DESIGN LEADMAY ‘24

Kale is a creator marketing app that connects brands with everyday users, giving them the opportunity to create and share authentic content through brand-sponsored challenges. Users can participate in campaigns, create content, and post to their social channels, helping brands tap into organic, creator-led marketing. During my time at Kale, the platform partnered with brands like Free People, Anthropologie, and OLIPOP.

I joined as the sole designer, tasked with revamping the product from the ground up. With little existing design infrastructure in place, I redesigned the app while simultaneously building its first cohesive design system. This included establishing design tokens, variables, and reusable components, while partnering directly with engineering to ensure the design library accurately reflected the product in code. I also worked closely with the cofounders to communicate the long term value of investing in a scalable system alongside immediate product needs.

The work included:

• Redesigning the app experience while establishing a consistent visual language
• Building a design system from the ground up, including tokens, variables, and reusable components
• Creating a shared source of truth for design and engineering
• Partnering with engineers to align Figma components with the implemented product
• Advocating for design system investment and establishing a foundation for future product growth

Building Kale’s design system was my first deep dive into systems thinking. Balancing a full product redesign with building a system from scratch as the sole designer challenged me to think beyond individual screens and consider how design decisions could scale across the entire product. It shaped how I approach design today, reinforcing the value of consistency, collaboration, and building foundations that make future work more efficient.