# Layla Bakhshandeh > Experience Designer | UX, Storytelling, Creative Strategy Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/laylabakhshandeh Multidisciplinary creative with experience in design, communication, and operations bringing structure and clarity to creative projects. Committed to creating meaningful experiences that connect and empower communities. ## Work Experience ### Brand & Product Designer @ Unknown Jan 2025 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area Spearheading the design and usability improvements of products, enhancing user experience and functionality. Specializing in strategic storytelling, guiding projects from implementation to execution. Focusing on branding and marketing initiatives to elevate product visibility in the market. ### Student Corp Reporter @ EdSource Jan 2024 – Jan 2025 Collaborated with the Student Journalism Corp team in an award-winning newsroom to cover education stories. Researched and reported on emerging education topics across California to enhance public awareness. Developed strong writing and investigative skills while adhering to strict journalistic standards. Managed multiple writing, editing and research tasks under tight deadlines, demonstrating effective time management. ### Inclusive Design Student Research Lead @ California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Jan 2024 – Jan 2025 Facilitated an inclusive design initiative by leading a cross-functional team of student designers and researchers to develop comprehensive inclusive UX design standards. Conducted in-depth competitive analysis of industry-leading companies' inclusive design frameworks. Facilitated strategic interviews with senior UX professionals across the technology spectrum, from established enterprises like Apple to high-growth companies like Confluent, to identify best practices and emerging trends. ### Design Mentee @ Google Jan 2024 – Jan 2024 Selected for a mentorship program with Google’s packaging design team, learning their visual design workflow and review process. ### Brand & Product Designer @ .wav zine Jan 2024 – Jan 2024 | San Luis Obispo, California, United States Designed and developed a visually dynamic website that reflects the publication’s focus on music, arts, and culture. Applied design thinking to enhance user experience, streamline content navigation, and create an engaging digital space that elevates the brand’s editorial identity. ### Product Designer @ Cal Poly Iter8 Jan 2023 – Jan 2023 | San Luis Obispo, California, United States Worked as a UX/UI designer on a cross-functional team to develop user-centered prototypes and branding systems. Created low- and high-fidelity wireframes, built cohesive visual identities, and applied design thinking to improve usability and design consistency across the platform. ### Specialty Project Manager Intern @ University Graphic Systems Jan 2023 – Jan 2023 | San Luis Obispo, California, United States Worked as a Specialty Project Management Intern, gaining hands-on experience with specialty printing workflows and systems. Collaborated with cross-functional teams to improve production processes, streamline operations through SOP development, and explore automation tools. This role strengthened my ability to think systematically, solve problems creatively, and communicate effectively across technical and design teams. ### Content Strategist @ .wav zine Jan 2022 – Jan 2022 | San Luis Obispo, California, United States Contributed to .wav zine’s content and photo/video team, producing multimedia stories that spotlighted emerging music, arts, and culture projects. Generated original article, photo, and video concepts weekly, and executed them using Adobe Photoshop and Premiere. Captured and edited photo/video content, blending visual and written narratives to create compelling, editorial-quality work. ### Marketing and Design Freelancer @ So-So Market Jan 2022 – Jan 2022 | San Francisco, California, United States Worked as a Marketing & Design Freelancer for So-So Market, a Bay Area vintage and handmade marketplace. I developed and executed marketing campaigns for store launches and events, creating cross-platform assets using Illustrator, Photoshop, and mixed media. Collaborated with vendors to craft storytelling-driven content strategies that strengthened the brand’s community presence and visual identity. -Interviewed vendors and crafted narratives to highlight products ## Education ### Launching a Startup – Executive Program in Entrepreneurship / Innovation / Business Development Stanford University Graduate School of Business ### Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communication | User Experience/User Interface Concentration in Graphic Communication California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ### Bachelor of Science in Journalism | News Reporting Practicum in Journalism California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ### French Language and Culture Aix-Marseille University ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/laylabakhshandeh --- Source: https://flows.cv/laylabakhshandeh JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/laylabakhshandeh/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13