Tech-centric creative company The Barbarian Group has added four employees in the design, creative and tech spaces.
JoRoan Lazaro joins as creative director. He comes to The Barbarian Group after holding positions with R/GA, leading work on Microsoft Windows 8 and Surface websites, and Samsung Mobile’s global football campaign, #WinnerTakesEarth #Galaxy11 featuring soccer’s best players like Messi, Ronaldo and Rooney. He also worked at The Martin Agency on Microsoft, GEICO and Benjamin Moore, and CP+B on Coke Zero and MetLife, delivering stellar creative, software, and storytelling work. He started his career by designing the AOL Running Man and leading design of AOL client software from 1996-2001, before moving on to pre-iPhone mobile (Kajeet), virtual worlds (Second Life) and gaming platforms (Electronic Arts).
Michael Tseng has also come on board as sr, designer. Tseng is rejoining The Barbarian Group after having worked with the company as a freelancer earlier in 2015 on projects such as Pepsi Pass, KIND, and additional new business opportunities. In addition to freelancing over the last few years, Tseng has also been focusing on building two of his own startups. Now at Barbarian, he will play many roles ranging from visual and interaction design to creative concepting and mark-up.
Dave Kraftsow and Luis Santi have been hired as tech leads. The creative team previously known as New Object has worked with The Barbarian Group before, bringing the creative vision of Samsung’s CenterStage to life.
“There is a different breed of talent that’s needed to work in a tech-centric company, including an passion for design and a deep understanding of a brand’s needs and objectives, in addition to tech expertise,” said Edu Pou, chief creative officer. “These four are highly passionate, ambitious and experienced individuals, and we’re excited about what they’ll bring to Barbarian as we continue to transform our business and bring on new clients.”
