About

Who We Are

Our Team

Design lead

Alberto Murillo

About: Alberto is a Design lead, with multidisciplinary skills, focused on creating digital experience and pushing brand language. With a trained eye in art direction he finds a balance between functionality and beauty for all products. Some of the work experience has been with Juan Valdez, Digitas, Prodigious, Google and Huge inc. His work philosophy is to push boundaries and create the best user experience interaction possible, while working alongside the best talent. Design is a co-creating process for multidisciplinary craft to identify the right Point of view for any challenge. Alberto is mostly known for his positive and go get it attitude.

I am: A proud Colombian surfer who drinks the best coffee.

I am passionate about: Understanding human behavior through the lens of psychology and how through interaction design we can help users make the right choice for their lives.

Operations Associate

Evi Vergara

About: Evi is an operations admin for Stranger Creative. A songwriter by heart and photographer by trade, storytelling is part of her DNA. She enjoys combining her love for technology, music and film. She’s worked with teams at Snapchat and mission-driven companies. Evi’s most recent accomplishment is directing her first short film, ORGULLO, in December of 2022.

I am: A first gen Mexican-American Latina from Los Angeles residing in Portlandia.

What I’m passionate about: Sharing unique stories, being a life long learner and slow traveling.

experience Design Associate

Conor Moran

About: Conor is a User Experience designer for Stranger Creative- specializing in creating human-centered, accessible design that simplifies the complex. He has experience working alongside multidisciplinary teams with agencies and brands such as The Eric Carle Museum, New York Life, Start Hearing, and Fusion 92.

I am: A first-generation Taiwanese, Irish American living in the Chicago-land area.

What I'm passionate about: Mindful design and finding new solutions to existing problems.

Design director

June Hongkiatkhajorn

About: June is a product designer with a background in art direction and visual design. Her work spans multiple disciplines inclusive of UX/UI design, art direction, e-commerce, creative direction, and design strategy. Clients include Google, Mastercard, Verizon, Levi's, Tiffany & Co, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Frye, David Yurman, and Our Place.

I am: A Thai-Chinese female originally from Bangkok, Thailand, currently living in Los Angeles.

What I’m passionate about: Using art and design to support good causes and helping raise consciousness and awareness for notable issues.

Product Designer

Ivan Lam

About: Ivan is a web, UI, and UX designer with almost a decade of experience delivering quality experiences for millions of customers. He loves collaborating across disciplines to bring the most impact for users and the business.

I am: A first-generation Chinese-American cis man based in San Francisco Bay Area.

I am passionate about: Leveraging technology to help people fulfill their potential, particularly in education, health, the environment, and marginalized communities.

product designer

Mahogany Breaux

About: Mahogany is a product designer who took an untraditional path into the tech industry from digital marketing and web design. Her first design role has been with Microsoft working to help empower families and deliver reliable, trustworthy experiences.

I am: An African American queer woman residing in the Bay Area.

What I'm passionate about: Learning from diverse people and helping to deliver social impact in some way.

Associate product manager

Malaya Mañacop

About: Malaya is an Associate Product Manager for Stranger Creative. Her experience spans both public and private sectors. She is a graduate of QTBIPOC Design’s UX bootcamp, and her recent work has focused on UX design, UX research operations, and Clinical UX. Coming from a social work and public health background, she enjoys learning about digital health and how technology can be used for social change and impact.

I am: A first-gen Filipina-American baklâ trans woman based in San Diego, CA.

What I'm passionate about: Research, creative problem-solving, cultivating authentic and intentional collaboration, and being involved in community and collective movement building.

Product design director

Rachel Paves

About: Rachel is a business-led experience designer and strategist, passionate about delivering experiences that are simple, memorable, and impactful. She has a diverse background working in multiple disciplines throughout her career, including UX/UI design, experience strategy, digital marketing, and eCommerce. Some of her previous clients include Apple, Salesforce, Twitter, Sephora, Westpac, and Bank of Hawaii.

I am: A first-generation Filipino American living in San Francisco, CA.

What I'm passionate about: Connection. I lead with empathy and love to learn about people and our world and build meaningful connections.

Founder & Managing Director

Steven Wakabayashi

About: Steven is the founder and managing creative director for Stranger Creative - handling new business and leading creative initiatives. Previously, he's led design teams at some of the biggest agencies and brands, including Sapient, Publicis, Razorfish, Huge, Apple, Google, Salesforce, Sephora, Walmart, Samsung, and Glossier.

I am: A second-generation queer Japanese, Taiwanese American living in NYC creating the intersection of social change, tech innovation, and creativity.

What I'm passionate about: Integration of joy within social and racial justice in the liberation of our communities.

Strategy Associate

Val Tikka

About: Val is the Strategy Associate of Stranger Creative. Val's experience in digital marketing and content strategy has helped businesses grow their online presence. With a focus on providing strategic content planning and user-centered website experience strategies, Val has aided companies in reaching their target audiences more effectively.

I am: A first-generation Albanian-American living in Chicago, IL

What I'm passionate about: Helping brands find their voice and communicate with their customers in an authentic way.

Collaborate with Us

Let’s create something together - we’d love to hear from you!

Orgs & Collaborators We Adore

The work we do is never alone - you can find us regularly collaborating with other organizations and change-makers transforming our design industry and shifting the narratives for our communities. We absolutely love their mission, organization, and people behind them.