# Taras Lesko

> Senior Product Designer, Design Systems, ex Microsoft

Location: Kent, Washington, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/taraslesko

I am a multidisciplinary Designer with two decades of professional design experience spanning across web, mobile, desktop apps, and video games. I specialize in design systems, workflow optimizations and building intuitive user experiences with a meticulous attention to details. Throughout my career I have worked on projects of various sizes for multiple clients and charities, including Microsoft, Audi, Autodesk, Hasbro, LeMay Car Museum, Seattle Children’s Hospital, World Vision, and others. 

I am a motivated self-starter and creative problem solver capable of taking projects from concept to product launch. I work well with others and enjoy fast-paced work environments. Outside of my professional work, I’m always exploring a vast variety of creative media including woodworking, photography, video editing, 3D modeling, iconography, print design, e-commerce and digital marketing. My primary aim is to continue my creative involvement in the field of digital media production, building intuitive systems and products which bring value to the end-users.

Please visit TarasLesko.com for examples of my client work, or visit my creative playground VisualSpicer.com.

## Work Experience
### Senior Product Designer, Design Systems @ Microsoft
Jan 2019 – Jan 2024 | Greater Seattle Area
I led the horizontal Design Systems efforts at Office Media Group, focused around Microsoft Stream, OnePlayer and OneCamera. I built, document and maintained extensive design libraries using Figma in close collaboration with the engineering teams. I produced various educational videos, workshops and brownbags to help our team efficiently utilize the controls and patterns across our supported platforms. I was also the team’s Fluent Design System expert and it was my responsibility to help our product teams achieve visual and functional coherence across Microsoft 365.

### Product Designer 2 @ Microsoft
Jan 2016 – Jan 2019 | Redmond, WA
I was responsible for the UI and UX efforts on Remix3D, 3D Viewer, Capture 3D app and Windows Camera app. I owned the technical production process between design and engineering during product implementation. As the team’s Fluent Design System expert, I built a thorough Camera app design system in complete alignment with Fluent standards. I conducted user studies and participated in live customer interviews to help refine the products. I helped drive various internal design and cultural efforts.

### Graphic Design Artist @ VisualSpicer.com
Jan 2003 – Jan 2020 | Covington, WA
Personal playground for all my creative experiments, commissions and various side hustles.
Always learning, growing and annihilating boredom.

### Lead Designer @ Guided.co
Jan 2015 – Jan 2015 | Kent, WA
I led all primary design efforts for the company, including UX flows, high-fidelity UI layouts, visual design, marketing campaigns, product photography, print production, and other responsibilities. I designed and implemented an improved print-production workflow which increased output efficiency by 60%. Additionally, I supervised and mentored a junior-level designer.

### UI/UX Visual Designer @ Microsoft / Xbox / Turn 10 Studios
Jan 2009 – Jan 2014 | Redmond, WA
I was the primary UI designer responsible for in-game graphics on Forza Motorsport 3, 4, 5 and Horizon, the exclusive video game titles for Xbox 360 and Xbox One. I was responsible for providing assets and guidelines to implement the UI within the in-game engine. I also designed and produced a vast assortment of promotional media for the video game title and the development studio.

### UI/UX Web Designer & Developer @ United Creations Seattle
Jan 2005 – Jan 2007 | Greater Seattle Area
I designed, implemented, animated and coded multimedia websites and interactive product demos for various clients and organizations.

### UI/UX Web Designer & Developer @ Vision 3 Interactive
Jan 2002 – Jan 2005 | Greater Nashville Area
I designed and implemented multimedia websites and interactive presentations for various clients.


## Education
### Bachelor of Fine Arts - BFA in Graphic Design & Visual Communications
O'More College of Architecture and Design
Jan 2001 – Jan 2004

### Video game programming workshop. in Video Game Design
DigiPen Institute of Technology
Jan 1996 – Jan 1996


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/taraslesko
- Portfolio: http://www.taraslesko.com
- Portfolio: http://www.visualspicer.com

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Source: https://flows.cv/taraslesko
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/taraslesko/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-03-30