Building the
Design Team
Scaling design from an individual contributor to a full in-house team at areeba
Client
areeba
Timeline
12 Months
role
Product Design Lead
project
Design Lab
TL;DR
I started solo on a project, helped prove the need for design, and built areeba’s design team from zero to a fully integrated department. We now lead product, UXR, and creative for the company.
Summary
I started as a solo contributor working on a project basis. After showing the value of design, areeba created a dedicated in-house design team. I helped build and lead it—growing the team from scratch into a multi-disciplinary function covering product, research, and creative.
Problem Framing
areeba initially outsourced all design to agencies. There was no internal ownership of design decisions, and no long-term investment in building design maturity. I was brought in to help on a project—and that work sparked the decision to build a team.
- Design work was fragmented, external, and reactive
- No product or brand cohesion across initiatives
- No team, no system, no design culture
Role & Team
Started as a Project-Based Product Designer, then became Product Design Lead and eventually Head of Design. I:
- Worked closely with the newly hired Innovation Manager to define our approach
- Built the design team across product design, UX research, brand, and content
- Led execution, hiring, team coaching, and department growth
Approach
- Proved value with early design wins that drove business interest
- Helped recruit interns and mentored them into junior full-timers
- Created scalable processes (reviews, rituals, async systems)
- Phased growth: Phase 1 → foundational, Phase 2 → maturity, Phase 3 → creative expansion
- Created an internal creative agency to serve all areeba entities
Challenges
- Starting with no infrastructure or internal design tools
- Balancing team growth with delivery pressures
- Earning trust from product and business teams used to working without design
Solution
- Treated design as strategy, not just execution
- Replaced agency reliance with in-house capabilities
- Defined clear roles for product, UXR, content, and creative
- Empowered the team with a design system (Asterisk) and internal frameworks
Results & Impact
- Team grew from just me to 10+ designers, researchers, and creatives
- Design became a core pillar in product planning and marketing
- Internal agency now handles all brand, content, and design initiatives
What I’d Do Differently
I would formalize the strategic role of design even earlier. While we proved our value over time, starting with a clearly defined design charter could’ve accelerated buy-in and structured growth.
Phone number
+961 3 139 572
© 2025 Johnny Bou Malhab. All Rights Reserved
Building the
Design Team
Scaling design from an individual contributor to a full in-house team at areeba
Client
areeba
Timeline
12 Months
role
Product Design Lead
project
Design Lab
TL;DR
I started solo on a project, helped prove the need for design, and built areeba’s design team from zero to a fully integrated department. We now lead product, UXR, and creative for the company.
Summary
I started as a solo contributor working on a project basis. After showing the value of design, areeba created a dedicated in-house design team. I helped build and lead it—growing the team from scratch into a multi-disciplinary function covering product, research, and creative.
Problem Framing
areeba initially outsourced all design to agencies. There was no internal ownership of design decisions, and no long-term investment in building design maturity. I was brought in to help on a project—and that work sparked the decision to build a team.
- Design work was fragmented, external, and reactive
- No product or brand cohesion across initiatives
- No team, no system, no design culture
Role & Team
Started as a Project-Based Product Designer, then became Product Design Lead and eventually Head of Design. I:
- Worked closely with the newly hired Innovation Manager to define our approach
- Built the design team across product design, UX research, brand, and content
- Led execution, hiring, team coaching, and department growth
Approach
- Proved value with early design wins that drove business interest
- Helped recruit interns and mentored them into junior full-timers
- Created scalable processes (reviews, rituals, async systems)
- Phased growth: Phase 1 → foundational, Phase 2 → maturity, Phase 3 → creative expansion
- Created an internal creative agency to serve all areeba entities
Challenges
- Starting with no infrastructure or internal design tools
- Balancing team growth with delivery pressures
- Earning trust from product and business teams used to working without design
Solution
- Treated design as strategy, not just execution
- Replaced agency reliance with in-house capabilities
- Defined clear roles for product, UXR, content, and creative
- Empowered the team with a design system (Asterisk) and internal frameworks
Results & Impact
- Team grew from just me to 10+ designers, researchers, and creatives
- Design became a core pillar in product planning and marketing
- Internal agency now handles all brand, content, and design initiatives
What I’d Do Differently
I would formalize the strategic role of design even earlier. While we proved our value over time, starting with a clearly defined design charter could’ve accelerated buy-in and structured growth.
Phone number
+961 3 139 572
© 2025 Johnny Bou Malhab. All Rights Reserved
Building the
Design Team
Scaling design from an individual contributor to a full in-house team at areeba
Client
areeba
Timeline
12 Months
role
Multiple
project
Design Lab
TL;DR
I started solo on a project, helped prove the need for design, and built areeba’s design team from zero to a fully integrated department. We now lead product, UXR, and creative for the company.
Summary
I started as a solo contributor working on a project basis. After showing the value of design, areeba created a dedicated in-house design team. I helped build and lead it—growing the team from scratch into a multi-disciplinary function covering product, research, and creative.
Problem Framing
areeba initially outsourced all design to agencies. There was no internal ownership of design decisions, and no long-term investment in building design maturity. I was brought in to help on a project—and that work sparked the decision to build a team.
- Design work was fragmented, external, and reactive
- No product or brand cohesion across initiatives
- No team, no system, no design culture
Role & Team
Started as a Project-Based Product Designer, then became Product Design Lead and eventually Head of Design. I:
- Worked closely with the newly hired Innovation Manager to define our approach
- Built the design team across product design, UX research, brand, and content
- Led execution, hiring, team coaching, and department growth
Approach
- Proved value with early design wins that drove business interest
- Helped recruit interns and mentored them into junior full-timers
- Created scalable processes (reviews, rituals, async systems)
- Phased growth: Phase 1 → foundational, Phase 2 → maturity, Phase 3 → creative expansion
- Created an internal creative agency to serve all areeba entities
Challenges
- Starting with no infrastructure or internal design tools
- Balancing team growth with delivery pressures
- Earning trust from product and business teams used to working without design
Solution
- Treated design as strategy, not just execution
- Replaced agency reliance with in-house capabilities
- Defined clear roles for product, UXR, content, and creative
- Empowered the team with a design system (Asterisk) and internal frameworks
Results & Impact
- Team grew from just me to 10+ designers, researchers, and creatives
- Design became a core pillar in product planning and marketing
- Internal agency now handles all brand, content, and design initiatives
What I’d Do Differently
I would formalize the strategic role of design even earlier. While we proved our value over time, starting with a clearly defined design charter could’ve accelerated buy-in and structured growth.
johnny@monochrome.digital
Phone number
+961 3 139 572
© 2025 Johnny Bou Malhab. All Rights Reserved