Systems thinker.
Hands-on designer.
20 years of both.
Product design and design systems across Capital One, GitLab, and GEICO. I've built teams, shipped products, and created the conditions where great design becomes repeatable. Strategy and craft, at the same time, at scale.
Two case studies. Two disciplines.
Product design leadership at GitLab. Design systems leadership at GEICO. Two disciplines, both sides of the work.
Designing Structure for Scale
Led design of GitLab's OKR Management product while simultaneously rebuilding the Manage and Plan stage team's end-to-end process: discovery, critique, validation, handoff. The case study is about designing the team, not just the product.
Design as Leverage
Modernized GEICO's Hue design system. The Blue Button Initiative, a strategic adoption campaign dressed up as a component, drove system upgrades across 40+ application teams who hadn't touched Hue in years.
20 years in the work.
Still in the work.
I started at Capital One designing micro sites for Brand Creative. Over 14 years I became the sole designer of the Venture Card, their highest-performing product, led the design language for the EASE iPad app, and managed product design across Bank, Card, and Enterprise features in the iOS app. That work included collaborating with Apple's design and engineering teams in Cupertino on Touch ID and Face ID for Capital One. The EASE app earned back-to-back JD Power awards.
At GitLab, I managed a cross-functional team of 8 designers while shipping the OKR Management product from scratch. At GEICO, I ran the Hue design system as Director and found that governance could be just as creative as wireframing if you approached it right.
I've never been purely IC or purely a manager. I've always had to think about the work and the structure around it simultaneously. That dual focus is the hardest thing to develop, and it's become the core of how I lead.
Lead with the business outcome, not the process
Structure is a design problem
Governance as invitation, not gatekeeping
Accessibility as default, not an afterthought
Built in the open.
This site is designed with Tredegar, my personal design system, built with Eleventy, and deployed on Cloudflare Pages. The source is public because showing the work is part of the work.
View on GitHubWhat I bring to the role.
The disciplines I've developed over 20 years, each one earned. Not listed.
Product Design
Design Systems
Design Leadership
Design Strategy
Research & Validation
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Where the experience comes from.
Director, Design Systems
- Led design and modernization of Hue, GEICO's enterprise-wide design system
- Architected the Blue Button Initiative, a strategic adoption campaign driving system upgrades across 40+ application teams
- Built a governance model that shifted team culture from gatekeeping to collaborative enablement
- Partnered with Engineering, Brand, and Product to establish accessibility standards at scale
Product Design Manager
- Led a team of 8 cross-functional designers across project management, OKRs, and planning tools
- Designed and shipped GitLab's OKR Management product from zero, released as beta product to the highest consumer tier
- Built end-to-end design process: structured discovery, collaborative ideation, weekly critique, validation checkpoints, and engineering handoff standards
- Established design review cadence and sprint model that reduced late-stage pivots and improved PM/Eng alignment
Senior Designer to Hybrid IC/Manager
- Sole designer of the Capital One Venture Card, the company's most successful consumer product
- Designed iPad App v1; led all design for v2, originating the EASE unified design language adopted across the iOS platform. The app earned back-to-back JD Power awards.
- Collaborated with Apple's design and engineering teams in Cupertino on Touch ID and Face ID for Capital One
- Hybrid IC/Manager for Bank, Card, and Enterprise features across the iOS Universal App
- Designed developer tools including a Chaos Engineering product and a developer platform pitched to leadership
Straight from the people.
From direct reports across Capital One and GitLab.
"Blair set quite a high bar for what a great people manager succeeds at. He always puts direct reports first -- as a function of available attention and assisting in elevating their career. I felt incredibly empowered, and safe. A company who has Blair leading a team will get someone who knows good design, good design practices, and how to foster a successful team."
"Blair is an excellent manager. His clear and calm direction through challenges, and quick recognition of accomplishments, is an asset to any team. Blair is an empathetic listener, with a knowing sense of when to reach out. I learned a lot in our time working together and his next team will be lucky to have him."
"One of Blair's key strengths is his genuine care for people. He has a unique ability to create a supportive and inclusive work environment where everyone feels valued and encouraged to grow. He never came across as micromanaging or overbearing, and instead acted as a gentle guide and leader."
"Blair encourages us to be our best selves by leading by example. He leads with heart, humility, and authenticity. He leans in with fearless determination to advocate for the customer experience and encourages us all to do the same."
