Aesthetikal
Creative Work & Collective Design
Joseph McLaughlin
Partner Director of Design + Executive Creative Director, Microsoft Experiences & Devices
AD 1975 / 2020
Aesthetikal is
Collective Creative Vision & Design Direction executed at massive scale.
A human centered approach to design thinking & operations that scales design, openly & systematically.
Industry
News + Features
︎ + Adobe
Adobe Design Diaries Interview
Building a culture of Collaboration
How Joseph McLaughlin of Microsoft drives cultural impact
that changes the way designers and engineers work together.
︎ + Adobe + idean
Book Release -
Hack the design system
Revolutionizing the way your organization
scales design.
Adobe Design Diaries Interview
Building a culture of Collaboration
How Joseph McLaughlin of Microsoft drives cultural impact
that changes the way designers and engineers work together.
︎ + Adobe + idean
Book Release -
Hack the design system
Revolutionizing the way your organization
scales design.
Featured
Work
Hack the Design System
Microsoft Fluent Design System
Office 365
Windows + Outlook
KIN + Windows Phone
AD.20-01
Hack the Design System is about the human aspects of design systems, but it also talks about the challenges around buy-in, people and resources, communication, and maintenance.
idean.com/learn
ISBN
978-17330511-2-5
Industry
Recommendations
Microsoft + Adobe + Oracle + Amazon + Apple View on LinkedIn
︎ + Oracle
Vasudha Chandrasekaran
Senior Director at Oracle
Direct Report
Anyone who has worked with Joseph would easily describe him as creative, organized, articulate and systems thinker. A leader that enjoys rolling up his sleeves and getting involved in the actual work that gets done. Joseph is a straightforward and honest leader - a value that is incredibly important. He made it easy and natural to have an open discussion about any topic and that greatly simplified all lines of communication and clarified expectations. He trusted me wholeheartedly as his research partner and gave me and my team the space and autonomy to conceive, plan and execute on projects. When reporting to him, I had the pleasure of directing several unconventional projects that had unexpectedly positive impact on the business - projects that some managers would have hesitated to support. Joseph believes and practices work life balance, encouraging his team to rejuvenate and bring their creative best.
︎
Oleg Melnychuk
Senior Design Manager at Microsoft, Norway
Executive Director to Oleg
I was part of Joseph's team for over three years now and it's been a transformational experience for our team and for myself personally. Being in a remote office in Norway and staying up-to-date with the latest developments in the main design studio in Redmond was a huge challenge. The products we created had to fit into the larger picture and having access to the latest information was extremely important. Once our Oslo team rolled into his charter and team, everything started to change. Joseph managed to create a culture that made us feel like a true part of the global team, with common vision and goals. Our work has become more impactful, as we were able to have easy contact with partner teams across the org and have the possibility to influence products on a much broader scale. Most importantly, I feel empowered to do my best job and know that Joseph will support me whenever I need it.
︎ + Apple
Ray Sun
Director of Engineering
Engineering Partner
Joseph is a design maven. Teammates naturally look to him for design guidance, from the big picture to the smallest details. Years ago, Joseph & I worked on a product with a clear creative direction, but the implementation didn’t match the design. With limited time remaining, the directors came up with an interesting solution. They asked Joseph to pause his day job and meet 1-1 with every app engineer to align the vision with the product. Everyone knew that Joseph was the right person for this job, and the solution worked. Joseph went on to influence Microsoft Design on a company-wide scale, leading to his well-deserved Microsoft Outstanding Technical Achievement award.
Vasudha Chandrasekaran
Senior Director at Oracle
Direct Report
Anyone who has worked with Joseph would easily describe him as creative, organized, articulate and systems thinker. A leader that enjoys rolling up his sleeves and getting involved in the actual work that gets done. Joseph is a straightforward and honest leader - a value that is incredibly important. He made it easy and natural to have an open discussion about any topic and that greatly simplified all lines of communication and clarified expectations. He trusted me wholeheartedly as his research partner and gave me and my team the space and autonomy to conceive, plan and execute on projects. When reporting to him, I had the pleasure of directing several unconventional projects that had unexpectedly positive impact on the business - projects that some managers would have hesitated to support. Joseph believes and practices work life balance, encouraging his team to rejuvenate and bring their creative best.
︎
Oleg Melnychuk
Senior Design Manager at Microsoft, Norway
Executive Director to Oleg
I was part of Joseph's team for over three years now and it's been a transformational experience for our team and for myself personally. Being in a remote office in Norway and staying up-to-date with the latest developments in the main design studio in Redmond was a huge challenge. The products we created had to fit into the larger picture and having access to the latest information was extremely important. Once our Oslo team rolled into his charter and team, everything started to change. Joseph managed to create a culture that made us feel like a true part of the global team, with common vision and goals. Our work has become more impactful, as we were able to have easy contact with partner teams across the org and have the possibility to influence products on a much broader scale. Most importantly, I feel empowered to do my best job and know that Joseph will support me whenever I need it.
︎ + Apple
Ray Sun
Director of Engineering
Engineering Partner
Joseph is a design maven. Teammates naturally look to him for design guidance, from the big picture to the smallest details. Years ago, Joseph & I worked on a product with a clear creative direction, but the implementation didn’t match the design. With limited time remaining, the directors came up with an interesting solution. They asked Joseph to pause his day job and meet 1-1 with every app engineer to align the vision with the product. Everyone knew that Joseph was the right person for this job, and the solution worked. Joseph went on to influence Microsoft Design on a company-wide scale, leading to his well-deserved Microsoft Outstanding Technical Achievement award.
︎
Steve Kaneko
Design Architect / Advisor
Prior Mentor + Partner Director of Design
Joseph is a passionate, disciplined, systems thinking Designer that leads by hands on example. This is a rare combination in large corporations but a highly necessary skillset to have in order to not just talk about design led quality change, but to show it, and make it scale. I've enjoyed my time with him while working to unify and upgrade, not just the Office suite of patterns and controls, but to connect this to the rest of the corporation in collaborative fashion.
︎
Pete Card
Principle UX Research Lead at Microsoft
Research Partner
I've had the pleasure of working with Joseph for the past two and a half years in the Office 365 Design Studio. Joseph is a champion of customer needs in the design process and our teams have formed a very strong partnership, working together to solve everything from tactical design challenges such as visual density to ensuring our overall design language resonates with customers. We're very fortunate to have a visionary design leader who collaborates so strongly.
︎
Edward Capuano
Executive Producer, XBOX
Direct Executive Producer to Joseph
Class. Taste. Professionalism. All things Joseph possesses that makes him a great Creative Director. What separates him from the pack, and stand above the rest? His disposition. In a world where you can see "moody," both up and down, from a CD, Joseph has such a calm and even keeled way about him, it can be almost zen like. It made the biggest challenges and issues solvable. There was nothing you couldn't accomplish working with him... and to top it off, he always made it fun. Always explained his thought process to you when presenting his ideas, which then made it easy to explain speak to his direction. Never afraid to step up, never afraid to lead, I would go into battle with Joseph anytime, any place, on any project.
Steve Kaneko
Design Architect / Advisor
Prior Mentor + Partner Director of Design
Joseph is a passionate, disciplined, systems thinking Designer that leads by hands on example. This is a rare combination in large corporations but a highly necessary skillset to have in order to not just talk about design led quality change, but to show it, and make it scale. I've enjoyed my time with him while working to unify and upgrade, not just the Office suite of patterns and controls, but to connect this to the rest of the corporation in collaborative fashion.
︎
Pete Card
Principle UX Research Lead at Microsoft
Research Partner
I've had the pleasure of working with Joseph for the past two and a half years in the Office 365 Design Studio. Joseph is a champion of customer needs in the design process and our teams have formed a very strong partnership, working together to solve everything from tactical design challenges such as visual density to ensuring our overall design language resonates with customers. We're very fortunate to have a visionary design leader who collaborates so strongly.
︎
Edward Capuano
Executive Producer, XBOX
Direct Executive Producer to Joseph
Class. Taste. Professionalism. All things Joseph possesses that makes him a great Creative Director. What separates him from the pack, and stand above the rest? His disposition. In a world where you can see "moody," both up and down, from a CD, Joseph has such a calm and even keeled way about him, it can be almost zen like. It made the biggest challenges and issues solvable. There was nothing you couldn't accomplish working with him... and to top it off, he always made it fun. Always explained his thought process to you when presenting his ideas, which then made it easy to explain speak to his direction. Never afraid to step up, never afraid to lead, I would go into battle with Joseph anytime, any place, on any project.
︎
Ramiro Torres
Principle Creative Director - Hololens
Joseph is a fantastic creative leader. His ability too conceptualize, develop a design vision, and consensus around it are priceless. He is an inspiring creative leader that is always looking for new creative ways to innovate.
︎ + Likewise
Nathan Auer
Director of UX
Joseph is a true creative; both artistic and articulate, able to balance a vision and a strategy. The level of craftsmanship that he delivers is remarkable. He's a delight to collaborate with, and I'm always impressed by both his work, and the work of his team.
︎ + Amazon
Mark Healey
Senior Design Manager
Joseph is an awesome design leader and a well respected member of our design organization. He is passionate about design and holds his work and the work of his team to very high standards.
Ramiro Torres
Principle Creative Director - Hololens
Joseph is a fantastic creative leader. His ability too conceptualize, develop a design vision, and consensus around it are priceless. He is an inspiring creative leader that is always looking for new creative ways to innovate.
︎ + Likewise
Nathan Auer
Director of UX
Joseph is a true creative; both artistic and articulate, able to balance a vision and a strategy. The level of craftsmanship that he delivers is remarkable. He's a delight to collaborate with, and I'm always impressed by both his work, and the work of his team.
︎ + Amazon
Mark Healey
Senior Design Manager
Joseph is an awesome design leader and a well respected member of our design organization. He is passionate about design and holds his work and the work of his team to very high standards.