HEAD OF
DESIGN

HEAD OF
DESIGN

I craft clean, premium digital experiences, blending timeless design taste with modern AI tools to give brands and users clarity and purpose.

Based in Lexington, KY

Journey: Mobile App

Product, Marketing

Journey: Mobile App

Product, Marketing

Journey: Homepage

Web, Marketing

Journey: Homepage

Web, Marketing

Lonely Planet: Destination Hubs

Web, Editorial

Lonely Planet: Destination Hubs

Web, Editorial

Lonely Planet: Featured Story Concept

Web, Editorial

Lonely Planet: Featured Story Concept

Web, Editorial

Gretsch: Product Page Concept

Web, E-commerce

Gretsch: Product Page Concept

Web, E-commerce

Past Teams

About

Driven and detail-oriented Head of Design building clean, considered digital products that serve both users and the business. With 12+ years of experience across product design, design systems, and team leadership, I combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution to create work that's both usable and effective.


I help organizations turn ideas into strong digital products, leading design teams while staying close to the craft myself. My focus is thoughtful, user-centered design that communicates clearly, builds trust, and holds up as products scale.

Experience

Company

role

Year

Journey Rewards

Head of Design

MAR 2025–PRESENT

Journey Rewards

Head of Design

MAR 2025–PRESENT

AddShoppers

Princ. Product Designer

JAN 2024–MAR 2025

AddShoppers

Princ. Product Designer

JAN 2024–MAR 2025

Red Ventures

Sr. Director of Design

Mar 2022–Dec 2024

Red Ventures

Sr. Director of Design

Mar 2022–Dec 2024

Red Ventures

Director of Design

Feb 2018–Mar 2022

Red Ventures

Director of Design

Feb 2018–Mar 2022

Red Ventures

Sr. Web Designer

Feb 2016–Feb 2018

Red Ventures

Sr. Web Designer

Feb 2016–Feb 2018

Capabilities

Design expertise spanning brand, product, and creative team leadership.

Branding

Strategic, consistent visual identities that give products a clear point of view.

Brand identity

Typography

Competitive Analysis

Style Guides

Naming

Asset production

Branding

Strategic, consistent visual identities that give products a clear point of view.

Brand identity

Typography

Competitive Analysis

Style Guides

Naming

Asset production

Product

Clean, considered digital products that serve users and hold up at scale.

UX / UI DESIGN

User Research

Prototyping

Interaction Design

Responsive Design

Motion Design

Product

Clean, considered digital products that serve users and hold up at scale.

UX / UI DESIGN

User Research

Prototyping

Interaction Design

Responsive Design

Motion Design

LEADERSHIP

Strong design teams, kept aligned with business goals through clear strategy and collaboration.

DESIGN STRATEGY

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLAB

Mentorship

TEAM BUILDING

STAKEHOLDER ALIGNMENT

Roadmapping

LEADERSHIP

Strong design teams, kept aligned with business goals through clear strategy and collaboration.

DESIGN STRATEGY

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLAB

Mentorship

TEAM BUILDING

STAKEHOLDER ALIGNMENT

Roadmapping

What colleagues say

Real feedback from managers, leaders and colleagues who've worked directly with me. Read more on my LinkedIn profile.

Noah miles

John Sutton

Co-founder and CEO, Journey

Dustin is an amazing asset to the Journey team and has led Journey to be considered one of the most creative and forward leaning brands in a luxury hospitality industry obsessed with visual appeal. Beyond his taste and eye for design, Dustin has leaned in fully to leveraging the latest in AI for Journey and helped our teams benefit...

Noah miles

John Sutton

Co-founder and CEO, Journey

Dustin is an amazing asset to the Journey team and has led Journey to be considered one of the most creative and forward leaning brands in a luxury hospitality industry obsessed with visual appeal. Beyond his taste and eye for design, Dustin has leaned in fully to leveraging the latest in AI for Journey and helped our teams benefit...

Noah miles

Colin Mutter

CTO, Journey

As an engineering and technology leader, I’ve worked with many designers over the past 20 years and I can proudly say Dustin is one of the best I’ve worked with. Highly recommend - you’ll be in good hands.

Noah miles

Colin Mutter

CTO, Journey

As an engineering and technology leader, I’ve worked with many designers over the past 20 years and I can proudly say Dustin is one of the best I’ve worked with. Highly recommend - you’ll be in good hands.

Whitney Wolfe

Zach Busekrus

Head of Growth, Journey

I've had the privilege of working with world-class designers throughout my career, and Dustin is second to none. He's obsessed with deeply understanding the problem he's solving before touching a single pixel — and the decisions he makes along the way are remarkably thoughtful. He's a designer disguised as a product manager, product marketer, and QA engineer all in one. He's both ridiculously thorough and fast — something I've genuinely never been able to say about any of the great designers I've worked with before (usually it's one or the other).

Whitney Wolfe

Zach Busekrus

Head of Growth, Journey

I've had the privilege of working with world-class designers throughout my career, and Dustin is second to none. He's obsessed with deeply understanding the problem he's solving before touching a single pixel — and the decisions he makes along the way are remarkably thoughtful. He's a designer disguised as a product manager, product marketer, and QA engineer all in one. He's both ridiculously thorough and fast — something I've genuinely never been able to say about any of the great designers I've worked with before (usually it's one or the other).

Whitney Wolfe

Jill Bressler

Design Leader & Creative Partner

Dustin is a leader of leaders. He is incredibly empathetic and knows how to coach the best performance out of his team. Dustin’s ability to translate business needs into actionable insights for the team unlocked our ability to positively impact business metrics and revenue. As a manager he provided crucial coaching that helped me improve team process and efficiency, assess and fill talent gaps, and create individualized plans for career development for everyone in my downline.

Whitney Wolfe

Jill Bressler

Design Leader & Creative Partner

Dustin is a leader of leaders. He is incredibly empathetic and knows how to coach the best performance out of his team. Dustin’s ability to translate business needs into actionable insights for the team unlocked our ability to positively impact business metrics and revenue. As a manager he provided crucial coaching that helped me improve team process and efficiency, assess and fill talent gaps, and create individualized plans for career development for everyone in my downline.

Whitney Wolfe

Ryan Muth

Visual Design Principal, Red Ventures

I worked with Dustin for close to a year after he stepped in to oversee the Creative Department at Red Ventures Education Vertical. Before his introduction, the team had been fragmented, unorganized, and without a clear direction. He quickly established himself as a trusted, communicative, and approachable leader who brought a sense of unity and purpose to the team.

Whitney Wolfe

Ryan Muth

Visual Design Principal, Red Ventures

I worked with Dustin for close to a year after he stepped in to oversee the Creative Department at Red Ventures Education Vertical. Before his introduction, the team had been fragmented, unorganized, and without a clear direction. He quickly established himself as a trusted, communicative, and approachable leader who brought a sense of unity and purpose to the team.

( Values )

Create with excellence

Earn and keep trust

Lead with humility

Let's chat

Let's chat

Let's chat

Let's chat

Let's chat

Let's chat

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