Designworks expands senior team appointing Kasia Wydrowski in creative director Sydney role + Luke van O in creative strategist Melbourne role

Strategic design agency Designworks, part of STW, has appointed a new creative director and creative strategist in response to business growth.

Kasia Wydrowski (left) joins Designworks Sydney in the role of creative director and Luke van O (right) as creative strategist, based in Melbourne. Both appointments are effective immediately.

Says Tim Riches, managing director, Designworks Australia: “Diversifying our skill base across different facets of design is at the core of our proposition. It powers our ability to design customer experience and transform brands. And Luke and Kasia bring breadth and depth as well as being the kind of professionals people enjoy working with.”

A highly experienced strategist with broad and varied experience, van O comes to Designworks after running his own business in digital strategy, campaign development and brand consultancy. Originally trained as an architect, he then went on to become a digital entrepreneur, an equities trader, a writer for children’s television and also had a stint working for Bang & Olufsen.

He has also worked at Elmwood and FutureBrand, and will be operate as a collaborator at Designworks with creative teams, bridging strategy and design, working on key clients Officeworks and Boral.

Says Riches: “In Luke, we’ve added an educated, eclectic thinker, with a rare blend of analytical and creative capability and a talent for creating powerful language. It’s perfect for the kind of strategic work we’re doing to deploy the power of design for our clients.”

In her new role, Wydrowski will be responsible for leading the Sydney design team, bringing a range of creative experience to the table and working on clients such as Westpac, Stockland and NRMA. Her most recent role was creative director/trends & insights director at Eskimo, with other career highlights including running her own business, plus working with Interbrand in Australia and Amsterdam, and Frost* in Sydney.

Says Riches: “Kasia’s background is global and local, in both large multinational consultancies and boutique design studios. In particular, her focus on trends and insights as the foundation for design, experience with lifestyle brands, retail and fashion bring real freshness and an appreciation for the role of content in the brand experience.”