James Byford // Head of Design // User Experience
Hello. I’m James, I’m a design leader with two decades of expertise in branding, advertising, graphic design and digital experiences. I combine strategic thinking, clear storytelling, and design craft to create work that’s both beautiful and effective. I lead teams in delivering thoughtful, high-impact design solutions that exceed expectations and move businesses forward.
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My career began in 2005 at a boutique design agency in Shoreditch, working with clients like Hewlett-Packard. Following a period of freelance work, I joined Lavish Creative in Soho in 2008 as a Senior Designer, providing comprehensive creative design and marketing solutions for the entertainment industry. Here, I serviced global clients including the BBC, ITV, Monster, NBC Universal, and The Wall Street Journal. In 2012, I moved to Bartle Bogle Hegarty, where I served as a Senior Designer for eight years. More recently, I joined AdvantageGo, an InsurTech company, as Creative Design Lead.
My progression led to promotions to Head of Design and my current role as Global Head of Design and UX. In this position, I lead and empower a talented team of UX and Designers, focusing on delivering a unified and exceptional single-platform experience for our users.
“MAKES EVERYTHING LOOK AMAZING. Also a lovely guy.”
Will Lion // Chief Strategy Officer // BBH London
Clients
Skills
Leadership & Team Management
// Global design & UX team leadership
// Cross-functional collaboration
// Mentorship & talent development
// Resource planning & project prioritisation
// Conflict resolution & team motivation
// Scaling design operations
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Strategic & Business Skills
// Design strategy aligned with business goals
// Brand positioning & market differentiation
// Campaign collaboration with marketing teams
// Stakeholder management & executive communication
// Budget ownership & ROI measurement
// Global perspective on design trends
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Design & Creative Skills
// Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)
// After Effects / Premiere
// Figma / Adobe XD / Sketch / Zeplin
// QuarkXPress
// Collaborative design & prototyping
// Branding & identity design across global markets
// Graphic design
// Design systems creation & governance
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User Experience (UX) Skills
// User research & insights
// Low-Fi / High-Fi prototypes
// Interviews, surveys, usability testing
// Information architecture & wireframing
// Interaction design & prototyping
// Customer journey mapping
// Human-centred design methodologies
// Accessibility standards (WCAG compliance)
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Video Production & Creative Direction
// End-to-end video production management
// Concept, script, storyboard, editing
// Directing creative teams to produce video assets
// Aligning video content with strategy & brand
// Creative direction for digital platforms
// Ensuring consistency of tone, style, and storytelling
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Presentation Design
// PowerPoint & Keynote expertise
// Pitch decks, investor presentations, marketing collateral
// Slides balancing clarity & creativity
// Presentation templates & design systems
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Technical & Collaboration Skills
// Front-end development collaboration
// HTML, CSS, JavaScript awareness
// Agile & Scrum methodologies
// Digital product lifecycle management
// Data-driven design decisions
// Analytics & A/B testing
// Collaboration tools: Slack, Jira, Trello, Miro
“James is an exceptional creative talent who drove significant business value across the organisation. He led the transformation of our entire design ecosystem, holding full creative ownership across all touchpoints. James was instrumental in shaping and executing the design vision for the single platform experience. This initiative successfully unified our products under one cohesive user experience. James worked closely with the Marketing and Growth teams. He effectively leveraged design thinking to successfully evolve and elevate the brand during a critical growth phase. As a leader, James is highly effective. He managed his design team with skill and clarity, successfully establishing a strong, high-performing design culture throughout AdvantageGo. James possesses the rare combination of deep design knowledge, strategic business thinking, and people leadership skills. Any company seeking a senior design leader capable of transforming their product and brand would be lucky to have him.”
Ian Summers // Chief Executive Officer // AdvantageGo
Experience
May 2025 – Nov 2025 // Fenchurch St, London
Global Head of Design and User Experience
AdvantageGo
As a multidisciplinary Creative Design Leader, I drive the vision and execution of our entire end-to-end user experience. This spans all touchpoints, from digital and traditional graphics to brand, web, UX design, and product development. I'm also responsible for future design and UX initiatives, ensuring we consistently remain at the forefront of innovation. I lead and empower a talented team of UX and graphic designers to deliver a unified and exceptional single-platform experience for our users.
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Sept 2023 – May 2025 // Fenchurch St, London
Global Head of Design
AdvantageGo
As Head of Design at AdvantageGo, I drive the design vision, crafting a unified design language across all touchpoints. I lead a talented team, shaping innovative solutions that define our brand and product strategy. Our focus is on creating beautiful, functional designs that resonate with users.
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Sept 2020 – Sept 2023 // Fenchurch St, London
Creative Design Lead
AdvantageGo
As Creative Design Lead at AdvantageGo, I drive the strategic vision and execution of all design initiatives. I lead brand and design development, crafting a distinct visual identity that shapes the future of our products and brand strategy. I deliver best-in-class creativity across all touchpoints, from marketing materials to user experiences. By leveraging IBM and a cutting-edge MarTech stack, I empower a talented design team to achieve exceptional results.
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Aug 2012 – Sept 2020 // Soho, London
Senior Graphic Designer
BBH (Bartle Bogle Hegarty)
As a Senior Graphic Designer at BBH London, I was responsible for creating compelling pitch assets and marketing materials. My design skills helped the agency win multi-million-pound accounts. I am proficient in Adobe Creative Cloud and Mac/PC-based design systems. I am an expert in creative agency competitive pitching and an advocate of design craft. In my hybrid role, I supported the agency's new business opportunities and pitch requirements, while also producing creative adverts in the design studio. I have worked on over 100 high-profile client pitches, from chemistry to post-pitch pints.
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Feb 2010 – Aug 2012 // Piccadilly Circus, London
Senior Graphic Designer
Lavish Creative
As a Senior Graphic Designer at Lavish Creative, I was a key member of a highly talented team of creatives who specialised in supplying total creative design and marketing solutions for the entertainment industry. Our work spanned all media, from initial concept creation and IP branding, through web presence, design, print, marketing, and fulfilment. We served global clients including BBC, ITV, Monster, NBC Universal, and the Wall Street Journal.
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Jan 2009 – Feb 2010 // London
Freelance Middleweight Graphic Designer
Aquent London
I freelanced full-time as a Middleweight Graphic Designer to gain experience in the Design and Advertising industries. I worked on a variety of projects, including logo design, web design and print design. I worked with a variety of clients, including small businesses, national brands, Fortune 500 companies and non-profit organisations.
Through my freelance work, I gained valuable experience in all aspects of the design process, from concept development to final delivery. I also developed strong communication and interpersonal skills, as I worked with clients to understand their needs and deliver projects that met their expectations.
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Oct 2006 – Oct 2008 // Shoreditch, London
Junior - Middleweight Graphic Designer
OneTwoOne Design
I was employed as a Junior Designer and was promoted to Middleweight Designer within a year. I have a proven track record of success in producing both print and digital design. I have a strong ability to manage projects from concept to delivery, and I have a proven ability to build and maintain relationships with clients, suppliers, and printers. I am also trained in Artworking and Press Passing.
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Jul 2006 – Sep 2006 // Holborn, London
Junior Intern Graphic Designer
FutureBrand
I was an intern at FutureBrand, a global branding and design agency, in London. I worked on a variety of branding and design briefs. I gained valuable experience in the branding and design industry during my internship at FutureBrand. I learned how to develop and execute branding and design strategies, and I gained experience working with clients and stakeholders.
“James is an outstanding designer. I worked closely with him for a number of years across a whole range of tasks. The quality of our marketing collateral was always absolutely first class, and that was due to James’ very considerable talent. Here are just some of the reasons he would be a huge asset to any business.
He has brilliant craft skills and an excellent eye. All of his work is polished and precise. He is very fast. He can get through a huge amount of volume and deliver to all to a very high standard at a very high speed. He works closely to a brief, takes feedback really well and always responds with something better. He’s very good under pressure. He never lets tight deadlines or long days get to him. He’s a great bloke and a top teammate.”
Ben Fennell // Chief Executive Officer // BBH London
Education
2:1, BA (Hons) Graphic Design
De Montfort University // 2002 - 2005
Foundation level National Diploma
in Art & Design, Graphic Design
The Colchester Institute // 2001 - 2002
A levels, Art, Computing, Design & Technology
The Boswells School // 1998 - 2000
References
Ian Summers // Chief Executive Officer
AdvantageGo // LinkedIn
Adrian Bastow // Chief Marketing Officer & Chief Growth Officer
AdvantageGo // LinkedIn
John Bowers // Chief Product Officer
AdvantageGo // LinkedIn
Ben Fennell // Chief Executive Officer
BBH (Bartle Bogle Hegarty) London // LinkedIn
Isobel Thomas // Head of External Communications
Publicis Groupe // LinkedIn
Ali Augur // Head of Art
VCCP // LinkedIn
Contact
I’m always open to new opportunities and collaborations.
// Email
// Call
// Text
// Linkedin
// Download CV