The New Designers and Disruptors of 2017

Meet some of the new designers set to shake up experience design in 2017. These fresh faces bring a unique perspective to the art of XD and challenge our previous notions on the limits of design. To these disruptors, XD knows no bounds.

We are entering what Bill Bodin, CTO of enterprise mobility provider Kony, recently called “the year of the designer.”

He told Forbes that he predicts visualization tools will empower designers, especially mobile app designers, to be more involved in the development process. If he’s right, designers will have more of a say than ever before in shaping a user’s experience.

Who’s got more to show and tell than these young design disruptors who have been turning heads with their unique approaches to experience design. Using visualization and prototyping tools like Adobe XD, designers are creating lush experiences that challenge the limits of design and introduce new components to mobile and web experiences.

We’ve scoured Behance and rounded up a few designers to keep your eye on as we enter this exciting new era of experience design.

Serge Vasil

Serge created the first ever project designed in Adobe XD. He set the foundation for what is possible when designers are empowered with tools that bring out their most creative and intuitive impulses. His clean designs have garnered him more than 24,500 appreciations and 10,000 followers on Behance while attracting clients such as Ferrari, Forbes and Ikea. His work shows how bright visual components combined with sleek interface design can work together to create delicious user experiences.

Dann Petty

Dann Petty brings his passion for surfing and adventure into his lifestyle design work. The freelance designer has worked with Nike, Hurley, Red Bull, Quicksilver and Roxy (if we had to cherry pick just a few names off his client roster) and his love of color, flow and weather is apparent throughout his portfolio. He recently told us that, “Working for clients you believe in is huge to enjoying your work.” It might also be his secret for creating layered, textured experiences that add depth to the brand and enhance the user’s experience.

Wen Tong

Wen moved to the U.S. by way of China and has since been solidifying herself as a designer who knows how to rethink visual identity while keeping user experience front of mind. Her projects explore her process deeply and what sets them apart is how she incorporates user feedback into each element of the design process including everything from flow to features. She seems to have a keen understanding of the relationship between UI and UX, as well as the dynamic between clients and users. One can learn a lot by exploring her projects and process.

Egor Kuznetsov

This Russian designer has a relatively small portfolio on Behance compared to the ones above, but what caught our eye was his 30-day marathon challenge to design one thing in Adobe XD each day in December. His goal with this challenge is to improve his design skills, but the process speaks to the kind of work ethic that may be expected of designers going forward. As the field of experience design continues to evolve at such a rapid pace, designers face both a challenge and an opportunity to enhance their skills on their own time. Concept design is one way to show both creative thinking and skill potential all while finding your voice and style as a designer.

Sebastian Bailey

Sebastian Bailey’s work on the X Games Aspen app highlights how powerful a good user experience can be in driving consumer relationships with a brand. Sebastian walks us through the design process and shares how different design components can carry the narrative forward even after the event is over. In this particular case, once the winter X Games have come to a close, complementary design components allow the brand to transfer into the summer games while taking the users with them. Sebastian uses Adobe XD to its full potential, giving readers the opportunity to explore the prototype in more detail.

Designing The Future

These five user experience designers show how creative thinking and a keen understanding of user flow can help to set you apart from the pack. While some embrace that winning “fake it til you make it” attitude, others dive deep into user research, allow their unique personalities to shine or embrace new technologies to propel their careers forward.

What designers have caught your attention on Behance lately and what do you think it will take to make it in this era of the designer? Tell us in the comments below.

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