Experience

Honor Education • VP Brand and Design
2020 – present • Remote

• Built scalable design systems that support cross-platform user engagement, driving consistency across brand, marketing, and product design teams.

• Spearheaded design initiatives that supported nearly every function in a team of 50+, collaborating closely with product and engineering teams.

• Led cross-functional design efforts, ensuring seamless integration of design systems across various teams.

Pinterest • Brand Design Manager & Creative Lead
2016 – 2017 • San Francisco, CA  

• Led a team of 20 designers, producers, and production artists, to build a core brand system extending from international marketing campaigns to product education.

• Worked with co-founders to create an 18-month strategic positioning plan that integrated quarterly milestones from every function on the company.

• Implemented scalable design frameworks and brand-driven events that improved culture and creativity across global offices.

• Collaborated with product design to successfully launch new product features and improvements across platforms and geographies.

Pentagram • Associate Partner, Team Michael Bierut
April 2007 – April 2012 • New York, NY

• Led multidisciplinary design projects for global clients, including Harley-Davidson, MillerCoors, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

• Simultaneously managed multiple high-profile clients, delivering bespoke creative solutions under tight deadlines.

• Developed scalable design processes, balancing creativity with strategic
  business objectives.

• Oversaw all project phases, from writing proposals to concept development and final execution.

Katie Barcelona Design • Principal
2005 – 2019 • San Francisco, CA, Barcelona, ES, Mexico City, MX 

• Developed cross-cultural design solutions for global clients in education, technology, finance, and hospitality.

• Delivered design systems for clients, ensuring adaptability across platforms
  and markets.

Orange Torpedo Trips • White Water Rafting Guide
Summers, 1999 – 2002 • Southern Oregon and Northern California

• Before her professional life, Katie spent summers river guiding in her home state of Oregon. She learned a lot about how people deal with stress and fear, and concludes that our best chance to grow is by doing something a little bit scary.