Sara Vienna
About Sara Vienna
Sara Vienna serves as the VP of Design at Metalab, where she has worked since 2021. With a diverse background in design across various industries, she has held key positions at notable companies and has contributed to the success of early-stage startups through her advisory roles.
Work at Metalab
Sara Vienna has been serving as the Vice President of Design at Metalab since 2021. In this role, she guides top companies in researching, designing, building, and shipping industry-defining products and services. Prior to her current position, she worked at Metalab as a Design Director for one year, from 2020 to 2021. Additionally, she was a Design Advisor at Metalab from 2016 to 2017, contributing her expertise to various projects.
Previous Experience in Design
Sara Vienna has a diverse background in design, having held various positions across multiple organizations. She worked as a Packaging Design Manager at Benefit Cosmetics for ten months in 2008. From 2010 to 2013, she served as Design Director at Discovery Inc. She then transitioned to Huge, where she was the User Experience and Product Design Director for ten months in 2013. Earlier in her career, she worked as a Junior Art Director at Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners and Leagas Delaney in 2004.
Education and Expertise
Sara Vienna studied at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in Journalism, Advertising, Digital Media, and Art. She also attended the Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, where she studied Spanish. Furthermore, she completed an Art Therapy Intensive at the University of California, Berkeley, enhancing her understanding of design's impact on mental health and productivity.
Achievements and Recognition
Sara Vienna has received multiple awards from prestigious institutions, including Apple, The Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum, Awwwards, and The Webbys. Her work and perspectives have been featured in notable publications such as The Verge, Fast Company, ADP List, and Figma’s Blog. She has also led design efforts for high-profile clients, including Anthony Bourdain, Travel Channel, and HGTV.
Involvement in Community and Speaking Engagements
Sara Vienna is a founding member of Tech Ladies®, where she contributed for four years until 2021. She advises under-represented design founders, focusing on mental health and productivity. Recently, she has participated in speaking engagements at events like SXSW and Swell AI, discussing topics related to AI and intuition.