01
Strategy & Innovation
Defining product vision, roadmaps, and go-to-market strategy rooted in research and user insight — and turning emerging technology into products people actually adopt.
Design Executive & Fractional Design LeaderSan Francisco
Hello, I’m
I’m Sean Ross, a design executive with 25 years of experience leading teams that ship products people love — most recently as VP of Design at BlackRock, where I filed successful patent applications for the firm’s future-facing AI capabilities. I’ve built design from zero at startups and scaled it inside the world’s largest companies.
Currently
Taking on fractional design leadership engagements — and open to the right full-time VP/Head of Design role.
Formerly
BlackRock · Macy’s · Espressive · Socrates.AI · Yahoo! · eBay · Plus many more…
Teams I’ve worked with have called me Captain Awesome. That’s embarrassing, so please just call me Sean.
About
Design withintention.
For 25 years I’ve led design where technology gets hard: AI products before AI was a headline, financial platforms trusted with trillions, and marketplaces, media networks, and music services used by millions.
I lead with both hands — the strategic one that sets vision in the boardroom, and the craft one that still obsesses over the last two pixels in a prototype. At BlackRock that meant filing successful patents for future-facing AI capabilities and earning the firm’s top awards. At Espressive it meant joining as employee #6 and designing the MVP that won Gartner’s Cool New Product award. I believe great design is relentless curiosity, empathy for the people you’re building for, and the discipline to simplify until only what matters remains.
Read moreCurrently
Taking on fractional design leadership engagements — and open to the right full-time VP/Head of Design role.
Formerly
BlackRock · Macy’s · Espressive · Socrates.AI · Yahoo! · eBay · Plus many more…
What I bring
Areas of expertise
A full-stack design practice — from the boardroom strategy that sets direction to the production-ready pixels that make it real.
02
Design Leadership
Building and mentoring design teams and partnering with Product and Engineering to ship at scale — as an interim head of design, a board-level partner, or a full-time executive.
03
UX / UI / Interaction Design
End-to-end craft from conceptual flows and wireframes to pixel-perfect, production-ready UI. Strategy without craft is theater; I do both.
04
Brand Development
Identity systems, voice & tone, and design language — everything that makes a brand unmistakable, from zero-to-one startups to global companies.
05
Storytelling
Crafting compelling narratives for products, pitches, and presentations — the decks and vision documents that move teams, boards, and customers to act.
06
AI Product Design
Designing AI-native products since 2016 — two enterprise AI startups and patent-filed AI capabilities at BlackRock — making emerging technology feel human.
Engagements
How we can work together
Option A
Fractional Design Leadership
A head of design, without the head-of-design search. I’ve been the acting design leader for VC firms, founders, and Fortune companies since 2004 — setting strategy, building the team, and shipping the product. Ideal for seed–Series B startups, VC portfolios, and enterprises tackling AI.
Option B
Full-Time Leadership
Looking for a VP or Head of Design who’s built from zero and led at trillion-dollar scale? Let’s talk about what design could do for your business.
Option C
Project Sprints & Advisory
Not ready for an ongoing engagement? Bring me in for a defined-scope project — a design or product audit, a vision or strategy sprint, a pitch or board deck, or a zero-to-one MVP or brand sprint. Senior, hands-on work with a clear scope and a fast finish.
Selected work
Projects
A selection of brands and products I’ve helped shape across e-commerce, enterprise SaaS, AI, and music tech.
BlackRock
2022–2026BlackRock
Brand · Product Design · AI
View case study
Macy’s
2019–2020Macy’s Cross-Channel Redesign
UX Leadership · E-Commerce · Mobile
View case study
Espressive
2016–2018Consumer Design for the Enterprise
Head of Design · Enterprise AI · Gartner Cool New Product
View case study
Socrates.AI
2018–2019Socrates.AI
Head of Design · AI · HR Tech
View case study
Cricket Mobile
2011–2014Cricket Mobile & Muve Music
Brand · Product Design · Music Tech
View case study
Beyond Oblivion
2010Beyond Oblivion Music Service
Startup · Brand · Product Design
View case studyWhat people say
Kind words from people I’ve built with.
“Sean brings a rare combination of strategic thinking and hands-on craft. He elevated our design organization and shipped product that users genuinely loved.”
“Sean is an exceptional designer and leader. His ability to translate complex requirements into elegant, intuitive experiences is truly remarkable.”
“Working with Sean changed how I think about design leadership. He makes everyone around him better, and the work shows it.”
“Sean has an extraordinary eye for design and an even better instinct for what users actually need. He’s a true creative force.”
“Sean’s work at Macy’s set a new standard for how we think about cross-channel experiences. His impact is still felt today.”
“Sean is the kind of designer and leader every team needs — thoughtful, creative, decisive, and genuinely invested in the people around him.”
Get in touch
Let’s make somethingremarkable.
Need a design leader — for a quarter or for good? Have a product that deserves better? I’d love to hear from you.
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