As people we are all products of our own experiences. As designers we build stories into everything we create. Sharing these experiences through storytelling is how we relate to one another. It is what determines our design decisions - every detail - and shapes what we send out into the world. The hardest work as a designer is to determine the story we want to tell. It is rare that these stories are ever shared. They are usually told to a few key stakeholders, allowing everyone else to consume with their own perspectives and emotions tied into how they perceive the design. So why do we care so much about building designs around stories that the end audience may never even know? Creative Director Ryan Caruthers shares his journey of going from the Sports/Lifestyle industry with Nike, into the software enterprise industry with IBM. Transitioning from one industry to the next with the same passion and reliance on storytelling to inform design solutions. Hear some of these past product stories, along with lessons he has learned along the way. Understand how his journey has brought him to his work at IBM, and how he is making an impact one story at a time.

Ryan Caruthers has a demonstrated history with brand design through work in the sports lifestyle industry, with specific focus on footwear and apparel products with Nike for more than 10 years. With dedicated work on projects for Nike CEO Mark Parker and others, Caruthers brought future-forward concepts with The Nike Innovation Kitchen, as well as design solutions for Michael Jordan with the Jordan Brand under the guidance of Tinker Hatfield and Mark Smith. He extended his brand work for American football uniform design projects across College and NFL teams, as well as Brand design concepts for Nike Sportswear, Nike’s Lifestyle category. In 2015, Caruthers made an industry shift, bringing his background in human-centered design and immersive brand design experiences to IBM. In his current role as Creative Director of Brand Experience for Design at IBM Studios Austin, he passionately leads storytelling by way of design. Revealing the authentic point of separation at the center of every subject, Caruthers brings together team alignment and informing the details of the final design solution from beginning to end.