross-functionally

Methods and models of exploring, deciding and delivering design.

Building a design process

Managing being the only designer at your company and working with non-designers.

Being the only designer

Explore different generative and evaluative research techniques. User research synthesis and presentation.

Conducting good user research

Ways and resources to improve your design skills.

Improving design skills

Navigating the working relationship with PM's and engineers as a designer.

Working with product and engineering

How to create personas, and leverage them in design.

Creating and leveraging user personas

Ways to provide constructive feedback to team members.

Giving effective feedback

How to conduct interviews, what to ask, and how to analyze your results? (eg. user interview)

Conducting effective customer interviews

What are design systems and how to work with them?

Building successful design systems

• Spearheading and nurturing a global product design team, comprising internal designers, researchers, and external agencies, to deliver cutting-edge solutions.

• Pioneering award-winning design experiences for millions of users worldwide, garnering prestigious Emmy® awards. My leadership extends across diverse platforms, including mobile, OTT, connected devices, immersive AR/VR, TV, voice, video, wearables, and live events.

• Instrumental in fostering the growth and excellence of the team, contributing to the continuous innovation in product design within Red Bull's digital ecosystem.

• Established the first UX research team within the product domain, championing data-driven decision-making for heightened user experiences and business success.

• Pioneering design team member in a dynamic SaaS startup that secured multi-million series A funding.

• Accomplished design leader with a track record of success in steering design strategy, execution, and fostering cross-team collaboration. Overseeing the development of 50+ iOS and Android apps spanning sports, college, media, fashion, and music industries.

• Innovator in themed design systems and processes, introducing component libraries to elevate design team productivity and output.

• Proven leader and mentor, managing a team of over 10 designers and actively sourcing top talent to drive company growth.

• Proficient in crafting compelling client-facing pitches and proposals for a mobile experiences platform company. Specializing in enhancing long-term loyalty and unlocking new revenue streams for teams, venues, and event organizers.

• Recognized as one of 100 agents chosen from a competitive pool of over 4,800 applicants, thanks to a robust digital social presence.

• Played a pivotal role in a groundbreaking Ford marketing campaign, spending six months driving a Ford Fiesta and live-streaming unique experiences.

• Produced a compelling video series, featuring monthly missions that highlighted the Ford Fiesta and showcased its features, contributing to the success of the campaign.

• Visionary Design Director with hands-on expertise in developing comprehensive strategies and crafting impactful experiences across video, web, mobile, photography, experiential, social, and print. Trusted by Fortune 100 brands, startups, celebrities, athletes, and non-profits.

• Proven track record in establishing and nurturing client relationships, driving the generation of new business opportunities across diverse industries.

• Executed the production of compelling video content, including Adidas' renowned "All In" campaign.

• Key contributor to the creation of continuous video content and short-form docu-series featuring over 50 A-list athletes, such as Manny Pacquiao, Dominic Cruz, Nonito Donaire, and others.

• Innovator behind groundbreaking patented multimedia trading cards for the music and entertainment industry.

• Directly oversaw the growth of the design team, implementing systems for CPG product, packaging, mobile apps, digital experiences, and retail experiential displays.

• Orchestrated a successful national product launch in major retail chains, including Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and 7Eleven.

• Secured rights and designed multimedia trading cards featuring iconic artists across genres, including Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, Whitney Houston, Lil’ Wayne, YMCMB, Ice Cube, Pitbull, Selena, and others.

Leading a full-service, fully integrated creative advertising and marketing agency, specializing in responsive web campaigns and websites for renowned brands such as Legendary Pictures, Yokohama, Sumo Logic, and more.

• Entrepreneurial spirit who conceived, funded, designed, and successfully launched a global urban music community, catering to over 30 genres of underground, emerging, and mainstream artists.

• Attracted a diverse community of artists from more than 70 countries, fostering collaborations with labels and studios to significantly expand the community's global reach.

• Proficient in designing and executing marketing campaigns with varying budgets, resulting in increased brand awareness and heightened engagement.

• Established and led a multidisciplinary team, comprising designers, engineers, and guerrilla marketing organizations, pivotal to the community's rapid growth and sustained success.

David Grau🇺🇸