About
I'm Johanne, a creative product strategist with 10+ years working across product design, creative marketing, and brand strategy. I work with founders, product teams, and agencies to turn complex, ambiguous problems into clear, compelling experiences.
My work sits at the intersection of strategic thinking and hands-on craft. I'm as comfortable running positioning workshops as I am in Figma — and I believe the best design outcomes happen when strategy and execution are held by the same person.
Before going independent, I led design and creative functions at Binance.US and FWD Insurance Group, and worked agency-side at Alipay, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Ogilvy across fintech, consumer, and B2B SaaS.
How I work
I take on a small number of clients at a time — typically two or three active engagements. This isn't a capacity constraint; it's a quality one. I work best when I can be genuinely embedded in a problem rather than context-switching between six of them.
Most engagements start with a strategy session. I like to understand the business context, the audience, and what “done” looks like before anything visual gets opened. This isn't slow — it's what prevents the rework later.
I work best with small teams that know what they're building but need someone to bring design clarity and creative leadership. I'm most useful when the brief is fuzzy and the stakes are real.
Influences
- Dieter RamsOn function as the foundation of good design — less, but better.
- Wallpaper* & MonocleThe editorial school of restraint: curation over quantity.
- Saul BassThe idea behind the mark. Design as distillation.
- Paul RandThe designer's responsibility to meaning, not just aesthetics.
Away from screens: long walks, strong coffee, and hunting for good typefaces in second-hand bookshops.
Good Reads
The Design of Everyday Things
Donald A. Norman
Hooked
Nir Eyal
Zero to One
Peter Thiel & Blake Masters
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
The Power of Habit
Charles Duhigg
Podcasts
The Diary Of A CEO
Steven Bartlett
My First Million
Hubspot Media
Design Details
Brian Lovin & Marshall Bock
NN/G UX Podcast
Nielsen Norman Group
Lenny's Podcast
Lenny Rachitsky
Open to projects
I'm currently available for new work — freelance engagements, strategic consulting, or longer-term embedded roles. If you're working on something interesting, I'd love to hear about it.
hello@johanne.co →Elsewhere
Colophon
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