Welcome
I’m Dan Forbes, a design leader and studio founder
I’m Dan Forbes, a design leader and studio founder
I’m Dan Forbes, a design leader and studio founder
For 20 years, I’ve built brands, products, creative systems, and lead design teams at global scale. This experience is what drove me to start the firm I wanted to work for.
Lately, I’ve been exploring what new technologies make possible and what we might make with them.
I'm currently building
Mercer Island, Washington
Experience
Work that shaped how I think
There’s more to most of these projects than I can show publicly. If you’d like the longer version, get in touch.
2023–Present
Mercer Island, WA
Bluem
View description +
Co Founder + Principal Director
After years inside large organizations, I wanted to see what a small, senior team could do with direct access to clients and fewer handoffs. Bluem is that experiment. It keeps teaching me that proximity improves judgment, trust, and the work itself.
2023–Present
Mercer Island, WA
Bluem
View description +
Co Founder + Principal Director
After years inside large organizations, I wanted to see what a small, senior team could do with direct access to clients and fewer handoffs. Bluem is that experiment. It keeps teaching me that proximity improves judgment, trust, and the work itself.
2023–Present
Mercer Island, WA
Bluem
View description +
Co Founder + Principal Director
After years inside large organizations, I wanted to see what a small, senior team could do with direct access to clients and fewer handoffs. Bluem is that experiment. It keeps teaching me that proximity improves judgment, trust, and the work itself.
2020–2023
Seattle, WA
Amazon Halo
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Principal Brand Design Director
At Halo, I learned to build while shipping. We created a team, a brand, and three products during the pandemic, with people working remotely across disciplines and time zones. The experience taught me that distance matters less when the vision is clear and trust is strong.
2020–2023
Seattle, WA
Amazon Halo
View description +
Principal Brand Design Director
At Halo, I learned to build while shipping. We created a team, a brand, and three products during the pandemic, with people working remotely across disciplines and time zones. The experience taught me that distance matters less when the vision is clear and trust is strong.
2020–2023
Seattle, WA
Amazon Halo
View description +
Principal Brand Design Director
At Halo, I learned to build while shipping. We created a team, a brand, and three products during the pandemic, with people working remotely across disciplines and time zones. The experience taught me that distance matters less when the vision is clear and trust is strong.
2015–2020
Seattle, WA
Amazon Global
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Design Director
What began as a visual identity problem became an organizational one. The Smile Brand System only worked when independent teams could see how it served their needs. I learned to treat alignment, iteration, and adoption as part of the design.
2015–2020
Seattle, WA
Amazon Global
View description +
Design Director
What began as a visual identity problem became an organizational one. The Smile Brand System only worked when independent teams could see how it served their needs. I learned to treat alignment, iteration, and adoption as part of the design.
2015–2020
Seattle, WA
Amazon Global
View description +
Design Director
What began as a visual identity problem became an organizational one. The Smile Brand System only worked when independent teams could see how it served their needs. I learned to treat alignment, iteration, and adoption as part of the design.
2009–2015
Chicago, IL
Leo Burnett
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Senior Designer
Leo Burnett gave me range. Moving among brands, categories, and audiences taught me to separate a durable design point of view from a favorite visual style. The point of view could travel while the answer changed.
2009–2015
Chicago, IL
Leo Burnett
View description +
Senior Designer
Leo Burnett gave me range. Moving among brands, categories, and audiences taught me to separate a durable design point of view from a favorite visual style. The point of view could travel while the answer changed.
2009–2015
Chicago, IL
Leo Burnett
View description +
Senior Designer
Leo Burnett gave me range. Moving among brands, categories, and audiences taught me to separate a durable design point of view from a favorite visual style. The point of view could travel while the answer changed.
2007–2009
Boston, MA
Arnold Worldwide
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Designer
At Arnold, I learned how ideas are built in a room, revised under pressure, and explained to people who were not there for their making. It was my first education in the social life of creative work.
2007–2009
Boston, MA
Arnold Worldwide
View description +
Designer
At Arnold, I learned how ideas are built in a room, revised under pressure, and explained to people who were not there for their making. It was my first education in the social life of creative work.
2007–2009
Boston, MA
Arnold Worldwide
View description +
Designer
At Arnold, I learned how ideas are built in a room, revised under pressure, and explained to people who were not there for their making. It was my first education in the social life of creative work.
Education
2004–2007
Pasadena, CA
Art Center College of Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Packaging, and Advertising
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Packaging, and Advertising
© Copyright 2026 Dan Forbes
Trademarks property of their respective owners
© Copyright 2026 Dan Forbes
Trademarks property of their respective owners