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Sara Vienna

Chief Design Officer at MetaLab

ExecutiveLeads from the frontHybrid schoolAIProductBrand
She is moving a top-tier design org through the AI shift with an explicit, human-first stance that elevates designers rather than replacing them.

Signature win. Leads MetaLab's Research, Strategy, and Design through the AI transition, shipping for AI-native brands like Suno, Midjourney, and Pika while reframing craft around taste and outcomes.

The case

editorial · CCBEI · with sources
CraftCDO at MetaLab (Fast Company Design Company of the Year) shipping work for Suno, Midjourney, Pika, Nike, The Atlantic; reframes craft as outcomes + 'more-important-than-ever taste layer' mapped to user need.9
CommunicationProlific speaker (Awwwards NY, SXSW, Swell AI) with a sharp, repeatable thesis on a human relationship with AI; makes the case publicly across talks, podcasts, and Webflow/Built In features.9
BusinessLeads MetaLab's Research/Strategy/Design to ship best-in-class products and advises the firm's Venture Fund startups; explicitly ties design to 'value to the bottom line' and durable outcomes.8
EducationFights to preserve creative space, resists 'design velocity' metrics that 'take the magic away,' and reorients talent development toward soft skills and taste so designers critically elevate AI output.9
InnovationYears-ahead human-centered AI practice and 'five shifts' framework; ELEVATE — her AI adoption lifts designers ('AI won't take your job, but a designer using AI might'), it doesn't shed the team.8

Endorsed by peers

illustrative · opens with verified accounts
OverallI'd work for them120
CraftRaised my craft bar125
CommunicationMade the case for design125
BusinessMade design matter to the business111
EducationTaught me something I still use125
InnovationShowed me a new way to work111

Verified peers only — one tap with LinkedIn. Names stay private; we show role and industry. Bars are illustrative until the participation backend is live.

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