About — Nick Lo Bue

Hello there.

Like a lot of kids heading off to college, I showed up to freshman orientation with no idea what I wanted to do. The guidance counselor I met with suggested I try my hand at something called graphic design. I didn't even know what that was.

Since then, my career has taken a pretty interesting and adventurous trajectory. I've been on the agency side, I've been in-house, I've tried my hand at co-running a start-up, and in 2009, I was appointed the first-ever Creative Director at the White House as part of the Obama Administration.

I've been incredibly fortunate to work with talented people on behalf of organizations including Allstate, IBM, the San Diego Padres, the NBA, State Farm, Nike, the Obama and Clinton campaigns, Cole Haan, CME Group, the UN Refugee Agency, AT&T, and Accenture, to name just a few.

Through the years, I've gained a reputation as someone who's willing to jump in, ask questions, and not settle for the obvious answer. While I'm proud of my background in design, my curiosity has taken me well beyond the boundaries of any one discipline. I've worked across digital products, customer experience, brand, marketing, technology, operations, and organizational strategy.

What I've learned is that I'm happiest when the problem is complicated and the answer isn't obvious. I like helping people imagine what could exist, establishing a clear direction, and bringing together the people who can make it real.

More recently, that has meant leading efforts to envision future customer experiences, building design systems and reusable foundations that allow good ideas to scale, and exploring how AI will change both the experiences we create and the way we create them.

I've also learned that the best work is never the result of one person. I've had the good fortune to work with some exceptionally talented designers, writers, researchers, strategists, engineers, product people, business partners, and leaders. Anything I'm proud to have accomplished was made possible by people working together, and I see one of my most important responsibilities as creating the conditions for them to do great work.

What I hope others would say about me…

I lead by understanding what my teams need and doing my best to support them. I plant ideas, ask provocative questions, and encourage people to explore and experiment.

I have a bias for action. I don't need a complete book of evidence to make a decision, and I'm comfortable with ambiguity. Sometimes not knowing all the answers creates the space to think differently.

I don't know it all, nor do I pretend to. Learning motivates me and brings joy to what I do. I try to immerse myself in the customers, businesses, and brands I represent so I have the context to ask better questions. “Firsts” don't scare me.

I strive to understand the people around me and what they need, expect, and worry about. I don't take myself too seriously. I like to tell stories (I have many), and I make a point of getting to know the people I work with.

I believe success should be measured by the value we create for customers, the brand, and the business, not by novelty or simply how much we produce.

I believe positive change comes from people sharing a clear idea of where they want to go, understanding why it matters, and working together to get there.

I believe the experiences we create should be available and accessible to people regardless of their abilities.

And I relentlessly pursue “better.” Years ago, I wrote about why I believe nothing is ever “final.” I still believe that. The best solutions evolve as we learn, and there's almost always an opportunity to make something better.