Designing What’s Next: 10 Questions with Aliza Adam

As lead designer at thelab Sydney, part of Wellcom Group, Aliza Adam is focused on one thing: helping brands show up with clarity, creativity, and cultural relevance. thelab is a performance-driven agency, and specialists in UX/UI design and optimal customer brand experiences.

With a career history of only designing for the screen, and a passion for visual design and efficiency all the way through, Aliza is now shaping the next era of design-led marketing.

You’re in a major leadership role at thelab. What excites you most about the opportunity?

Aliza> The most exciting thing about this role when I started, was that thelab Sydney didn’t exist yet. My 10 years living and working in NYC prior to this opportunity inadvertently set me up for a position where I not only spoke the same language as thelab’s NY head office (just with a different accent!), but that I gained the creative and team building experience that I needed to set up our UX/UI team here in Sydney, sitting amongst the extremely talented bunch here at Wellcom. Everyone says this but collaboration really is where the best ideas happen, and working with my team to work on great projects on brands led by good people? That's what I find exciting.

How do you define great web design in a brand context today?

Aliza> Great web design tells the truth about a brand. It doesn’t rely on trends or tropes. In a world saturated with content, great design is how a brand earns attention, stands out from the pack, and expresses values. And being a UX/UI designer, I really do believe web design is only great if it works “form follows function” doesn’t only apply to architecture, but website architecture too.

thelab works with brands across fashion, tech, and culture. What makes your creative approach adaptable across sectors?

Aliza> Our process starts with listening because we believe an informed perspective is key. Listening to the client, what their problem is they’re trying to solve, what they ultimately want out of the project, what is their end goal? There’s so much more to site design than just slapping on the brand’s look and feel everywhere. Our creative approach at thelab, and one I wholeheartedly subscribe to, is that we create from a user-first mindset, and that a lot of what manifests visually stems from how we want our user to feel and use our product. We’re not here just to make things look pretty, we’re here to make them meaningful.

What role does design play in solving business problems?

Aliza> I believe web design as a principle is a way to solve business problems, as you’re putting your user first. Your product isn’t selling online? Look at the analytics and fix the UX. Your user can’t find a button? Maybe it’s the UI. Good design shapes perception, simplifies complexity, and communicates positioning without needing to explain. If a brand wants to shift how it’s seen, enter a new category, or build deeper engagement, design is one of the most powerful tools in the toolkit.

How are you evolving the design culture at thelab?

Aliza> I’m focused on building a culture of creative bravery. I’m a big proponent of fostering an environment where you can ask anything and be inspired by everything. It’s important to me that I feel approachable, and that I understand my team members just as humans, as I believe happy humans make great designers that create the best work. I was also a young designer once and I remember clearly the people that were kind and inspiring, and the people that made me feel awful. I want designers here at thelab to feel inspired and empowered, to have ownership of their work, and have the freedom to experiment, because that’s where the standout work comes from.

How should marketers think about design as part of their growth strategy?

Aliza> Design isn’t window dressing, it’s part of the engine. From digital touchpoints to packaging to campaign narratives, design helps audiences recognise, trust, and advocate for your brand. When marketers integrate design early in their planning, they unlock faster alignment and more coherent execution across every channel. Design is everything!

What makes a brand truly “design-forward”?

Aliza> It’s not just about visual polish, it’s about consistency, coherence, and intentionality. I’ve often said in web design, certainly in the days of designing sites in Photoshop -- I’m truly dating myself here -- copy+paste is your friend. But now with Design System libraries, I mean that’s the evolution of that theory right? A design-forward brand understands that every visual touchpoint, whether that be a post or a page, every layout contributes to how people perceive them. It’s about building trust through design that’s purposeful, not performative.

What kind of client relationships lead to the best work?

Aliza> The best client relationships are built on trust. Collaboration is key in our industry, but I don’t believe that just happens in-house. I come from a mindset that we’re all in this together, whether you’re the client, the designer or whatever the role, we all have the same shared ambition - to make the brand stand out from the pack.

Clients come to us not just for a website that looks good, but one that works. We nurture our clients in understanding the sometimes hard-to-understand intricacies of website builds. thelab prides itself on multi-year long client relationships, and it’s all built on a foundation of trust.

What trends are you seeing in how brands are approaching design today?

Aliza> Not to sound like a dinosaur, but I distinctly remember a time when I would draw up a design that couldn't be built. So much of UI design is having a great relationship with your developer, because there’s no point in drawing something that can’t be built. Nowadays, the capabilities of what we can achieve in site design, it’s just endless. I think we’re going to see more of what’s around already, a push to less templated minimalist aesthetics, and more individualised distinctiveness. Brands are looking to own a feeling, not just a font. There’s also growing demand for adaptable, modular systems that are built as templates, but that don’t look templated to the user, they still feel cohesive and individual.

What advice would you give CMOs who want to unlock more from design?

Aliza> Great work takes time, talent and trust. At thelab, we believe that the best work happens in environments that prioritise communication, strong relationships, and accountability. We need to treat UX/UI design like a strategic partner, not a service function. Bring your creative leads into the conversation early. Give them a seat at the table when setting brand vision and messaging. When design is embedded in the business, not bolted on, it becomes a true competitive advantage.