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Sean Joseph Klassen

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Hello. I’m a multidisciplinary designer and musician based in Portland, OR. Currently, I direct creative at Instrument.
        My team develops strategic vision, user experience design, and brand systems for future Alphabet products and initiatives. I’ve also created and lead internal programs focused on mentorship and community outreach.


Reshaping a global science competition to be more inclusive Building a data platform to help citiesplan for the impact of climate change Pairing Google Maps Platform with public data to uncover unique insights about the world's biggest cities Creating a vision for a new, goal- centric computing paradigm Designing a typeface inspired by the tension between technology and humanity



My design work has recieved industry honors from The Webby Awards, FWA, The One Show, Cannes Lions, and SXSW among others. It has been covered by numerous publications and outlets from Fast Company to The New York Times—but this local news clip might be my favorite.
        I’ve been a design juror for The Webby Awards, FWA, AIGA, and Communication Arts Interactive Annual.






Outside of work, I make music under the name Former Lives. You can listen at all the usual spots including Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music.
        Thanks for reading this far. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to discuss interesting opportunities in design—or just to say hi.
Mark