Masami Kubo
I’m a Brooklyn-based product designer and creative director with over seven years of experience designing for the travel industry. I’ve designed and directed products that help people explore the world — from scalable booking platforms at Hopper to bespoke trip-planning tools at Journy. Before entering the travel space, I was part of the founding design team at DigitalOcean, establishing its early visual and cultural foundation. Grounded in a fine arts education from The Cooper Union, I blend creative intuition with systems thinking to craft products that are both functional and deeply human.
2021 - 2025
Hopper
, NYC
— Product Design Lead
Joined as the founding designer of Hopper Homes (vacation rentals), launching a revenue-generating MVP after 5 months of development. Owned end-to-end design for customer booking, marketing campaigns, and self-service onboarding for individual host acquisition. Expanded role to include hotel acquisition and partner support, developed a scalable dashboard design system for all lodging management, used by internal admins and external B2B partners.
2019 - 2021
Journy
, NYC
— Product Design & Creative Director
Joined as C.D. to overhaul all marketing efforts, source and manage creative talent, and cover all product design—including customer onboarding, web/mobile app experience, and a proprietary trip building tool.
2018 - 2019
Gremlin
, NYC
— Brand & Web Design Lead
Provided new art direction and assets for all growth initiatives and marketing.
2018 - 2019
Stae
, NYC
— Brand & Web Design Lead
Led an identity development workshop with the founding team, designed all brand assets, marketing site, and oversaw all investor/partnership decks.
2014 - 2018
DigitalOcean
, NYC
— Brand & Web Design Lead
Part of the founding design team, owned the rebrand and created thousands of assets for content marketing. Role expanded to creative direction, covering various website overhauls, bespoke events, and flagship office interior design.
2009 - 2014
Freelance Design & Illustration
For various institutions in fashion, music technology, and education.
2009 - 2013
The Cooper Union
, NYC
— Bachelor of Fine Arts
One of the nation’s most selective art programs, an elite institution renowned for its Bauhaus-legacy faculty, rigorous admissions (≈1% acceptance at the time), and full-tuition merit scholarships.
2013
The Pietro and Alfrieda Montana Prize for Drawing
2011
The Rhoda Lubalin Design Fellowship
Interaction Design · Service & Experience Design · Journey Mapping & Blueprints · High-Fidelity Prototyping · Design Systems & Component Libraries · Brand & Identity Design · Creative Direction
Figma · Sketch · Adobe Creative Suite · Video Editing · Digital Animation · User Testing & Interviews
Human-Centered Design · Design–Engineering Collaboration & Handoff · Consumer & B2B Insight Integration · Stakeholder & Cross-Team Collaboration · Design Mentorship · Data-Driven & Scalable Solutions
Travel & Booking Services · Premium/Concierge Customer Experiences · Web & Mobile (iOS/Android) Ecosystems · End-to-End Product Life Cycle
I’m a Brooklyn-based product designer and creative director with over seven years of experience designing for the travel industry. I’ve designed and directed products that help people explore the world — from scalable booking platforms at Hopper to bespoke trip-planning tools at Journy. Before entering the travel space, I was part of the founding design team at DigitalOcean, establishing its early visual and cultural foundation. Grounded in a fine arts education from The Cooper Union, I blend creative intuition with systems thinking to craft products that are both functional and deeply human.
2021 - 2025
Hopper
, NYC
— Product Design Lead
Joined as the founding designer of Hopper Homes (vacation rentals), launching a revenue-generating MVP after 5 months of development. Owned end-to-end design for customer booking, marketing campaigns, and self-service onboarding for individual host acquisition. Expanded role to include hotel acquisition and partner support, developed a scalable dashboard design system for all lodging management, used by internal admins and external B2B partners.
2019 - 2021
Journy
, NYC
— Product Design & Creative Director
Joined as C.D. to overhaul all marketing efforts, source and manage creative talent, and cover all product design—including customer onboarding, web/mobile app experience, and a proprietary trip building tool.
2018 - 2019
Gremlin
, NYC
— Brand & Web Design Lead
Provided new art direction and assets for all growth initiatives and marketing.
2018 - 2019
Stae
, NYC
— Brand & Web Design Lead
Led an identity development workshop with the founding team, designed all brand assets, marketing site, and oversaw all investor/partnership decks.
2014 - 2018
DigitalOcean
, NYC
— Brand & Web Design Lead
Part of the founding design team, owned the rebrand and created thousands of assets for content marketing. Role expanded to creative direction, covering various website overhauls, bespoke events, and flagship office interior design.
2009 - 2014
Freelance Design & Illustration
For various institutions in fashion, music technology, and education.
2009 - 2013
The Cooper Union
, NYC
— Bachelor of Fine Arts
One of the nation’s most selective art programs, an elite institution renowned for its Bauhaus-legacy faculty, rigorous admissions (≈1% acceptance at the time), and full-tuition merit scholarships.
2013
The Pietro and Alfrieda Montana Prize for Drawing
2011
The Rhoda Lubalin Design Fellowship
Interaction Design · Service & Experience Design · Journey Mapping & Blueprints · High-Fidelity Prototyping · Design Systems & Component Libraries · Brand & Identity Design · Creative Direction
Figma · Sketch · Adobe Creative Suite · Video Editing · Digital Animation · User Testing & Interviews
Human-Centered Design · Design–Engineering Collaboration & Handoff · Consumer & B2B Insight Integration · Stakeholder & Cross-Team Collaboration · Design Mentorship · Data-Driven & Scalable Solutions
Travel & Booking Services · Premium/Concierge Customer Experiences · Web & Mobile (iOS/Android) Ecosystems · End-to-End Product Life Cycle
I’m a Brooklyn-based product designer and creative director with over seven years of experience designing for the travel industry. I’ve designed and directed products that help people explore the world — from scalable booking platforms at Hopper to bespoke trip-planning tools at Journy. Before entering the travel space, I was part of the founding design team at DigitalOcean, establishing its early visual and cultural foundation. Grounded in a fine arts education from The Cooper Union, I blend creative intuition with systems thinking to craft products that are both functional and deeply human.
2021 - 2025
Hopper
, NYC
— Product Design Lead
Joined as the founding designer of Hopper Homes (vacation rentals), launching a revenue-generating MVP after 5 months of development. Owned end-to-end design for customer booking, marketing campaigns, and self-service onboarding for individual host acquisition. Expanded role to include hotel acquisition and partner support, developed a scalable dashboard design system for all lodging management, used by internal admins and external B2B partners.
2019 - 2021
Journy
, NYC
— Product Design & Creative Director
Joined as C.D. to overhaul all marketing efforts, source and manage creative talent, and cover all product design—including customer onboarding, web/mobile app experience, and a proprietary trip building tool.
2018 - 2019
Gremlin
, NYC
— Brand & Web Design Lead
Provided new art direction and assets for all growth initiatives and marketing.
2018 - 2019
Stae
, NYC
— Brand & Web Design Lead
Led an identity development workshop with the founding team, designed all brand assets, marketing site, and oversaw all investor/partnership decks.
2014 - 2018
DigitalOcean
, NYC
— Brand & Web Design Lead
Part of the founding design team, owned the rebrand and created thousands of assets for content marketing. Role expanded to creative direction, covering various website overhauls, bespoke events, and flagship office interior design.
2009 - 2014
Freelance Design & Illustration
For various institutions in fashion, music technology, and education.
2009 - 2013
The Cooper Union
, NYC
— Bachelor of Fine Arts
One of the nation’s most selective art programs, an elite institution renowned for its Bauhaus-legacy faculty, rigorous admissions (≈1% acceptance at the time), and full-tuition merit scholarships.
2013
The Pietro and Alfrieda Montana Prize for Drawing
2011
The Rhoda Lubalin Design Fellowship
Interaction Design · Service & Experience Design · Journey Mapping & Blueprints · High-Fidelity Prototyping · Design Systems & Component Libraries · Brand & Identity Design · Creative Direction
Figma · Sketch · Adobe Creative Suite · Video Editing · Digital Animation · User Testing & Interviews
Human-Centered Design · Design–Engineering Collaboration & Handoff · Consumer & B2B Insight Integration · Stakeholder & Cross-Team Collaboration · Design Mentorship · Data-Driven & Scalable Solutions
Travel & Booking Services · Premium/Concierge Customer Experiences · Web & Mobile (iOS/Android) Ecosystems · End-to-End Product Life Cycle