Mr Thomas Williams

Mr Thomas Williams is a Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) (now the Bachelor of Communication Design) alum whose career has spanned publishing, consultancy, and global leadership roles. Now Principal Designer at Xero, he leads work on design systems and explores how AI is reshaping the future of creative practice.

His design journey began early, sparked by a Monash folio preparation course in high school. That formative experience gave him a strong foundation and sense of direction that continues to influence his work today.

After graduating, Mr Williams began his career at Cox Architecture, contributing to wayfinding and environmental graphics for major venues including AAMI Park. Keen to explore the breadth of design practice, he launched his own consultancy in 2015, Thomas Williams & Co, working across brand and communication projects. His passion for tactile, crafted design led him to establish MADE, a boutique publishing company responsible for the Process Journal, an award-winning graphic design publication distributed internationally. The journal became a touchstone in the design world, with editions acquired by MoMA (New York) and the Design Museum at the Tate (London).

Mr Williams relocated to New York to join The Wall Street Journal, where he rose to become Vice President of Design. Over six years, he helped transform the publication from print-led workflows to a digital-first newsroom, leading global design teams and integrating strategy, technology and design at scale.

Since returning to Australia in 2021, Mr Williams has continued to work with leading global companies, including Apple, while co-founding MEASURED, a brand and design consultancy that merges strategic thinking with premium beverage ventures.

In his current role at Xero, he focuses on building scalable design systems and exploring emerging technologies. He is a frequent conference speaker on the importance of AI in design to accelerate creativity while preserving the foundational aspects of human-centred design such as empathy and context.