Ben Smith
Senior Designer
Summary
Senior designer with 20+ years translating strategy into visual systems that perform across CTV advertising, brand identity, motion, and web. Currently designing innovative ad experiences for DIRECTV’s advertising innovation team, with a background spanning broadcast media, multimedia production, and full-cycle creative direction. Known for visual craft that balances rigorous systems thinking with the ability to simplify complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives. Fluent across design, motion, and emerging AI-augmented workflows.
Skills
Advertising UX Design · Visual Identity and Brand Systems · Motion Design and Animation · Design Systems and Scalability · Cross-Functional Collaboration · Video Production and Post · Typography and Layout · End-to-End Project Ownership · AI-Augmented Creative Workflows
Tools
- Design & motion
- Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Premiere Pro
- Web
- HTML, CSS, SvelteKit, Bun, Vercel, WordPress, Divi
- AI
- Claude Code, Generative AI tools
Experience
Advertising UX Designer · DIRECTV (via Orion Innovation)
2014–Present
- Design UI/UX for next-generation CTV ad formats, including pause ads, interactive overlays, and branded content experiences for Fortune 500 clients.
- Drive end-to-end creative execution from brief to production-ready specs, concepting and prototyping in Figma and collaborating with product managers and engineers to ensure pixel-accurate implementation.
- Translate complex advertiser requirements and brand guidelines into visually compelling, technically feasible ad experiences across streaming and digital platforms.
- Partner with product, engineering, and sales teams to advocate for design quality and consistency throughout the full product lifecycle.
- Contribute ideation and UX thinking to emerging ad-format research, applying systems-level design thinking to scalable new format development.
Freelance Designer and Creative Technologist · Hello, Ben Smith
2014–Present
- Currently managing three WordPress site redesigns for a nonprofit client, overseeing information architecture, visual design, and implementation across interconnected web properties.
- Build brand identities, design systems, and digital experiences for small businesses from initial strategy through final delivery, maintaining full project ownership throughout.
- Leverage AI tools including Claude Code to accelerate ideation, prototype interactive concepts, and explore generative workflows, integrating emerging technology into a production-ready creative process.
- Develop full-stack web projects using SvelteKit, Bun, and Vercel, building functional prototypes and side projects that bridge design thinking with modern JavaScript development.
Multimedia Designer · Community Bible Church
2005–2013
- Executed full-cycle multimedia production, concepting, scripting, shooting, editing, and delivering video and motion content for weekly services and events.
- Designed comprehensive visual identity systems including logos, environmental graphics, signage, and campaign materials across print, digital, and large-format production.
- Created motion graphics and animated assets in After Effects for broadcast, sermon series branding, and live event environments.
- Collaborated with ministry leaders to translate strategic messaging into clear, engaging visual narratives.
- Managed simultaneous design requests across multiple departments, maintaining visual consistency and brand standards organization-wide.
Education
B.A., Communications, University of Texas at San Antonio, 2010