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Coalesce
Nursegrid
Operative
Coalesce Leading Strategic Design to Drive Impactful Product Experiences
Head of Design | Partner
9 years
Digital Agency
Coalesce.nyc
Introduction
Role
Contributions
A Few Projects
Gallery
Learnings
Intro
Coalesce is an adaptable, creative team based in New York City with a 20-year track record of building brands, apps, and enterprise software that both customers and C-suites love. As Head of Design, I’ve spent the last decade helping shape that legacy—leading design efforts across a wide range of industries and platforms.
Role
For nearly 10 years, I’ve been responsible for all design initiatives at Coalesce. I’ve worked closely with leadership to define a clear design vision rooted in business goals, while mentoring and growing a high-performing design team. I’ve built and evolved our workflows, processes, and documentation to support efficient, high-quality output. From kickoff to final delivery, every piece of design work at the agency passes through my hands—ensuring it meets the mark creatively, strategically, and within scope.
Key Contributions
Leadership & Execution
Defined and implemented design vision and strategy for complex projects, translating ambiguous client problems into intuitive, engaging solutions. Actively led design processes and closely influenced cross-functional teams, ensuring that all products delivered met high standards of user-centricity and visual refinement.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Regularly collaborated with engineering, product management, and research teams to develop impactful, data-informed solutions. Worked directly with stakeholders, managed expectations, and effectively integrated feedback to maintain alignment and exceed project goals.
Team Development & Quality Assurance
Established robust design standards and nurtured a culture of continuous improvement within the design team. I mentored designers, set clear design directions, and guided the team to deliver consistently high-quality outcomes, especially through the critical implementation and QA phases.
A few projects
Tarisio Auctions
Led the redesign of Tarisio’s auction and archive platform, transforming an outdated system into a refined, modern experience that reflects the brand’s high-end positioning.
Operative
Directed UX strategy from concept to launch, designing streamlined data workflows and proactive reporting tools to support compliance professionals with a unified, intuitive platform.
healthstream
Directed two end-of-year campaigns focused on engagement and brand loyalty, delivering personalized, interactive experiences and a reusable design system.
Kasisto
Redesigned Kasisto’s complex CMS to be intuitive and flexible, empowering non-technical users to build engaging experiences inside KAI, their conversational AI platform.
Arizent
Conducted a full UX audit of American Banker’s sign-up and subscription flow, followed by the design of modernized, best-practice user journeys and high-fidelity interfaces.
Knopman MArks
Led the UX overhaul of their legacy learning platform, resulting in a more motivating, user-friendly experience that supported the company’s growth from $5M to $21M over five years.
Paperchef
Designed a custom ERP system from kickoff through delivery, using feedback from 30+ beta users at the Toronto factory to tailor workflows to real-world needs.
Fin News
Redesigned Fin News’s content platform and digital ecosystem, more than doubling site traffic within six months through improved UX and streamlined content delivery.
LEarnings
My experience at Coalesce has taught me how to effectively communicate design strategies, push for innovation, and consistently challenge the status quo.
It reinforced my strengths in leadership, stakeholder management, and adaptability, thriving within complex, fast-paced environments. Above all, my tenure demonstrated how thoughtful, systematic design elevates user experiences, strengthens brand relationships, and drives measurable business results.
The Space Pigeon
Timeline
9 years ago Naomi Piercey, Tucker Margulies and I conceived of a mascot that just fit. The Space Pigeon was born out of a differentaion discussion in the process of redesigning the agency website. We had been having deep conversations about who we are and where we want to be and individuals and as an agency. It's hard to remember exactly how it came up, but I remember asking "What bird are we?" And when pigeon was mentioned we unanimously agreed. There's the obvious association with New York City, but the connection runs deeper than that. Pigeons are incredibly smart, and often overlooked. They're excellent navigators and make connections that last a lifetime. Our small team of highly intelligent creative problem solvers could relate. As we discussed the character further, the attributes of innovative and unconventional created the Space Pigeon.  
Wednesday, October 28th 2016
Alex 11:45pm
We knew we loved the concept of the space pigeon mascot but weren't sure it would work. What style is appropriate? I was looking through my inspiration folder and I found what appeared to be a photorealistic colored pencil drawing of a humming bird on a grid background. I loved the refined tone of the deeply detailed drawing. I decided to do a test pencil drawing.
Alex 11:45pm
Designing the space helmet to fit the pigeon was the hardest part. In retrospect, I should have abstracted the drawing a bit more. People consitstently belived the image to be a photograph.
Wednesday, July 15th 2016
Alex 11:45pm
The launch of our new website, a project I led design on, felt secondary to the launch of our space pigeon.
Wednesday, July 15th 2016
Alex 11:45pm
https://blog.coalesce.nyc/consider-the-pigeon-eb51748251b2
Medium
What’s a Space Pigeon, Anyway?We found a new muse in an old neighbor.
Reading time3 min read

May 30th, 2018 (52 kB)
Wednesday, July 15th 2016
Alex 11:45pm
but the connection runs deeper than that. Pigeons are incredibly smart, and often overlooked. They're excellent navi
Wednesday, July 15th 2016
Alex 11:45pm
We knew we loved the concept of the space pigeon mascot but weren't sure it would work. What style is appropriate? I was looking through my inspiration folder and I found what appeared to be a photorealistic colored pencil drawing of a humming bird on a grid background. I loved the refined tone of the deeply detailed drawing. I decided to do a test pencil drawing.
Alex 11:45pm
Designing the space helmet to fit the pigeon was the hardest part. In retrospect, I should have abstracted the drawing a bit more. People consitstently belived the image to be a photograph.
Wednesday, July 15th 2016
Alex 11:45pm
The launch of our new website, a project I led design on, felt secondary to the launch of our space pigeon.
Wednesday, July 15th 2016
Alex 11:45pm
but the connection runs deeper than that. Pigeons are incredibly smart, and often overlooked. They're excellent navi
Wednesday, July 15th 2016
Alex 11:45pm
but the connection runs deeper than that. Pigeons are incredibly smart, and often overlooked. They're excellent navi
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Made for and by Alex Severino™