Creative Director | UX Lead | AI & Digital Strategy Expert | Award-Winning Photographer
London, UK.
About
A highly experienced Creative Director and UX Lead with over 25 years of expertise in branding, digital strategy, and human-centered design, integrating AI technologies since 2016. Recognized as 2023 Street Photographer of the Year, Fabien blends artistic mastery with strategic innovation to craft visually compelling and purposeful experiences. Returning to the design industry with renewed passion, he leverages a unique journey of personal growth and award-winning creative endeavors to drive transformative change through design and AI leadership.
Work
Holdan Limited
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Brand Ambassador
London, England, UK
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Summary
Served as Brand Ambassador for professional imagery and photography brands, developing marketing strategies and creating content to enhance brand presence and product education.
Highlights
Developed and executed multi-channel marketing strategies for professional imagery brands, boosting brand visibility and engagement in the UK market.
Created compelling content across diverse social media channels, product reviews, and promotional materials for brands including Samyang, Atomos, and Hoya.
Hosted engaging events and workshops, enhancing product education and fostering brand advocacy among professional photographers and enthusiasts.
Conducted product testing and reviews, providing valuable insights for brand partners and contributing to product development cycles.
Fabien Butazzi Studio | Koan.Design
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Professional Fine Art Photographer and Creative Consultant
Hybrid, England, UK
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Summary
Founded and led a multi-faceted creative studio, providing commercial photography, creative direction, and digital strategy to diverse clients while achieving significant industry recognition.
Highlights
Founded and led a creative studio, delivering commercial, real estate, and product photography, alongside freelance Creative Direction and Design Mentorship.
Collaborated with Deloitte to produce thousands of photos, training their groundbreaking internal AI model and driving future AI development.
Achieved significant industry recognition, including multiple 'Photographer of the Year' awards and exhibition placements in Chicago, San Diego, New York, and Vancouver.
Specialized in NFT and AI Art, digital strategy, and social media marketing, expanding creative services into emerging digital landscapes.
Delivered photography workshops and creative consultancy, sharing expertise and fostering talent in fine art and commercial applications.
Digital Design Days & Award
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Panel Member
Milan Area, Lombardy, Italy
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Summary
Served as a highly qualified panel member for the international Digital Design Award, evaluating and recognizing excellence across diverse design categories.
Highlights
Served as a highly qualified panel member for the international Digital Design Award, evaluating and recognizing excellence across various design categories.
Contributed expert insights as part of an independent jury comprising leading national and international design authorities and gurus.
Assessed submissions in Graphic Design, User Experience, Creative Direction, and User Interface Design, upholding rigorous industry standards.
Endava
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Director of Digital Design, Europe
London, United Kingdom, UK
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Summary
Directed digital design strategy and execution across Europe, leading a global team of 100 designers for a leading IT services company.
Highlights
Directed digital design strategy and execution across Europe, leading a global team of ~100 designers spanning 15 international offices.
Drove digital transformation initiatives for major brands in Finance, Insurance, Technology, Media, and Retail sectors, enhancing business agility and value.
Contributed to Endava's consistent ranking in E-Consultancy's Top 100 UK agencies, including #1 independently owned company in 2018.
Spearheaded confidential, high-impact design projects, integrating advanced digital technologies and early AI principles to deliver innovative solutions.
Provided strategic thinking and art direction, ensuring high-quality user experience and interface design across all digital deliverables.
Kurtosys Systems
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Global Head of Design and User Experience
London, United Kingdom, UK
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Summary
Led global design and UX strategy, significantly increasing Monthly Recurring Revenue and transforming core business operations for a B2B SaaS provider.
Highlights
Led global design and UX strategy, growing the design team to ~60 professionals worldwide and overseeing product and web design initiatives.
Drove significant Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) growth by spearheading the redesign of J.P. Morgan UK's digital platforms, earning a design award nomination.
Developed comprehensive brand guidelines and redesigned key digital assets for Bank of New York Mellon, including their UK website and document delivery web-app.
Transformed core business operations by implementing Agile methodologies and improving internal procedures with a strong UX focus.
Orchestrated the redesign of two main Kurtosys products and conceptualized new solutions for digital publishing, analytics, and internal improvement, from wireframing to final product.
Provided critical design leadership, recruitment, training, and mentorship for both internal teams and key financial clients like Aberdeen and State Street.
Alfaweb
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Creative Director, UX and Design
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
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Summary
Directed creative strategy and UX design, enabling small local companies to achieve significant online growth and presence with limited budgets.
Highlights
Directed creative strategy and UX design, enabling small local companies to achieve significant online growth and presence with limited budgets.
Developed comprehensive brand identities, corporate and e-commerce websites, brochures, and multimedia assets, including Flash animations.
Led client workshops to train and coordinate internal teams on design principles and digital implementation, fostering client independence.
Provided expert design and UX/UI consultancy for the launch of Queexo, a pioneering social media aggregator, enhancing its user adoption.
Koan.Design
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Freelance Creative Director, Web Designer, Photographer
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
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Summary
Managed and executed diverse design projects as an independent contractor and agency team member, specializing in corporate and e-commerce platforms, branding, and multimedia solutions.
Highlights
Managed and executed diverse design projects as an independent contractor and agency team member, specializing in corporate and e-commerce platforms, branding, and multimedia solutions.
Cultivated long-term, fruitful relationships with three key agencies by consistently delivering high-quality, client-centric design solutions.
Dedicated 20% of work time to continuous research and skill development, ensuring innovative and best-fit solutions for clients, including a digital Christmas card project for Yahoo Italy.
Provided end-to-end project management, from creative direction and web design to photography and multimedia development for various clients.
Centrica (Italy)
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Art Director, Photographer
Florence Area, Tuscany, Italy
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Summary
Directed art and graphic design for high-profile cultural institutions, including the Uffizi Gallery, while leading an internationally recognized artistic project.
Highlights
Directed art and graphic design for high-profile cultural institutions, including the Uffizi Gallery, elevating digital presence and user engagement.
Spearheaded a pioneering artistic project, recognized with international prizes and national TV coverage, predating and competing with Google Art Project.
Digitized an extensive collection of classic Italian masterpieces by artists like Giotto, Vasari, and Lippi through specialized photography.
Designed and developed websites for a diverse client portfolio, ranging from independent companies to regional government bodies, including health and job services.
AllRight srl
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Creative Director, Web Designer, Photographer
Florence Area, Tuscany, Italy
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Summary
Provided creative direction for the Geomag website project, designed multimedia interfaces, and executed commercial photography for diverse clients.
Highlights
Provided creative direction for the Geomag website project, enhancing brand presence and user experience through strategic design.
Designed and developed interactive CD-ROM interfaces using Flash, showcasing multimedia expertise for various applications.
Executed commercial photography for product catalogues and delivered bespoke website designs for a media provider and an estate agent.
Spazio
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Art Director Jr, Designer
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
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Summary
Contributed as a Junior Art Director in a startup environment, developing brand identities and web designs for a local news aggregator.
Highlights
Contributed as a Junior Art Director in a startup environment, developing brand identities and web designs for various projects.
Designed CD-ROM interfaces and played a key role in the visual development of a local news aggregator kiosk project.
Wayin (Komete)
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Web Designer
Florence Area, Tuscany, Italy
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Summary
Designed and developed engaging web experiences for pioneering Italian internet portals, serving diverse clients in e-commerce and telecommunications.
Highlights
Designed and developed engaging web experiences for pioneering Italian internet portals, serving diverse clients including fashion e-commerce (Café Noir) and telecommunication companies (CDC1085).
Contributed to the launch of Italy's first network of portals, setting early industry standards for digital presence and user engagement.
DADA
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Web Designer, Web Developer
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
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Summary
Pioneered web design and development for Italy's nascent internet industry, contributing to the creation of national and local portals and online banking platforms.
Highlights
Pioneered web design and development for Italy's nascent internet industry, contributing to the creation of SuperEva, one of the first national portals.
Developed Firenze.net, Italy's first local news portal, and the website for WeB@nk, an early Italian online banking agency.
Successfully participated in Web Design contests and was nominated among the 'Top 10 Web Designers to Watch' in Italy by HOW Magazine, affirming early career impact and innovation.
Cispel Toscana Formazione
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Web Designer
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
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Summary
Gained foundational experience as a Web Designer and Developer, contributing to early digital projects while supporting academic pursuits.
Highlights
Gained foundational experience as a Web Designer and Developer, contributing to early digital projects.
Applied basic HTML and CSS skills to develop web content, establishing a strong technical base in web development.
Volunteer
Volunteer operator
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LILA - Lega Italiana per la Lotta contro l'AIDS
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Provided support as a volunteer operator for a national non-profit organization dedicated to AIDS prevention, treatment, and advocacy.
Highlights
Supported LILA's mission in AIDS prevention, treatment, and harm reduction through direct volunteer engagement.
Contributed to community outreach and support services, working with individuals with HIV and advocating for health and social policies.
Education
Section School
Online, Global, United States of America
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Certificate CourseAI Leadership
Courses
AI Agents For Business Efficiency
The Enterprise AI Deployment Playbook
Building With Enterprise AI: A Practical Guide
AI For Leaders
Google (online)
Online, Global, United States of America
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Online ProgramGenerative AI
Courses
Generative AI: Essentials for Startups
Startup Prototyping Sprint: Build Your Gen AI Demo & MVP
Going Hands-on with Gemini & Vertex AI
Scaling Gen AI for Production: Advanced Agents, Tools, Orchestration, & Deployment
Mastering Gen AI Applications: Hands-On Workshop with Weights & Biases
Build the Future, Faster: Unleashing Google DeepMind's Generative AI Stack
Empowering Your Work with Google DeepMind Gemma & Vertex AI
Digital Society School (online)
Online, Global, Netherlands
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Certificate CourseReimagining Nature
Courses
Exploring sustainable, nature-inclusive societies
Creative and artistic methods for ecological sustainability
Rethinking human-nature relationships
Digital Society School (online)
Online, Global, Netherlands
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Certificate CourseSociety 5.0
Courses
Approaches for thinking of society as interconnected elements
Shaping a human-centric Society 5.0
Embedding human values in digital transformation with AI and robotics
IDEO.org (online)
Online, Global, United States of America
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Online CourseHuman-Centered Design
Courses
Mastering the four steps of human-centered design process
Building effective interview guides for user research
Strategies for synthesizing user research and identifying design opportunities
Creative techniques for rapid prototyping and idea visualization
Effective testing of prototypes with real users to identify promising solutions
Penn State University (online)
Online, Global, United States of America
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Online CourseCreativity, Innovation and Change
Courses
Discovering creative uniqueness through Creative Diversity
Building innovative skills using Intelligent Fast Failure
Applying CENTER principles to drive personal change
Implementing value creation skills to initiate lasting change
General Assembly, London
London, England, UK
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WorkshopStart Up Leadership
Courses
Understanding the B.R.A.V.E framework of Leadership
Essential skills needed to run a team effectively
Inspiring and enabling teams to accomplish tasks
Wesleyan University (online, Coursera)
Online, Global, United States of America
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Certified CourseSocial PsychologyGrade: 93/100 with distinction
Courses
Introduction to classic and contemporary research in Social Psychology
Scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another
University of Applied Sciences Potsdam (online)
Online, Global, Germany
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Online CourseThe Future of Storytelling
Courses
Storytelling basics: antagonist/protagonist relationships, narrative/narrated time
Role of tools, interfaces, and information architectures in modern storytelling
University of Pennsylvania (online, Coursera)
Online, Global, United States of America
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Certified CourseGamificationGrade: 87.5/100
Courses
Mechanisms of gamification and its potential
Effective application of game elements and digital game design techniques to non-game problems
Solving business and social impact challenges through gamification
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (online)
Online, Global, United States of America
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Online CourseLearning Creative Learning
Courses
Ideas and strategies for designing technologies to support creative learning
University of Maryland Global Campus (online, Coursera)
Online, Global, United States of America
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Certified CourseDeveloping Innovative Ideas for New CompaniesGrade: 83.7/100
Courses
Identifying and developing great ideas into great companies
Identifying opportunities based on real customer needs
Developing solid business models for successful companies
Stanford University (online, Coursera)
Online, Global, United States of America
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Certified CourseHuman Computer InteractionGrade: 85.8/100 with distinction
Courses
Building human-centered design skills
Principles and methods to create excellent interfaces with any technology
Università degli Studi di Firenze
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
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Bachelor's DegreePhilosophy
Courses
Philosophical problems in historical development and theoretical dimension
Connections with Psychology, Human Sciences, Education Sciences, Arts
Knowledge of philosophical texts and acquisition of critical thinking
Liceo Scientifico C. Cavour
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
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High School Diploma (Maturità Scientifica)Applied Sciences
Courses
Italian language and literature
Mathematics
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
History
Philosophy
Latin language and culture
English language and culture
Art history and technical drawing
Awards
Street Photographer Of The Year
Gurushots
Awarded Street Photographer of the Year, leading to an exhibition in Chicago.
Travel Photographer Of The Year
GuruShots
Recognized as Travel Photographer of the Year, with an exhibition in San Diego.
Photographer Of The Year
GuruShots
Awarded Photographer of the Year, resulting in an exhibition in New York.
Nature Photographer Of The Year
GuruShots
Recognized as Nature Photographer of the Year, with an exhibition in Vancouver.
Top 10 Web Designers to Watch
HOW Magazine
Nominated among the top web designers in Italy by HOW Magazine for pioneering work at DADA.
Publications
F/8 Magazine
F/8 Magazine
Featured as Photographer of the Month, showcasing fine art photography work.
Digital Camera Magazine (Italian Edition)
Digital Camera Magazine
Several photos published throughout the year, including a double-page feature article authored for the June issue.
The Word It Book
HOW Publishings
Featured in 'The Word It Book,' a dynamic exercise in creativity and a compendium of contemporary design, offering insights into the creative process.
WDE Web Designers Experiments - Agli Antipodi del Web Design
Featured in a book showcasing the state-of-the-art of Italian Web Design.
La Superguida di Internet
DADA
Featured on a book published by the Italian internet provider DADA as a reference guide for Web Design.
Languages
English
French
Italian
Spanish
Skills
Creative Direction & Leadership
Creative Director, UX Lead, DesignOps Manager, Art Direction, Strategic Thinking, Team Leadership, Mentorship, Agile Methodologies, Project Management, Public Speaking.
Design & User Experience
UX/UI Design, Graphic Design, Web Design, Branding & Identity, User Research, A/B Testing, Micro-interactions, Wireframing, Prototyping, Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, Data Visualisation, Layout Design, Stylesheet Development, Colour Schemes.
Digital Strategy & Technology
Digital Strategy, Social Media Marketing, SEO, HTML, CSS, jQuery, Cross-platform Design, Digital Publishing, Analytics, Multimedia Solutions, Flash Animation.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI Enthusiast, Generative AI, AI Leadership, AI Agents, AI Model Training, NFT Art, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Gemini & Vertex AI.
Photography
Professional Photography, Fine Art Photography, Commercial Photography, Product Photography, Real Estate Photography, Food Photography, Portrait Photography, Studio Photography, On-location Photography, Image Postprocessing, Photography for AI Models, Teaching Workshops.
Other Skills
Content Creation, Problem Solving, Interpersonal Communication, Process Improvement, Cooking, DeeJaying.
Interests
Arts and Culture
Civil Rights and Social Action
Environment
Human Rights
Science and Technology
References
Ian Rees
Fabien is an excellent designer with an eye unlike any other I have come across. He brings a wealth of experience in terms of design and user experience that I always valued during our discussions. When approaching new projects and concepts he provided a reasonable view combining design flair with a pragmatism to get the job done - whilst design was paramount in his world it was not at the expense of project deliverables. His ability to find creative solutions to very tricky client requirements/requests was always a joy to be a part of. Of particular use was his ability to bring a varied development team round to a particular design style. Leading his team he created a design paradigm used across the company ensuring a consistent approach but with enough flair to make it custom to each client. It was great working with Fabien and I hope our paths cross again in the future.
Matt Lesle
Fabien is an expert web / front end designer and developer who is not afraid to speak his mind and has the best interests of the end user at heart. A great talent to call upon.
Marco Cappellini
Fabien has great creativity, combined with a very good knowledge of software to execute as well as a passion and ability for digital photography.
Andy O'Rourke
We have worked with several designers in the past but Fabien was the first that managed to give us a spot-on design on the very first try. He understood the needs of our users like nobody else before.
Stefano Di Prima
Fabien has proved himself a very helpful resource in keeping up high quality standard designs within the deadlines while being open-minded to every suggestion from the team, both on small and large projects. He has been a good colleague and a very nice person.
Susan Sabatini
Fabien a versatile person, he deals easily both with technical issues and with people. He consistently offers a fresh perspective and creative approach to projects. What's more, Fabien is a very focused person and very good at creating a very good mood in the teams he works in.
Leonardo Serni
Fabien showed great skill and dedication to his work, displaying strong problem-solving attitudes even in uneasy field conditions.
Alessandro Di Gangi
Fabien is one of those rare people who work very responsibly and are able to see and work on the project and not just the detail. He sees the big picture, but never loses the eye for the detail. He is highly competent, smart, solution-oriented, confident, quick and has a great taste. And is also a fun person to work with, which makes for such a great colleague.
Antonella Porfido
Lavorare con Fabien è una delle cose più belle che mi siano capitate in quel periodo, oltre ad essere un eccellente web designer unisce umanità, competenze, senso di responsabilità e capacità di relazionarsi con tutti. Pieno di interessi, aperto e colto.
Valerio Tamburini
Highly professional, strongly creative, marketing consistent: Fabien is an effective point of reference if you look for a systemic approach to communication.