A pixelated self portrat of Brendan Finlayson
REFUNKTION IS THE
REFUNKTION IS
REFUNKTION IS THE
WORK AND STORY OF
THE STORY OF
STORY OF
BRENDAN FINLAYSON
BRENDAN FINLAYSON
BRENDAN FINLAYSON

I'm a multidisciplinary

I'm a generalist

I'm a multidisciplinary

design leader who

design leader who

builds great teams to

builds great teams to make awesome

builds great teams to

make awesome stuff.

stuff.

make awesome stuff.

As a design leader, I have built and guided in-house teams to develop products, tools, and design capabilities from various starting points. I have branded and enhanced ecosystems, including Zume and the Zume Pizza brand’s food production products, communication tools, and ordering applications. Additionally, I have assembled teams for smaller organizations, like Tend, a fintech with a feature-rich banking app; Guile, a barbershop app; and a brand kit and sales tool for Balto Energy, a solar startup aiming to revolutionize solar sales for homeowners.

As a design leader, I have built and guided in-house teams to develop products, tools, and design capabilities from various starting points. I have branded and enhanced ecosystems, including Zume and the Zume Pizza brand’s food production products, communication tools, and ordering applications. Additionally, I have assembled teams for smaller organizations, like Tend, a fintech with a feature-rich banking app; Guile, a barbershop app; and a brand kit and sales tool for Balto Energy, a solar startup aiming to revolutionize solar sales for homeowners.

As a design leader, I have built and guided in-house teams to develop products, tools, and design capabilities from various starting points. I have branded and enhanced ecosystems, including Zume and the Zume Pizza brand’s food production products, communication tools, and ordering applications. Additionally, I have assembled teams for smaller organizations, like Tend, a fintech with a feature-rich banking app; Guile, a barbershop app; and a brand kit and sales tool for Balto Energy, a solar startup aiming to revolutionize solar sales for homeowners.

Before that, as a designer, I had many opportunities to work with product, UX, and brand design teams across different industries, including both in-house and agency roles. I contributed to building major brands by creating digital and physical retail experiences for Nike, Jawbone’s product packaging and webstore, GoPro’s retail and web experiences, The North Face’s shopping platforms, and Oakley’s interactive product guides.

Before that, as a designer, I had many opportunities to work with product, UX, and brand design teams across different industries, including both in-house and agency roles. I contributed to building major brands by creating digital and physical retail experiences for Nike, Jawbone’s product packaging and webstore, GoPro’s retail and web experiences, The North Face’s shopping platforms, and Oakley’s interactive product guides.

Before that, as a designer, I had many opportunities to work with product, UX, and brand design teams across different industries, including both in-house and agency roles. I contributed to building major brands by creating digital and physical retail experiences for Nike, Jawbone’s product packaging and webstore, GoPro’s retail and web experiences, The North Face’s shopping platforms, and Oakley’s interactive product guides.

Recommendations

from people who i've hired and made awesome stuff with

He is an extremely well-articulated and thought-out individual. Brendan supports his team, and product owners and engineering leads can also trust that his design leadership will be cognizant of their processes in product development and, ultimately, the best direction for the user experience within the end product.

Roy Brubaker

SENIOR DESIGN PROGRAM MANAGER

director of design
operations at joy

SENIOR DESIGN PROGRAM MANAGER

Brendan invested first in us and went to bat for our needs, and he always ends up with fiercely loyal teams and networks as a result.

Roxanne Tomco

Content design COACH at uxcc

Brendan has a serious talent for hiring a team that is impactful and high performing, while building a culture that is fun, inclusive, and highly positive.

Alex Fallas

interaction design LEAD at google

interaction design LEAD
at google

Time after time I saw Brendan advocate for our team and our user’s experiences, always backed by thoughtful strategy. He’s an excellent communicator and leader, who delivers great outcomes in the face of uncertainty.

Erika von Kelsch

senior product designer at quicken

senior product designer
at quicken

He has an eye for identifying and hiring skilled people who work well with others, who contribute positively to the team dynamic, who are self-motivated and don't need a lot of hand holding. He does this quickly and under pressure and handles it with grace and without losing focus on his standards or his vision. The result is a happy team that comes to work ready for the day, every day.

Matt Fisher

senior content design at SAP

Everyone on our team knew Brendan had our backs and would go to bat for us whenever it was needed. I always looked forward to our 1:1s, as I knew Brendan could always give me candid advice on whatever situation I was facing.

Kai Takahashi

Product designer at watershed

Product designer
at watershed

Brendan is a clutch combination of creative leader, strategic thinker, problem-solver and coach. I especially appreciated his ability to remain calm under pressure.

Carrie Ammermann

Director, Global Marketing Communications at prepass

His implicit trust in us inspired us to do great work. However, if we ever wanted any advice or input on projects, he would go out of his way to spend as much time as we needed with him. This approach was good for the individual employee, the team, and the company as a whole. I would highly recommend Brendan for any design leadership role, especially one that requires a strong grasp of multiple design disciplines.

John Mauriello

Industrial Design Lead, Design and Content Strategist, Creative Director

Industrial Design Lead, Design and Content Strategist, Creative Director

Industrial Design Lead, Design and Content Strategist, Creative Director