Joe Johnston, Visionary Experience Design Director, Ready for His Next Challenge

Joe is a seasoned Design Director with over 20 years of experience in creating innovative digital products and experiences. Leading and mentoring talented design teams, Joe specializes in Product Design & Strategy, delivering exceptional digital solutions for many notable brands.

Experience


Code and Theory

Group Design Director

2023 – Current

As the Group Experience Design Director at Code and Theory, a premier design and innovation agency, he leads a global team of highly talented designers in creating cutting-edge digital solutions for clients and partners. Joe's expertise lies in mentoring and growing teams, product design, customer experience, and employee experience design. He is dedicated to improving the customer experience through innovative design strategies, and has a deep understanding of how to create digital products that are both visually stunning and user-friendly.


YML - (merger with Code and Theory)

Group Creative Director

2019 – 2023

As the Group Creative Director at Y Media Labs, a premier design and innovation agency, he leads a global team of highly talented designers in creating cutting-edge digital solutions for clients and partners. Joe's expertise lies in mentoring and growing teams, product design, customer experience, and employee experience design. He is dedicated to improving the customer experience through innovative design strategies, and has a deep understanding of how to create digital products that are both visually stunning and user-friendly.


North Highland

Sr. Director of Experience and Service Design

2017 – 2019

As the Sr. Director of Experience and Service Design at Sparks Grove, the premier experience design arm of North Highland, Joe is a visionary leader with a proven track record of driving growth for clients and creating new value for customers through the design and development of meaningful human experiences. Leveraging his expertise in foresight and insight, he successfully created and grew a dedicated customer and experience design team that has delivered innovative projects and services for North Highland that continue to drive results today.

With a deep understanding of how to craft authentic experiences that seamlessly integrate marketing, design, and technology, Joe leads and inspires diverse multidisciplinary teams in delivering experiences that truly resonate with clients' customers. His ability to anticipate and shape the future, coupled with his passion for creating impactful and memorable experiences, has made him a respected leader in the industry.


Huge

Group Experience Director

2016–2017

As the Group Experience Director at Huge Atlanta, Joe is a highly skilled leader with a proven track record of mentoring and coaching teams to deliver exceptional customer experiences. He works closely with clients and partners to understand their unique needs and helps craft strategic insights into emerging technologies, such as wearables and conversational experiences, that drive the holistic customer experience. Joe is an expert in understanding the intersection of technology and design, and how to leverage them to create innovative solutions that anticipate and exceed customer expectations.

He is a true visionary leader with a deep understanding of how to create meaningful and memorable experiences that are not only innovative but also engaging, and he is passionate about mentoring and growing his team to bring their best selves to the workplace. Joe's leadership style is highly collaborative and he fosters a culture of creativity and innovation, which results in teams that are highly motivated and productive. He is known for his ability to anticipate and shape the future of customer experience.


Universal Mind

VP, User Experience

2008 – 2015

As the VP, of User Experience as well as several other positions, Joe honed and grew on his knowledge of mobile and cross-platform technologies to deliver exceptional user experiences. Joe was a “ux of one” and grew the team to 30+ that delivered 100’s of digital projects.

Experience design is driven by touch points between people, companies brands, ideas, emotions and memories that these moments create. Joe's experience design philosophy is holistic in nature and takes into account all components required to create engaging and effective experiences. He's also an accomplished author, speaker, and expert on User Experience/Customer Experience and Innovation, along with winning a few design awards along the way.