Smart Design hires Omar Bakhshi as new Design Director
Announcement
Smart Design has appointed Omar Bakhshi as Design Director to support the London studio’s growth and development as a leader in designing meaningful products, services and experiences, working with Smart’s portfolio of global clients and partners. Omar previously led the experience design practice at Ogilvy.
Smart Design is a strategic design company that helps people live better and work smarter. They bring category-defining products and experiences to the world.
Commenting on Omar’s appointment, Smart’s London MD, Louise Astley, said, “the design and innovation market in London is constantly moving and changing. Omar’s move to Smart represents a trend for designers wanting to evolve from working in more traditional marketing agencies to those born in innovative product design. We are thrilled to have him on the team and his experience leading designers and working in the connected product and mobility sectors will be invaluable to our team and our clients.”
Omar Bakhshi added, “I am passionate about creating products that change behaviour and Smart Design, from their history with OXO Good Grips to their current work with Ford and Pepsico, are a leader in making this happen. While everything from our homes to our cities are becoming increasingly connected, design leaders who understand people are needed to make sense of it all and to help businesses get innovative products and services to market. Smart Design has a compelling story of product development at scale, mixed with the ability to navigate an organization and I can’t wait to begin working with them on products, services and experiences that really make a difference.”
Omar has a strong heritage of leading successful design groups. Prior to joining to Smart, he set up the user centred design practice at Ogilvy working for clients such as Ford, Ikea, Land Rover and Virgin Atlantic. Before that, he worked for AKQA on projects for Nike, amongst others.