✷ Ben Ward
Hi, I’m Ben Ward a New Zealand–based product designer, a craft I’ve been lucky enough to practice for the past 13 years. I currently lead the Video Group design team at Canva, helping talented designers grow and create products that are both useful and joyful. I care deeply about collaboration, clarity, and craft—all while having fun along the way. Outside of work I play music in Old Loaves and enjoy life with my son, wife, and our dog Butcher.
Auckand’s black sand beaches.
Getting blurry with Old Loaves.
My number ones 🖤
Experience
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Group Design Lead - Video : 2025—present
As Group Design Lead for Video, I partner with leaders across product and engineering to shape the vision and design direction for Canva’s video creation experience, empowering millions to tell their stories through motion, sound and creativity. I also lead and coach the video design team, helping them grow their craft, impact and influence as we build the future of video together.
Group Design Lead - Photo & Video : 2023—2025In this role I collaborated closely with other specialty leads and was responsible for the overall design direction of Canva’s photo, video and social media experiences. I led and coached a talented design team, guiding them to deliver cohesive, high-impact creative tools used by millions.
Design Lead - Photo : 2021—2023
In this role, I was responsible for launching and owning the design direction for Canva's photo editing experience across the product. I did this through deep collaboration with the other specialty group leads, building the design capabilities across the group and delivering these experience to our customers.
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Design Manager: 2020—2021
As a Design Manager, I led a team of designers in the Roam New Zealand office to make sure they had what they needed to do their best work and that they were growing professionally. Along with this, I was responsible for client relationships, leading project work and with the design leadership team, ensuring best practices in our processes, tools and approach so we were designing consistent, well-crafted experiences across all the studios.
Product Design Lead: 2018—2020
As a Product Design Lead, I took projects from early research and strategy, all the way through to delivery collaborating closely with our product and technology teams. Along with the project work, I was responsible for mentoring four designers in the Auckland office to make sure they had what they need to grow in their career and deliver their best work.
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Product Designer: 2016—2018
In this role, I collaborated closely with the research team at DNA understanding our client’s business and their customers' needs through an iterative design process. Along with this, I took products through to delivery leading the interaction and detail design during this phase for our clients.
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Digital Designer: 2014—2016
I was the lone designer on a small team working alongside creatives designing campaigns and digital products for Sky TV, one of New Zealand’s largest broadcasting companies. The work ranged from designing consumer digital products and campaign digital applications to the design of banner and EDM campaigns.
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Digital Designer: 2012—2013
A mixed role of content creation and digital design for the magazine and the in-house creative agency’s clients. This ranged from digital assets for campaigns to UX/UI design of campaign and brand websites.