Luminary adds dynamic design/UX duo Thom Bransom and Josh Smith to its team

In a move set to bolster its strategy, user experience (UX) and design offering, digital agency Luminary has appointed former Avanade Studio design duo Thom Bransom and Josh Smith.

Bransom (right) joins as Luminary’s new design director, while Smith (left) will take on the role of UX director, leading the agency’s growing UX practice.

The pair have worked together for over three years at Avanade, and over that time have cemented their reputation in the industry as a formidable design team. They will work closely with Luminary’s strategy director, Emma Andrews.

Says Marty Drill, CEO, Luminary: “We are absolutely thrilled to have Josh and Thom join our team. Over the past few years we’ve seen exponential growth in the demand for our UX design and strategy services as clients are increasingly seeing the value of laying solid foundations for their digital projects. With a larger UX design team, we’ll be able to expand our capacity to take on these sorts of engagements and help our clients lead the way in their industries. Both Thom and Josh are highly respected in the industry and we have plenty of exciting projects in the pipeline for them.”

Bransom, who will head up Luminary’s design team, specialises in human centred design, user interface design and design systems. His most recent role was design practice Lead at Avanade.

Says Bransom: “I am extremely happy and proud to be part of the team at Luminary. The people and the agency values are everything that align with my morals and principles. I look forward to helping shape the way we approach our projects and deliver meaningful experiences.”

Smith, formerly head of XD at Avanade, brings a wealth of UX experience to the Luminary team, including expertise in research, usability, interaction design and prototyping.

Says Smith: “I’ve followed Luminary for a few years and love how vocal the agency is. I think it’s an exciting brand to work for. I believe we have the potential for our design team and agency as a whole to become the best end-to-end agency in the industry, and I want to be part of that.”