TIAA reimagined
TIAA reimagined
Client
TIAA
Year
2023-24
Redefining TIAA’s Design Ecosystem: A Scalable System for Unified, Future-Ready Experiences.
Redefining TIAA’s Design Ecosystem: A Scalable System for Unified, Future-Ready Experiences.
Overview
TIAA's rapid growth exposed gaps in marketing design. Teams worked in silos, leading to inconsistent components, inaccessible designs, and outdated documentation. These inefficiencies slowed collaboration, misaligned workflows, and weakened brand consistency at scale. The challenge: unify marketing design. This meant more than fixing inconsistencies—it required scalable systems that fostered collaboration, ensured accessibility, and delivered cohesive, high-impact results. As System Design Lead, I built the foundation for a centralized Marketing Enterprise team. I developed scalable frameworks, templates, and tools that streamlined workflows and empowered teams to work efficiently and confidently.
TIAA's rapid growth exposed gaps in marketing design. Teams worked in silos, leading to inconsistent components, inaccessible designs, and outdated documentation. These inefficiencies slowed collaboration, misaligned workflows, and weakened brand consistency at scale. The challenge: unify marketing design. This meant more than fixing inconsistencies—it required scalable systems that fostered collaboration, ensured accessibility, and delivered cohesive, high-impact results. As System Design Lead, I built the foundation for a centralized Marketing Enterprise team. I developed scalable frameworks, templates, and tools that streamlined workflows and empowered teams to work efficiently and confidently.
Client
TIAA
Industry
Finance
Service
System design/ Pattern Design
Product design/ UX
Brand identity
Duration
6 months
The Challenge
We built an intuitive, scalable system to unify TIAA’s marketing design. The goal: replace fragmented processes with aligned workflows and tools for seamless collaboration. Reusable design patterns ensured brand consistency while allowing flexibility. A centralized documentation system became the single source of truth, reducing confusion. To strengthen teamwork, we introduced a robust annotation system and an accessibility workflow that made designs inclusive. The new system fostered cross-functional collaboration, helping teams build on each other’s work. Instead of rigid guidelines, we created adaptable structures that balanced creativity with a unified design language.
We built an intuitive, scalable system to unify TIAA’s marketing design. The goal: replace fragmented processes with aligned workflows and tools for seamless collaboration. Reusable design patterns ensured brand consistency while allowing flexibility. A centralized documentation system became the single source of truth, reducing confusion. To strengthen teamwork, we introduced a robust annotation system and an accessibility workflow that made designs inclusive. The new system fostered cross-functional collaboration, helping teams build on each other’s work. Instead of rigid guidelines, we created adaptable structures that balanced creativity with a unified design language.
The Solution
The design system didn’t just streamline workflows—it transformed how teams worked. Centralized, reusable components reduced redundancy, sped up production, and improved brand consistency across campaigns. Beyond efficiency, the system drove measurable impact. Optimized patterns boosted engagement, improved SEO, and lowered bounce rates. Development teams saw smoother handoffs, faster implementation, and greater execution efficiency. By uniting design, content, and development, the system became the foundation for scalable, high-impact work.
The design system didn’t just streamline workflows—it transformed how teams worked. Centralized, reusable components reduced redundancy, sped up production, and improved brand consistency across campaigns. Beyond efficiency, the system drove measurable impact. Optimized patterns boosted engagement, improved SEO, and lowered bounce rates. Development teams saw smoother handoffs, faster implementation, and greater execution efficiency. By uniting design, content, and development, the system became the foundation for scalable, high-impact work.
The Result
Building a design system is one thing—getting teams to adopt it is another. Structure alone wasn’t enough. Early stakeholder involvement, sharp communication, and a focus on education made the system an intuitive part of workflows, accelerating production instead of slowing it down. The real challenge? Consistency. Teams often chased unique solutions that clashed with the broader vision. Defending the system wasn’t about control—it was about preventing inefficiency and confusion. Leadership meant balancing adaptability with standing firm when the system’s integrity was at stake. Engineering collaboration was key. A continuous feedback loop ensured designs weren’t just visually polished in Figma but worked flawlessly in code. The bridge between design and development strengthened with every iteration. More than efficiency, the system delivered impact. It empowered teams, scaled solutions, and ensured quality wasn’t left to chance. This wasn’t just about building a system—it was about designing for the future.
Building a design system is one thing—getting teams to adopt it is another. Structure alone wasn’t enough. Early stakeholder involvement, sharp communication, and a focus on education made the system an intuitive part of workflows, accelerating production instead of slowing it down. The real challenge? Consistency. Teams often chased unique solutions that clashed with the broader vision. Defending the system wasn’t about control—it was about preventing inefficiency and confusion. Leadership meant balancing adaptability with standing firm when the system’s integrity was at stake. Engineering collaboration was key. A continuous feedback loop ensured designs weren’t just visually polished in Figma but worked flawlessly in code. The bridge between design and development strengthened with every iteration. More than efficiency, the system delivered impact. It empowered teams, scaled solutions, and ensured quality wasn’t left to chance. This wasn’t just about building a system—it was about designing for the future.
Whats next
Whats next
Whats next
Whats next
Lifetime income
Lifetime income
Lifetime income
System design, Product design, Brand identity
Lifetime income
Lifetime income
Lifetime income
System design, Product design, Brand identity
Lifetime income
Lifetime income
Lifetime income
System design, Product design, Brand identity
Lifetime income
Lifetime income
Lifetime income
System design, Product design, Brand identity
North star
North star
North star
Product design
Visual design
Prototyping
UX
North star
North star
North star
Product design
Visual design
Prototyping
UX
North star
North star
North star
Product design
Visual design
Prototyping
UX
North star
North star
North star
Product design
Visual design
Prototyping
UX
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