Role
Creative Director
Practice Areas
Website, Design Systems, Content Strategy, UI/UX Design
Challenge
Zillow’s design approach is as comprehensive as their reach, supporting a vast product ecosystem and ambitious marketing initiatives. But that scale has brought with it complexity and overlap, making it challenging for teams to collaborate smoothly and for external partners to contribute effectively.
Recognizing the need for a partner who could understand the intricacies of their systems, Zillow sought a team capable of navigating this complexity to support cross-departmental marketing and design system updates. The goal was to ensure consistency, streamline efforts, and foster seamless collaboration across teams while addressing the challenges of maintaining a cohesive brand experience.
In close partnership with their internal brand and marketing teams, we’ve helped elevate and evolve Zillow’s design systems and digital presence across a range of website and design system initiatives.
Approach
Early work centered on deep integration and collaborative evolution with Zillow's design teams. Through comprehensive onboarding, we positioned ourselves as a trusted partner capable of navigating their complex design landscape. We established close collaboration through regular workshops and co-creation sessions, ensuring our work remained aligned with Zillow's evolving goals. Continuous learning became a cornerstone of our approach, with ongoing research and critique allowing us to adapt and refine our work.
Leveraging our design systems expertise, we supported improvements and updates to Zillow's Figma-based design system, implementing a new tokens-based spacing system and exploring module iterations tied to specific business initiatives. This integrated strategy enabled us to bridge existing system gaps, streamline design processes, and create a more cohesive digital presence across Zillow's platforms.
Results
Our collaboration with Zillow has delivered meaningful results, helping them adapt to evolving business needs while maintaining a cohesive brand presence.
Key projects, like the exploration of a redesigned homepage search module, have empowered Zillow’s teams to test new approaches, refine user experiences, and drive improved engagement. Beyond core product enhancements, our work on marketing and landing pages has supported diverse goals—from educating renters about new payment options to guiding realtors through a rapidly changing legal landscape.
By leveraging our experienced and integrated team, we’ve streamlined the process of creating and launching these updates, enabling Zillow to move faster and more efficiently toward their ambitious goals.
Credits
Ashley Hadeed
Lindsay Klostermann
Harry Maguire
Norm McCuller
Will Redd
Turner Zajac
Made at Owen Jones
