Steven Rankin
Design experience�
Visual Designer
Art director
Senior Graphic Designer
Illustrator
@ Google�
Senior Content strategist
Visual Designer
Illustrator
Multimedia production lead
Gen AI program management
Experience
I am an experienced content strategist, illustrator, and visual designer, with a proven track record of success in developing and delivering delightful, impactful assets in a variety of medium, from print to web to video.
I have a deep understanding of the creative process and the ability to translate business goals into compelling stories.
I am skilled in managing complex projects and people, while working with key stakeholders to ensure that all content meets or exceeds expectations.
I am a highly motivated, results-driven creative with a passion for creating things that makes a difference.
Skills, lots of them
I am passionate about design and its role in education, and how good design is a great teacher.
Projects
Projects
While at Google�
Simulators | Interactive content within the Merchant Center help center
Q42023 | Project lead, Senior content strategist
Team: gTech Ads | Content & Knowledge Experience
Simulators states
Troubleshooter program
2024 | Senior content strategist, VisD
Team: gTech Ads | Content & Knowledge Experience
A troubleshooter is a multi-page flow, built in Composer, that houses a series of conditional instructions to help users successfully self resolve their issues by drilling down to the specific issues and delivering corresponding solutions in compliance with product specifications.
I developed and expanded a troubleshooter program to streamline the resolution of common issues across various commerce product areas, reducing the need for high-touch support and improving user experience.
Best practices for troubleshooters can be found on Google Ads Content team’s Content Design System.
In 2022, our team explored the opportunity of leveraging third-party (3P) video as a media type for providing additional support for users.
Given the value that 3P parties provided, the exploration transformed into a project, and we realized that we need a way for these producers to directly upload content to the help center. In order do so we needed to create program and the tooling for this happen.
I worked closely with platform UX teams to ideate and help built new 3P video tooling within the Community section of our help centers.
Community surface, video playing improvements
2022 - 2023 | Content Strategy lead, Visual designer
Team: gTech Ads | Content & Knowledge Experience
Help panel improvements,
within the Google Ads product
2021-2022 | VisD
Team: gTech Ads | Content & Knowledge Experience
As part of a larger user experience improvement initiative, I led a content model design sprint that evaluated key user pain points and possible content improvements.
During the sprint, the team ideated improvements to the way the in-product help panel appeared in the Google Ads frontend.
I designed content layouts and wireframes that influenced the redesign of that surface.
Benefits cards within scaled support surfaces
2022-2023 | Content strategy lead, Design consultation
Team: gTech Ads | Content & Knowledge Experience
As part of a user experience improvement initiative, I led a content model design sprint to address key user pain points. One solution was the introduction of bite-sized content cards, designed to enhance user engagement and reduce the need for contact.
Following a successful pilot, which resulted in a 10-15% decrease in contact rates, I developed a content program with guidelines and use cases. This initiative's success led to the integration of card components as native elements in our internal CMS.
Benefits cards | Content offerings
One of the joys of starting a new design program is creating a style guideline and visual language. Illustrative can play a significant role in helping users understand and interact with a help center. �
They can be used to:
Google Ads help Center illustration style
2019 - 2021 | Multimedia production lead, Art Director
Team: gTech Ads | Content & Knowledge Experience
Google Ads help Center illustration style | Examples within the Google Ads help center
Developed and lead a 4-day design sprint for Abstract UI, including representatives from across UX, Support, Marketing, with the goal to provide recommendations for cohesive universal style guide for all Google Ads product UI and ads abstraction. My efforts helped to spearhead, along my UX counterpart, the programmatic shift in Google design thinking for all the UX and illustration teams within Google Ads.
Focusing on Google-wide OKRs, we increased the helpfulness and cohesiveness of Google products. Improving the production speed and simplifying product assets, we improved design operations and saved opex by limiting the need of extensive localization, extending content refresh periods while saving 15-20% resource time, per asset.
Program expanded to 4 other teams across gTech and is a core illustrative guideline within the Ads UX design repository for handling product screenshots.�
Google Ads help Center product assets style
(e.g. Abstract UI)
2019 - 2021 | Multimedia content production lead
Team: gTech Ads | Content & Knowledge Experience
Abstract UI | Current “ads examples” within the Google Ads help center
Abstract UI | Current “product asset” examples within the Google Ads help center
Current videos | YouTube playlist
Abstract UI | Examples within the Google Ads YouTube
Google’s Content Ecosystem illustration
2023 | llustrator
Team: gUP + gTech Ads scaled support
Program logo
Program metaphor illustration
Google's support content ecosystem is largely made up of user-generated content (UGC), which effectively addresses product questions and fills content gaps. Leveraging high-quality UGC, such as videos on YouTube, can boost content coverage, enhance user trust, and positively impact key performance indicators (KPIs).
This graphic, included in the leadership deck, provides a bite-sized, easily comprehensible visual representation of this ecosystem, highlighting the issue and opportunity. It also includes some fun jokes for added engagement.
2P / 3P Creators & Communities
2024 | Illustrator
Team: gUP + gTech Ads scaled support
Program logo
Program illustration
High traffic and user preferences underscore the need for investment in the 2P / 3P user care space. Whether on YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, or some other external surface, users are looking for help on the places they're already on.
The program logo captures the nature of the fun, multi-dimensional scope of work, and the graphic represents the complexity and synergies of the potential opportunities.
PTT is a web feature, that currently exists in Google Meet, that lets the user talk while muted in the call, by holding down the space bar.
I always try to keep my illustration skills up to date, so I take on projects as I have time.
Push To Talk (PTT) Promo
2022 | 20% project Illustrator, VisD
Team: Google Meet
Live in Google Meets now!
The goal of this project was to show, visually articulate, the partnership between Google Meet and Google One, which is for premium Google One and Meets users.
I always try to keep my illustration skills up to date, so I take on projects as I have time.
Google Meet and Google One
2022 | 20% project Illustrator, VisD
Team: Google Meet and Google One
The goal of this project was to depict four key values for Google Meet’s Responsible AI Playbook in support of their “The Moral Imagination workshop.”��They wanted to create foundational resources that would guide their work, establish clarity to ensure accountability, and develop strong ethics and responsibility as it relates to their field.
These illustrations depict the following values:
Responsible AI Playbook
2024 | 20% project Illustrator, VisD
Team: Google Meet
Value 1: Empowerment in Personal Productivity
Value 2: Independence
Value 3: Technological Justice
Value 4: Human Centered Technology
An internal portal for Googlers to find and meaningfully connect with fellow employees that can help them grow professionally: Coaches+Mentors.
Working with the UX team and creative agency, the team needed a series of hero illustrations and product icons for a pending product launch. I helped to outlined within a branding system.
In these illustrations, I depicted and created:
Google CMS Product Launch
2024 | 20% project Illustrator, VisD
Team: People Operations
Freelance projects
tuul | Automated chat support
Role: Content strategy consultant
A mobile automation platform that revolutionizes communication with customers and transforms how companies get work done.��The goal of this project is to create a compelling and user-friendly marketing website that showcases Tuul’s innovative chatbot solutions. The website will serve as a central hub for potential customers to learn about the company's products, understand their benefits, and ultimately convert into paying customers.
tuul | Hero image
tuul | Website carrossel
tuul | Website workflow demo
tuul | Product workflow designs
tuul | Product workflow card designs
tuul | Product workflow, individual cards
Xenio | Smart lighting solutions
Role: Content Strategy Consultant (Contract), Illustration
Xenio | Marketing illustrations
Xenio | Marketing illustrations
Xenio | Marketing illustrations
While at Symantec, a worldwide leader in cybersecurity, I worked closely under the direction of Senior Creative Director within a Creative Services department, to produce multi-channel content that drove company-wide initiatives.
I was a key contributor within the 360 marketing production cycle: ideation, content creation, design development, production, and delivery of pixel perfect assets for print, digital, video, and tactile experiences.
This project was an infographic series for our top marketing collateral for the year, Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR) which provides an overview and analysis of the year in global threat activity. The work before more was awfully dull, I tried to fix that.
Symantec | Cyber Security
Role: Senior Designer, Art director
Symantec | Infographic series for the ISTR
The graphics are animated if you want to turn on slide show!
Mystic Fog Beer & Co., a labor of love for me. I operate as the creative director for Patagonia-based brewery.
Anything visual is prepared, directed or art directed by me. We hope to convey a certain about of fun and adventure in our design philosophy.
Mystic Fog Beer & Co
Role: Art Director + Designer (for now)
Mystic Fog | 2021 Beer labels and instagram presence
Mystic Fog | New beer labels 2023
Mystic Fog | Art direction on Instagram
Thank you for checking me out!