Design Leader | Purpose-led Creative Director | Product and Innovation | AI, UX, EX

Spirographs, puzzles and National Geographic. It’s only with experience I realise the influence of childhood passions on adult career choices. Creativity, problem-solving and giving a damn about the world around us: these are the things that drive me.

Portrait of Ben Serbutt

Portrait by Josh Baddiley

I’ve been Head of Design for innovation and transformation consultancy &us. Through design thinking and creativity, I helped clients such as Novartis and HP thrive with optimism in our uncertain world, towards better outcomes in product, experience and service design. With the double diamond, AI and agile ways of working, I led on UX, prototyping, user research and life-centred design across the organisation.

Previously Head of Creative for Fat Beehive where I created delightful, ethical, digital: from UX to websites and from branding to web apps. I’ve been lucky to work with clients such as Greenpeace UK, CARE International, Target Ovarian Cancer, Action Against Hunger, Stop Killer Robots, Cool Earth, SolarAid, World Physiotherapy, Canal and River Trust, Human Dignity Trust and many more.

My focus is on design, campaigns and content for positive change: startups, purpose-led organisations, not-for-profits and life-centred design. My T-shaped skill set has evolved through empathy and endless curiosity. As well as following It's Nice That and Wired for visual inspiration, my reading list includes Dense Discovery, The Imperfectionist and Ten Things. I'm passionate about where design intersects with other disciplines.

I've art-directed Smash Hits and Songlines, been the freelance Creative Director of Jump and volunteered for Chatterbox, The Cambridge Commons and LifeJackets.

While Head of Design and Content at Olympic legacy volunteering charity Join In, we created campaigns such as the #BigThankYou, building the brand to 12% UK awareness in three years.

Combining design thinking with nudge theory enables my work to influence behaviour change. While fighting for good ideas, my toys remain firmly in the pram; maintaining listening and openness are the best routes to successful design.

Find my art practice here.

Design leadership

Leadership principles

Psychological safety

Building genuinely safe spaces to learn and grow are the foundation of high-performing teams.

Clear guidelines for growth

I support, challenge and empower designers with clear expectations and timelines, as well as cultivation of a growth mindset.

One team

I create a culture of trust with strategic team OKRs, weekly stand-ups, 121s, design crits and inspirational days out.

Managing up, down and sideways

Proactively collaborating and managing those around me helps delight teams interacting with designers. I ensure the design team objectives align with the company vision and business needs.

Just enough communication

Effective and timely communication provides clarity, foresees challenges and celebrates success.

Design principles

Outcome driven

Parallel to quality outputs, I put user and business outcomes at the centre of my process.

Life-centred design

Beyond just human-centred, how might we centre sustainable personas to unlock value?

Drive craft

Especially in the age of AI, foundational design skills and unique voices will be a differentiator for brands and campaigns.

Work in the open

My teams are transparent, and in the trenches with our clients, to iterate, drive progress and upskill others through regular Retros and feedback sessions.

Make early and test

I prioritise making and testing over excessive planning, generating valuable insights more quickly.

Skill set

Innovation

  • AI

  • Experimentation

  • Design thinking

  • Double diamond process

  • Collaborative facilitation

  • Working with agility

  • Proof of Concepts

  • Minimal Viable Products

  • How Might We

Product design

  • UI design

  • Wireframing

  • Design systems

  • Prototyping, POC and MVP

UX research + discovery

  • Desk research

  • User interviews/Qualitative research

  • User personas

  • User journeys

  • User testing

  • Surveys/Quantitative research

  • A/B testing

  • Card sorting

  • Information architecture

  • Service design

Branding

  • Visual identity

  • Guidelines

Teaming

  • Coaching

  • Mentorship

  • Management

  • Training

Collaborators

  • C-Suite stakeholders

  • Project managers

  • Product owners

  • Marketing managers

  • Designers

  • Strategists

  • Writers

  • Researchers

  • Coaches

  • Consultants

  • Freelancers

  • Developers

  • Animators

  • Illustrators

  • Communications teams

  • Content experts

See my work

Client list

Third sector / purpose / social good

  • Action Against Hunger

  • Canal and River Trust

  • CARE International Secretariat

  • Changing Faces

  • Cool Earth

  • Environmental Investigation Agency

  • FORWARD

  • Free Tibet

  • Greenpeace UK

  • Health Poverty Action

  • Human Dignity Trust

  • International Service for Human Rights

  • Join In Trust

  • National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ)

  • Resolution

  • Royal College of Ophthalmologists

  • Sigrid Rausing Trust

  • SolarAid

  • Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust

  • Stop Killer Robots

  • Target Ovarian Cancer

  • The Alzheimer’s Society

  • The Children's Trust

  • The Film & Television Charity

  • The Great Get Together

  • The Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund

  • The Trampery

  • Tommy's

  • Transport & Environment

  • War Child

  • World Physiotherapy

  • Young Epilepsy

  • Young Women’s Trust

Corporate

  • HP

  • Novartis

Publishing

  • Smash Hits magazine

  • Wanderlust magazine

  • IPC Media

  • Haymarket custom publishing

  • Seven

  • Wardour

  • Progressive Customer Publishing